I wish Pakistan youngsters get to be a part of IPL: Wasim Akram

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram opened up on the rivalry between the two nations, India and Pakistan. The veteran believes that sports shouldn’t be a victim of politics and the players should not suffer because of the decisions made by the government. Owing to the political tension between India and Pakistan, the cricket teams of both the nations neither indulge in any bilateral series nor their players participate in the domestic leagues.

During the interaction, Akram expressed his wish of watching Pakistan players participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Indian cricketers in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The former captain alleged that IPL is one of the most competitive sports leagues in the world and the Pakistan cricketers can get a lot of exposure while playing in it. Notably, Wasim had served as the bowling coach of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a few years.

“I have always believed that sports shouldn’t be a victim of politics but that is a government subject of both countries and it won’t be apt for me to say anything. But as you said in the question itself, yes IPL is one of the most competitive domestic leagues in the cricketing world and I wish Pakistan youngsters get to be a part of it and I also wish to see Indian players playing in PSL,” he said as quoted by The New Indian Express.

Wasim Akram opines on comparison between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam

Speaking of the comparison between the Indian captain Virat Kohli and Pakistan’s limited-overs captain Babar Azam, Wasim reckoned that he doesn’t fancy comparisons but would be happy if Babar takes it on a positive note and tries to be consistent like Virat.

“I wouldn’t like to make any comparison but having said that, I would like to add that Babar Azam is an exceptional talent, he has shown his excellence in all formats, but in patches. I would be very happy if he can see the comparison positively and becomes consistent in his performance like Kohli,” he said.

The 54-year-old is all set to be a part of the first edition of the Sri Lanka Cricket’s Lanka Premier League (LPL). The league will commence from November 21 and the Pakistan legend is associated with Galle Gladiators outfit in the tournament. When asked about the same, Akram opined that people are hungry for sports after the pandemic and LPL will be a hit just like IPL.