In his autobiography “Sultan: A Memoir,” former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram slammed ex-teammates Rashid Latif and Aamir Sohail.
While he called Latif a “lobbyist,” he called Sohail a “zombie figure.”
Wasim Akram on Rashid Latif and Aamir Sohail
In a few days, Wasim Akram’s latest autobiography will be released, and some of its claims have already shocked the cricketing community. He discussed his cocaine addiction after retiring and how he handled the situation in this book.
In another excerpt, Akram claims that when Waqar Younis was appointed captain of the Pakistan cricket team for the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, the great bowler was not part of Pakistan’s playing XI, revealing an unexpected reason for his selection.
“Waqar, by then (2003) was not in our best XI. He was made captain because of Tauqir, and Tauqir was a nuisance. Shoaib, for example, took it into his head to contact Tauqir directly with a request that he be joined by his own doctor, Tauseef Razzaq,” Akram said.
Akram continued by accusing Rashid Latif of being a lobbyist and recalling how, despite Akram being Pakistan’s captain at the time, Latif had informed a media outlet about a match-fixing investigation without directly informing Akram. The former Pakistani captain further referred to Aamir Sohail as a “zombie.”
“The lobbyists were at work. In July 2000, Rashid Latif gave an interview to The Sunday Telegraph in which he claimed to have been offered £15,000 to ensure Pakistan were bowled out for under 300 in the 1996 Lord’s Test. And who knows? Maybe he had. But had he told me, his captain, at the time? No. Had he reported it to his coach or manager? No. Had he told Qayyum? No. Amazingly, these stories only ever came out when he wanted attention,” he wrote.
“I was publicly reinstated as captain for the DMC Trophy in Toronto. The clamour for change was satisfied by a new coach, Wasim Raja, and new selectors: Wasim’s brother Ramiz, Naushad Ali and Abdur Raquib. They recalled, after his tireless lobbying, the zombie figure of Aamir Sohail,” he added.
