AZHAR MAHMOOD RATES WASIM AKRAM AND ADAM HOLLIOAKE AS GREAT CAPTAINS

Pakistan’s discarded all-rounder, Azhar Mahmood, has rated Wasim Akram as one of the best captains he has played under. Mahmood also expressed that, he is yet to give up on his international future and whenever Pakistan will need him, the all-rounder will be available for his country.

The 36-year-old cricketer was an integral part of Pakistan’s limited overs team in the late 1990s, however, Mahmood lost confidence of the selectors after the emergence of Abdul Razzaq as a world-class performer in both the major departments of the game.

Since early 2000s, the all-rounder is consistently playing professional cricket in the county circuit and has been performing brilliantly as well.

Mahmood said that playing for Surrey was a huge learning curve for him as a cricketer as the county was full of high-profile players. He admired Adam Hollioake and Wasim Akram because of their leadership skills.

He said, "In Surrey there was competition for places, as we had Saqlain, Graham Thorpe, Alec Stewart. Adam Hollioake [the Surrey captain] and Wasim bhai [Akram] are the best captains I've played under. Surrey is like a big company, but Adam made sure we gelled well. Kent is a much smaller club, and has more of a family
atmosphere."

The all-rounder came into the scene of international cricket in late 1996 and immediately cemented his place in the country’s limited overs squad. However, he made a name for himself when he scored a hundred on debut against South Africa in 1997 and later scored a couple of more hundreds in the same season against the same opposition.

Mahmood was a brilliant first-change bowler for Pakistan as he had the ability to move the ball off the seam. On top of that, he was a very good fielder.

While talking about his performances as an all-rounder, Azhar is proud that apart from Abdul Razzaq, no other all-rounder has been able to cement his place in the Pakistani team since the retirement of the great Imran Khan.

"After Imran bhai [Khan], no other allrounder has performed like Razzaq and myself. Each captain has his own way of thinking. Some captains had more trust in Razzaq, some trusted me more. When you keep changing captains, you can't settle," Mahmood added.