Wasim Akram: Former captain of Pakistan, Akram, is largely recognised as the best fast bowler in the history of the sport. In ODIs, Akram set the record with 502 wickets before Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka overtook him in 2009. Akram made his debut for Pakistan in 1984 and played for the nation for the following 19 years. With 414 wickets and 25 five-wicket hauls to his credit in 104 Test matches for Pakistan, Akram played for Pakistan. In the 1992 World Cup, when Pakistan won their first championship, the former left-arm bowler also had the best wicket total.
Despite the fact that Akram retired as one of Pakistan cricket’s all-time greats, the ex-player has now made a significant admission regarding a particularly gloomy period of his post-playing life. Following his retirement, Akram, 56, acknowledged his cocaine addiction and shared the fact that he had tried treatment unsuccessfully.
I liked to indulge myself: Wasim Akram
“I liked to indulge myself; I liked to party,” “The culture of fame in south Asia is all consuming, seductive and corrupting. You can go to ten parties a night, and some do. And it took its toll on me. My devices turned into vices.
“Worst of all, I developed a dependence on cocaine. It started innocuously enough when I was offered a line at a party in England; my use grew steadily more serious, to the point that I felt I needed it to function,” Akram revealed.
The extent of Akram’s addiction led to him secretly making trips to Karachi for parties, he admitted.
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“Huma (Akram’s then-wife), I know, was often lonely in this time, she would talk of her desire to move to Karachi, to be nearer her parents and siblings. I was reluctant. “Why? Partly because I liked going to Karachi on my own, pretending it was work when it was actually about partying, often for days at a time,” revealed Akram.
His addiction grew more worse
“Huma eventually found me out, discovering a packet of cocaine in my wallet . . . ‘You need help.’ I agreed. It was getting out of hand. I couldn’t control it. One line would become two, two would become four; four would become a gram, a gram would become two. I could not sleep. I could not eat. I grew inattentive to my diabetes, which caused me headaches and mood swings. Like a lot of addicts, part of me welcomed discovery: the secrecy had been exhausting,” wrote Akram.
He also disclosed that the Lahore rehab didn’t work and ended up being even more unpleasant. He adds that he returned to his old habit after leaving the rehab facility, claiming that the doctor was more interested in “manipulating families than treating patients.”
Ultimately, Akram’s life was forever altered by Huma’s terrible death from a rare fungal infection. “Huma helped me overcome my drug addiction in his final unselfish, unintentional deed. I’ve never looked back because that way of life was over, Akram remarked.
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