Akram denies claims he coached India

Wasim Akram: 'If anyone seeks my advice I am duty-bound to help him' © Getty Images

Wasim Akram has denied claims that he coached the Indian side, or had plans to do so, and insisted that an action against him accusing him of doing so was born out of malice and was little more than an attempt to gain cheap publicity by the petitioner.

Akram was appearing in front of a civil court in Lahore in a bid to have the petition, which seeks to prevent him coaching any Indian players, dismissed. "I have no such intention to coach the Indian cricket team," he told the judge. "Nor I have been approached by the Indian cricket board." Akram explained that the petition had caused him "mental torture" as well as damaging his reputation.

"If anyone seeks my advice I am duty-bound to help him." Akram continued. "Indian bowlers Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan used to call me and take advice, there is nothing wrong with that because when I was young I took advice from Kapil Dev and the late West Indian Malcolm Marshall.

"I am amazed at the narrow-mindedness of the people, they make mountains out of a molehill," he added. "I am going to sue them instead. "

Akram also faces another appearance in court, again because of a petition filed by a member of the public, following his appearance in a liquor advertisement in India two years ago.

The judge adjourned the current case until December 8.