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Shane Warne names best Pakistan XI he has played against, and it’s a stellar 90s star cast with Wasim Akram as captain

The live Instagram session was a trip down memory lane for cricket fans as he named some of Pakistan cricket’s legends in his XI.

Updated on: Apr 2, 2020, 14:49:59 IST
Hindustan Times | By
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Former Australian legend Shane Warne is continuing to make the most of this lockdown as he keeps his fans engaged and entertained with his selection of top teams he has played against. After picking the best Indian XI he has played with on Wednesday, the leg spinner turned his attention towards Pakistan.

File phot oof Wasim Akram and Shane Warne. (HT Photo - Santosh Harhare) (HT Photo)
File phot oof Wasim Akram and Shane Warne. (HT Photo - Santosh Harhare) (HT Photo)

The live Instagram session was a trip down memory lane for cricket fans as he named some of Pakistan cricket’s legends in his XI. He picked the classy Saeed Anwar to open the innings along side the flashy and temperamental Aamir Sohail. The duo of Anwar and Sohail, both southpaws, shared some great partnerships in their heydays.

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The middle order was dominated by the run machines Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan while the chirpy Moin Khan was Warne’s pick for the wicket-keeper batsman’s role.

The pace bowling unit is headed by Wasim Akram whom he also named the captain of the team. Remember Akram skippered the Pakistan side that reached the final of the 1999 ICC World Cup, which eventually lost to Australia in a match that was headlined by Warne’s man of the match performance. The other pacers in the team are the tearaway yorker specialists Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis. Warne chose to go in with two spinners, off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and the leggie Mushtaq Ahmed.

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Warne’s greatest Pakistan XI: Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Moin Khan (wk), Wasim Akram (c), Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis.

“Akram was the best bowler that I saw, his skill with the ball was exceptional,” Warne said.

Akram picked 414 wickets, including 20 five-wicket hauls, in 104 Tests. In 356 ODIs, he had 502 wickets with an average of 23.52. Warne too had amazing figures against Pakistan. He played 13 longest format games against them and scalped 71 wickets with an average of 21.10.

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