(Web Desk) – One of the finest cricketers Pakistan has ever produced, Wasim Akram turned 59 on Tuesday.
He was born on June 3, 1966, into an upper-middle-class family of Lahore. His father was a successful businessman, and Akram was sent to the Cathedral School in Lahore. From age 10 he lived with his grandparents, and his grandfather, a passionate cricket follower, introduced Akram to the sport.
He studied at Islamia College. His success in local club cricket brought him to the attention of the selectors. He made his first-class, ODI, and Test debuts within the space of three months at the turn of the 1984–85 season as a teenager, and, barring periods of injury or political upheaval, was thereafter a regular member of the Pakistan side, which he captained frequently before his retirement in 2003.
He is regarded as the greatest left-handed bowler of all time, arguably among the very best fast bowlers ever, and an outstanding all-rounder, who helped lead Pakistan to the one-day international (ODI) World Cup in 1992.