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Former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram has made a shocking revelation about the aftermath of the defeat against India in the quarter-finals of the 1996 World Cup. The cricketer-turned-commentator said some of his teammates tried to shift the blame to him, making him a scapegoat to escape criticism.
Akram still faces criticism following an incident in 1996 when he missed the World Cup quarter-final against India. For almost 30 years, many have accused him of deliberately skipping the round of 16, but the former Pakistan captain has always maintained that an injury prevented him from playing.
I took four injections in the morning – Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram said an abdominal muscle injury ruled him out of the match against India. He said the injury occurred while he was playing a sweep shot against Dion Nash in an earlier match against New Zealand and despite treatment from the physiotherapist, he was unable to recover in time for the match against India.
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“Sometimes I fail to understand their thought process. Our own cricketers had a role to play. Everyone who played under me, including our vice-captain, started.“, said Akram in the show ‘Batana hi Padega’.
“‘We should escape the blame and the ax should fall on him.’ I had four injections the morning of the match, but the muscle pull was so strong you just couldn’t bowl. It takes 6-8 weeks to heal,” he added.
I heard them say “Ispe Blame Daal Dete Hain” – Wasim Akram
Akram revealed that he heard some of his teammates plan to blame him for the defeat. He said several players stopped talking to him after the loss and that he overheard 5-6 teammates discussing how to protect themselves by putting the blame on him.
“It’s embarrassing to know that all these former cricketers are speaking against me. I heard their conversation the previous night. No one was speaking to me after he lost the match,” Akram said.
“They were scared, and these 5-6 guys were sitting in a room. When I was walking through, I heard them saying ‘ispe blame daal dete hain dekh lenge kya hoga (Let’s blame him and we’ll see what happens).”
As captain of Pakistan against India and in India – Wasim Akram
At the time, the media attention was much less than it is today, but rumors were flying that Wasim Akram had voluntarily pulled out of the match. He played three India-Pakistan World Cup matches in 1992, 1999 and 2003.
Akram said he never thought about leaving his team. He made it clear that playing for Pakistan as captain against India, especially in India, was a matter of pride and he would never leave such a moment.
“It’s not gully cricket, boss. Explain to me, please. I play for Pakistan, and as captain, against India and in India. Do you really think I would pull out at the last minute?” asked Akram.
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