Wasim Akram rates Fizz lowest among four lefty pacers

One of the greatest pacers to have ever played the game, Pakistan's Wasim Akram urged young bowlers to acquire the "mindset" to reach excellence through playing Test cricket.

"T20 cricket will allow one to make money and achieve fame in one year. However, if you have to leave a legacy, then you have to consider playing the longer formats," Wasim said on Sportskeeda's YouTube show.  

"Then, even after 10-15 years following retirement, people will say, 'there was this bowler, unlike any other in cricket's history'.

"This should be the mindset of every young bowler [to leave a mark in the sport]."

During the show, the "Sultan of Swing" was asked to rate four left-arm pacers -- India's Arshdeep Singh (8), Bangladesh's Mustafizur "Fizz" Rahman (7), Australia's Mitchell Starc (9.75), and New Zealand's Trent Boult (10) -- out of 10.

When asked why Fizz's cutters are so lethal, Wasim explained:

"Practice or he disguises his deliveries well. He doesn't open his fingers (index and middle) before throwing the ball, and the action remains unchanged, so that's why he's consistent.

"But as we're talking about T20 cricket, especially with his cutters, he's quite good. And now he's learned to bowl a new delivery: in-swinger. Now the ball comes in a bit [to the right-handed batters]; previously, he could only bowl across."

Wasim, who ended up with 414 wickets in Test cricket and 502 in ODIs following his illustrious career spanning 18 years, further said, "He also suffers from injury problems and is reluctant to play Test cricket."

Mustafizur has shown his reluctancy to play the longer version, and is usually considered by the Tigers for white-ball formats. The 28-year-old pacer has played just 15 Tests, playing only three Tests in last five years, with his last appearance in the longest format coming back in 2022 against the West Indies.