Wasim buoyed up by repeat performance (15 March 1999)

15 March 1999

Wasim buoyed up by repeat performance

By Our Correspondent

DHAKA, Mar 14: Wasim Akram himself didn't dream of it. Only a week after his first hat trick in a test match, the Pakistani speedster wrote his name in history book again. TJ Matthews of Australia had two hat tricks in one Test. But Akram is the first bowler having such an exhilarating experience in two consecutive matches - his first hat trick came in his home city Lahore on March 6. Some five thousand lucky fans witnessed the historic feat at the Dhaka National Stadium and shared the magic of Akram's swingers. They gave a standing ovation to the bowler when the hat trick came. "I was relaxed over the ball. But it was an outswinger that the batsman played. And he was caught," said the great bowler, Akram, the only cricketer who took consecutive three wickets twice both in one-day international and Test matches.

"Having double hat tricks in both one-day and test is very gratifying Not Kapil Dev, but Courtney Walsh is my target," said Akram who dreams of taking 400 plus Test wickets.

Not only for the hat trick, the Pakistani captain said, the day was a happy one for him as his two batsmen - Ijaz Ahmed (211) and Injamam-ul-Haq (200 not out) - both had their maiden double century that almost ensured a victory for the team.

"I feel very good seeing my son achieve his hat trick sitting at the Dhaka stadium. I saw his last hattrick on television," Wasim's father said.

Chowdhury Akram said during Wasim's boyhood, "I never thought he will become a great cricketer." As it now stands, Akram is the only bowler with double hat tricks both in ODI and Test. But before the latest one, he was also the only bowler having hat tricks both in ODI and Test when he made his first Test hat trick earlier this month. Akram, already the highest wicket taker in ODI, with his 377 wickets in 88 Tests, surpassed the fifth highest wicket taker, West Indian Malcolm Marshall (376).

Now the Pakistani captain is only 23 wickets short of becoming a proud member of the glorious 400 club along with Kapil Dev (India), Richard Hadlee (New Zealand) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies). Apart from these three, another bowler with 383 wickets, Ian Botham stands above him.

With the 25th hat trick in Test cricket, Akram also wrote his name along with H Trumble and TJ Matthews, both of Australia, who earned the glorious feather twice. Matthews made his double hat trick in one Test match.

Source :: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)