\nHow Pakistan perfected reverse swing<\/p>\n
Pakistan cricket team is the spiritual birthplace of reverse swing, with the likes of Sarfraz Nawaz and Imran Khan inventing and fine-tuning the art early on while the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis used it to devastating effect against hapless batting orders. Now in a podcast, Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram has revealed how the art of getting the ball to reverse swing demanded contributions \u2014 and even sacrifices \u2014 from the entire team when fielding. <\/p>\n
Akram even said that the Pakistan cricket team threatened to drop ace spinner Saqlain Mushtaq if he did not change his habit of twirling the ball in his palm before bowling. But before Akram got to that threat to Mushtaq, he explained the perception of reverse swing when only the Pakistan cricket team could exploit it. <\/p>\n
\nHow Pakistan perfected reverse swing<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the 90s, nobody knew what reverse swing was. Apparently it was ball tampering. And then suddenly everybody learnt it, so it became reverse swing, thank you very much,\u201d Akram said on the Stick to Cricket podcast while addressing the initial reservations from the wider cricketing world about the bowling technique back in the 1990s. <\/p>\n
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Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan, who hosts the Stick to Cricket podcast with Phil Tufnell, Sir Alastair Cook, and David Lloyd, asked Akram to explain how to get the ball to reverse swing. He even handed Akram a ball to get the former Pakistan pacer to explain. <\/p>\n
Wasim Akram on the art of reverse swinging<\/p>\n
The Pakistan cricket legend explained that the art was completely neglecting the rough side of the ball while keeping on shining the ball properly on the other side. <\/p>\n
Akram started by explaining what natural conditions are needed to get the ball to reverse swing. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt depends on the weather, depends on the square, depends how lush the square is, how lush the outfield is. The whole team has to be involved. If it\u2019s reverse swing, if it\u2019s rough side, this one and if one guy giving you one bounce throw, no, no, no, no, no. You got to throw the ball direct to the keeper, direct to the bowler, lesser hands that touch the ball, the better,\u201d said Akram. <\/p>\n
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Talking about how the weather played a role, the Pakistan cricket legend said: \u201cIf it\u2019s a sunny day, then you obviously throw one bounce into the rough. You get little rough on the patches, then you work on your patches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Akram said that Younis learnt the art even before he came into the Pakistan cricket team, while he was taught it by Mudassar Nazar. <\/p>\n
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