Lankans hope Akram’s tips help team prosper at T20 World Cup

Wasim Akram

Sri Lanka cricketers are being coached by legendary Pakistan all-rounder Wasim Akram albeit for two days. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board president Shammi Silva has Akram over in Colombo ahead of the T20 World Cup for the growth of Sri Lanka's cricket. Sri Lanka exited the 2022 edition of the showpiece T20 event after finishing fourth in the Super 12 stage.

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SLC will hope the former left-arm pace great can inspire Sri Lanka to lift the trophy in the West Indies in June (matches will also be held in the USA). Akram, who scored 3,717 runs and claimed 502 wickets in 356 ODIs, will conduct five sessions across two days with the Sri Lankans. SLC has organised coaching sessions for their pace academy students as well. Coaches have been invited too, so that when Akram, 57, speaks to the boys, the coaches can also learn.

Roping in star cricketers to help their team in international cricket started when Sir Garfield Sobers was brought in to guide the Sri Lankans for their inaugural Test against England in 1982 and beyond. Sobers had then insisted on the inclusion of teenager Arjuna Ranatunga. The rest, as they say, is history.