Pakistan cricket team is the spiritual birthplace of reverse swing. The likes of Sarfraz Nawaz and Imran Khan invented and fine-tuned the art early on while the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis used it to devastating effect against hapless batting orders back in the day. Now in a podcast, Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram has revealed how the art of getting the ball to reverse swing demanded contributions — and even sacrifices — from the entire team when fielding. Akram even revealed that the Pakistan cricket team had to threaten to drop ace spinner Saqlain Mushtaq if he did not change his habit of twirling the ball in his palm before bowling.
But before Akram got to that threat to Mushtaq, he explained the perception of reverse swing when only the Pakistan cricket team could exploit it.
“In the 90s, nobody knew what reverse swing was. Apparently it was ball tampering. And then suddenly everybody learnt it, so it became reverse swing, thank you very much,” Akram said on the Stick to Cricket podcast while addressing the initial reservations from the wider cricketing world about the bowling technique back in the 1990s.
Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan, who hosts the Stick to Cricket podcast with Phil Tufnell, Sir Alastair Cook, and David Lloyd, asked Akram to explain how to get the ball to reverse swing. He even handed Akram a ball to get the former Pakistan pacer to explain.
Wasim Akram on the art of reverse swinging
The Pakistan cricket legend explained that the art was completely neglecting the rough side of the ball while keeping on shining the ball properly on the other side.
Akram started by explaining what natural conditions are needed to get the ball to reverse swing.
“It depends on the weather, depends on the square, depends how lush the square is, how lush the outfield is. The whole team has to be involved. If it’s reverse swing, if it’s rough side, this one and if one guy giving you one bounce throw, no, no, no, no, no. You got to throw the ball direct to the keeper, direct to the bowler, lesser hands that touch the ball, the better,” said Akram.
Story continues below this ad
Talking about how the weather played a role, the Pakistan cricket legend said: “If it’s a sunny day, then you obviously throw one bounce into the rough. You get little rough on the patches, then you work on your patches.”
Akram said that Younis learnt the art even before he came into the Pakistan cricket team, while he was taught it by Mudassar Nazar.
“HE was the go-to guy even if Imran Khan or Javed Miandad wanted some advice on the field. He was the one who taught me and then Imran was the one who taught me (how to bowl reverse swing),” Akram said.
WATCH: Reverse Swing Explained
WATCH: Wasim Akram on the Stick to Cricket podcast
The Pakistan cricket legend explained that the idea was not to have any fielder touch the rough side. To this, Cook revealed that because he does not sweat a whole lot, his teams would allow him to handle the ball.
Story continues below this ad
“Sometimes you could throw the ball on one bounce. But if you didn’t trust yourself with the rough side of the ball, don’t you dare touch the ball,” Cook interjected. “Just no hands on the ball.”
Why Saqlain Mushtaq was warned to change his action before bowling
Akram explained why this was a rule. He said even the bowlers and fielders who could touch the ball, and had the responsibility of shining one side of the ball, were told to hold the ball by fingertips on the seams and avoid touching the rough side on the palms of the hand.
“(If your palm touches the rough side) the rough side will go soft. And obviously there won’t be any reverse swing,” Akram said.
He then explained why Saqlain Mushtaq was warned to change his action by the Pakistan team. Akram explained that Mushtaq had the habit of twirling the ball into his palm before he bowled a delivery. That earned him a warning from the team.
Story continues below this ad
“The great Saqlain Mushtaq, what a bowler he was as an off spinner. He was unbelievable. One of the best I played with. He won so many games for Pakistan. His habit was to bowl like this (with a twirl). So we had to tell him, ‘buddy, change his habit otherwise we might not play you.’ The rough side used to get soft when he did that,” Akram said.
To this, Cook said that he had gotten England spinner Monty Panesar also to change his habit of twirling the ball in his palm before bowling.
Akram said that there was one particular teammate in the county team who made him mad with his habit of getting saliva on the ball.
“I used to shout at him. From fine leg, I would abuse him. ‘F*****g stop it. Somebody talk to him!’” Akram said.
