NEW DELHI: A life-sized statue of legendary pacer Wasim Akram, unveiled in April at Hyderabad's Niaz Stadium in Pakistan, has drawn widespread social media attention after a handle on X shared its photo, with fans expressing amusement over its unflattering appearance despite attempts to honour the fast-bowling great.
The statue depicts Akram in Pakistan's 1999 World Cup jersey, capturing his signature slingy bowling action. While the sculptor accurately portrayed his body dimensions and structure, the facial features appeared distorted, with his concentrated expression appearing more like a frown and his hair making him look older than intended.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"Does Wasim Akram know that it's him?" asked one social media user.
"Made with 10% cement, 90% disappointment ��," tweeted another.
Wasim Akram's statue has elicited hilarious reactions on social media (Image via X)
The reaction mirrors similar criticism faced when Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium unveiled cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's statue, which fans thought resembled Australian cricketer Steve Smith instead.
Akram's illustrious cricket career spanned from 1984 to 2003, during which he played 104 Test matches and 356 One Day Internationals. He claimed 414 Test wickets at an average of 23.62 and became the first bowler to reach 500 ODI wickets, finishing with 502 at an average of 23.52.
The cricket icon demonstrated his batting prowess by scoring over 6,000 runs across formats, with an unbeaten 257 as his highest Test score. He was also part of Pakistan's victorious 1992 World Cup team and participated in four World Cups overall.
Wasim Akram's statue outside the outside the Niaz Stadium (Image via X)
Akram's role as a leader included captaining his country in 25 Tests and 109 ODIs. His post-playing career has been equally notable, having served as a coach in the IPL, domestic cricket, and briefly with the Pakistan national team. Currently, he contributes to cricket through commentary and broadcast work across various competitions.
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