‘My dream is to get the wicket of THIS Indian star’, says 17-year-old Pakistan spinner Faisal Akram


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After knowing that Virat Kohli has a nemesis – spinners – many uncapped players have a dream to take the prized wicket of the  Indian skipper. Among them is a 17-year-old left-arm spinner from Pakistan – Faisal Akram.

The young lad recently made headlines when he clean-bowled Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam in a practice match at the Gaddafi Stadium last week. He had bamboozled Babar with his stock ball and Akram believes it’s a memory he will cherish forever. 

“He [Babar] is a world-class player, so I was under a little bit of pressure early on. But Waqar [Younis] bhai, who was standing beside me as an umpire, gave me confidence and said that I can do it. I was bowling well at that time as well, so Babar bhai got a good ball and was dismissed. After that my confidence just skyrocketed,” Faisal told Cricket Pakistan in a chat.

So how did he get Babar Azam’s wicket? The young boy was called by the Pakistan team management to help the national side prepare for South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi ahead of their ODI series. 

However, after having dismissed Babar, the Akram said his next target for a wicket is that of Kohli. He called the prospect of dismissing the India captain a dream. “My dream is to get the wicket of Virat Kohli and hopefully it will come true,” he said.

The youngster also said that he had received a good word from India all-rounder Hardik Pandya. “I have had conversations with him [Hardik] on Instagram. He has sponsored a bat for me from there,” he said. 

Talking about his favourite cricketer he said, “My favourite bowler in international cricket was Brad Hogg, who I have followed from the beginning and also try to copy.”

About Akram, he was involved with Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, Multan Sultans. “Mushtaq bhai is my favourite coach because he is also a leg-spinner, so I have learned a lot from him. Shahid bhai also gave me tips and confidence,” he said.

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