Birthday Special: When Wasim Akram was linked with actress half his age!

New Delhi: Talk of fast-bowling and you can’t possibly ignore Wasim Akram. The legendary left arm pacer from Pakistan, who terrorised batsmen across the globe with his lethal pace and swing, turns 47 today.

A proven performer, Akram enjoys significant fan following across cricket playing nations, including India.

His rugged good looks and charm have always kept him in company of some of the more beautiful faces around, often invoking controversies over his personal life.
  

Wasim made his international debut against New Zealand in 1985, and soon became the pace spearhead of a Pakistan side that was never short of quality pacers.

Akram became the first man to capture 500 wickets in One Day Internationals. 

In a career that witnessed many crests, Akram’s greatest high came in the finals of the 1992 World Cup. The pacer took 3 wickets, besides scoring a brisk 33 to overpower England.

Not surprisingly, he was chosen Man of the Final.
  

Wasim’s charming looks made him a darling of girls across the world. He broke quite a few hearts though, marrying Huma in 1995.
  

Not just on cricket field, Wasim remains a champion off it too. Stumped by the revelation of him being a diabetic, Akram decided to take the challenge head on, and eventually succeeded in controlling diabetes.

He has actively been involved with health causes ever since.

  

The lowest point in Wasim’s life came in year 2009, when his wife Huma died of cardiac arrest in Chennai.

  

Post Huma’s demise, Akram was linked with Indian actress and ex-Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. The two, however, maintained that they were mere friends.

  

Before Sushmita, Wasim was linked with Pak model and actress Humaima Malik.

Akram was seen with Malik on a number of occasions, but the bowler denied he was seeing Humaima, a girl half his age.