Sultan
Sultan is the official biography of Wasim Akram, the "sultan of swing", one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of cricket.
For twenty years, Wasim Akram let his cricket do the talking – his electrifying left-arm pace, his explosive left-handed striking, his leadership and his inspiration. For another twenty years he kept his own counsel about those days, full of drama, controversy and even mystery, in a country, Pakistan, that to outsiders is a constant enigma. Until now.
Sultan tells the story of cricket’s greatest left-arm bowler, and one of its greatest survivors, who was chosen from the streets of Lahore and groomed by Imran Khan to become champion of the world – man of the match in the final of the 1992 World Cup. Along the way were unforgettable rivalries with the greatest of his time, from Viv Richards and Ian Botham to Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne. Along the way, too, a backdrop of conspiracy and intrigue over ball tampering and match fixing about which Wasim finally sets the story straight.
But there’s more: Sultan goes frankly into the crumbling and rebuilding of Wasim’s private life, marred by the tragedy of his first wife’s death and the torment of addiction. The result is an unprecedented insight into the life of a cricketer who revolutionised the game with his speed and swing, and a patriot buoyed and burdened by the expectation of one of the game’s most fanatical publics.
Wasim Akram is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of cricket. A former Pakistan cricket captain, he remains popular throughout the cricketing world and often commentates for world cricket events. Akram holds the world record for most wickets in List A cricket, with 881, and he is second only to Sri Lankan off-spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan in terms of ODI wickets. He is considered to be one of the founders, and perhaps the finest exponent of, reverse swing bowling and is often referred to as the "Sultan of Swing". In 2009, Akram was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. In October 2013, Wasim Akram was the only Pakistani cricketer to be named in a Wisden all-time Test World XI to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
Written with the help of award winning writer, Gideon Haigh, described by The Guardian's Richard Williams as 'the most gifted cricket essayist of his generation'. Gideon Haigh has been a journalist for almost four decades, published more than 40 books and contributed to more than 100 newspapers and magazines.