Waqar rubbishes Wasim's untrue' claims over Anil Kumble's 10-wicket-haul
Mumbai: Former Pakistani pace bowler Waqar Younis has defended himself when alleged by his one-time team-mate and the captain Wasim Akram that he (Younis) was trying to deprive Anil Kumble the 10th wicket and thus to become the second bowler in the history of Test cricket in the Delhi Test against Pakistan in 1999.
"Akram is like my elder brother but whatever he has said is totally untrue," Younis said from Australia.
Meanwhile, Virender Sehwag, while paying his tribute to Anil Kumble, for his historic 10-wicket-haul against Pakistan, had tweeted this a couple of days ago.
Wasim and Waqar, both of whom were fondly called the 'Sultans of Swing' back in their playing days, were the last two Pakistani batsmen at the crease, in the 1999 Kotla Test.
Akram had revealed that his last-wicket partner Waqar Younis had almost ruined Kumble’s 10-wicket haul in a Test innings by suggesting of either batsman getting run out "intentionally".
Reacting to Wasim's claims, Waqar said, "Akram has a very old habit of telling lies and pulling others, who have never said so. Getting run out intentionally is against the spirit of the game and never ever in my dream I would think so," he added.
"It would have been a very ugly way of being run out that way and thus depriving Kumble the 10th wicket, which he rightly deserved,” said Waqar. "In one of the TV shows in India, Akram also tried to pull Inzamam-ul-Haq also by saying that Inzi was a bad runner on the wicket. I have played cricket for 25 years and never indulged in any unsporting way."
The former Pakistan cricketer-turned coach rubbished Wasim's claims, about him wanting to get intentionally run-out, in order to prevent Kumble's 10-wicket-haul.
In fact, when Kumble grabbed the 9th wicket, India captain Azharuddin had a plan for Kumble to have his 10th wicket.
"Azharuddin privately instructed Srinath to bowl a wayward line in his next over," Wisden Almanack has recorded in the report.
"No one dreams of taking ten wickets in an innings, because you can't," Kumble had said then.
England's Jim Laker is the only other Test bowler having achieved this feat against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956.
