Watch: Wasim Akram picks PAK batsman over Sehwag as game-changing

Pakistan legend Wasim Akram has come up with something extravagant. Virender Sehwag who was one of the most intimidating openers world cricket has ever witnessed wasn’t that threatening according to Wasim Akram.

The swashbuckling opener who has two triple-centuries to his name in the longest format of the game was always in news for his outrageously explosive batting. In the current lot of Test openers, only David Warner could be considered somewhere close to Sehwag in terms of attacking right from the very first ball.

Wasim Akram chooses Shahid Afridi over Virender Sehwag

The cricket fans all around the world have always appreciated the aggressive approach Virender Sehwag had in his playing days, however, Pakistan veteran Wasim Akram has different thoughts.

According to him, it wasn’t Virender Sehwag who changed the dynamics of opening the batting in Test cricket instead, he credited Shahid Afridi for the same. Akram firmly believes that Shahid Afridi’s approach stated a new mindset of opening in Test match cricket.

In a Youtube chat show, Akram was speaking to Afridi where is said;

In Test cricket, Virender Sehwag came later but in 1999-2000 Shahid Afridi changed the mindset of opening.

Here’s the full video:

Talking about Shahid Afridi, he made his Test debut in 1998 as an opener against the mighty Aussies but lasted only for 27 matches. In just his fourth Test innings which came against India, he scored a magnificent 141 to guide his side to a famous win.

However, consistency was always a concern with his game and he could only last for 47 innings in Test match cricket, wherein, he scored 1716 runs at an average of 36.51.

He was a prime figure in White-ball cricket for Pakistan for a long time. Talking about his numbers in ODI’s, he has scored 8064 runs from 369 innings and scalped 395 wickets. In T20Is, he has managed 1416 runs from 91 innings and grabbed 98 wickets.