Thilanga Sumathipala, a former cricket administrator, launched a book called “The Wave Maker” last Friday. Among the cricket stars who participated in this event which was held at a star-class hotel in Colombo, Wasim Akram, a former Pakistani fast bowler and captain, was prominent.
He made remarks about the current cricket that enthralled the audience including Aravinda De Silva and other Cricket stars, in the face of the questions of veteran compere Roshan Abeysinghe.
There, Wasim Akram made this reference to the cricket of the 90s and the cricket of today.
“Today’s cricket has changed a lot since the 90s. A lot is happening in cricket today. Too many matches. These days we can’t even keep track of who is playing and who isn’t. There is so much cricket. It’s good for the game. And good for the money. But I think we should always look at quality more than quantity in cricket.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan on and off the field had a very strong relationship. I think off the field you are ok. We were friends, we laughed after the game. On the field, I can’t say while Aravinda hit sixes while I was bowling. But you can guess
Roshan Abeysinghe – Can I ask when you are bowling to Aravinda your lips also moving?
Wasim Akram – I just used to say Ben Stokes.to Aravinda. It is a very Urdu kind of a bad word. If you google you may get it..
The whole congregation laughed.