Two former cricketers blame Wasim Akram for 1999 world cup loss

Former legendary cricketer and Sultan of Swing, Wasim Akram, attributed the criticism he faced from players to being caught in controversies.

Videos of former Pakistan cricketers Aamir Sohail and Ijaz Ahmed have been circulating on social media, in which both accuse Wasim Akram of causing the Greenshirt’s loss in the 1999 World Cup final against Australia.

In an interview with a private TV channel, Aamir Sohail said that just a few months before the World Cup, there was a debate about whether the captaincy should be handed over to Wasim Akram.

This eventually happened. Sohail further stated that Akram’s greatest contribution to Pakistan was that after the 1992 World Cup, Pakistan could not win another one.

He also mentioned that Pakistan could have easily won the 1996, 1999, and 2003 World Cups, and an investigation into the reasons for their defeats was necessary.

He added that Imran Khan should be grateful to Wasim Akram and honoured him with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2019 for this reason.

Another former cricketer and 1999 World Cup team batsman, Ijaz Ahmed, shared his thoughts, saying that when Pakistan won the toss in the final, it felt like they had already won.

However, he criticised Wasim Akram’s decision-making, saying that a mistake of the kind Akram made that day could even be avoided by a child playing street cricket.

Ijaz revealed that the night before, he had suggested that Akram should not opt to bat first, especially after seeing the heavy rain.

If Akram was under pressure, he should have called for a team meeting the next morning, but no such meeting took place.

During a discussion about the performance of the national team in the ICC Champions Trophy, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, and Sana Mir were present.

Mohammad Hafeez remarked that the ’90s team gave Pakistan several mega-stars, but they never won an ICC event. In 1996, the performance was not up to mark, and although they reached the final in 1999, the loss shattered the nation.

Later, Rashid Latif, without naming anyone, criticised saying that the cricketers of the ’90s should be kept away from the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) management matters.