It's almost turned full circle for Pakistan bowling ace Wasim Akram.

When he runs out onto Carisbrook tomorrow with his side for the National Bank One-day series decider against New Zealand Akram will be completing something of a cricketing journey.

It was on Carisbrook that the Akram legend began in 1984/85.

In only his second Test match, Akram launched himself onto the world stage by taking five wickets in each innings (5/56 and 5/72) against New Zealand.

However, it may have been a Test marked with individual success, but it was a loss for Pakistan.

Akram effectively ended the international career of New Zealand medium pace bowler Lance Cairns when felling him with a bouncer which struck him on the head during what was a highly dramatic last afternoon to the Test.

New Zealand had needed 278 runs to beat Pakistan on that occasion. It was a New Zealand record for a chase in a Test match.

However, when Cairns exited the game it was left to Jeremy Coney and No 11 batsman Ewen Chatfield to score the 50 remaining runs to win the game.

Try as Akram and his team-mates might they could not prise the pair apart and New Zealand claimed a famous victory in the last session.

It may have been a temporary setback for Akram but 409 wickets later he is respected as one of the finest bowlers to have graced the game and even now as his career is winding down, he cannot be under-estimated by any batsman.

He has made that point several times on the tour already and in Pakistan's bid to win tomorrow he will be the key player, especially if he turns up ready to play.

Akram has long been a thorn in the side of New Zealand teams, none moreso than the 1993 team which played a one-off Test at Hamilton and which skittled New Zealand when they only needed 120-odd to win. The display of fast bowling that day by Akram and Waqar Younis had to be among the most lethal ever unleashed in New Zealand.

It will be that sort of fire that Akram will be looking to reproduce as he attempts to fire the side up to deny the home team a series win tomorrow.

Carisbrook is a vastly different place to what it was when Akram was playing his second Test, and it is a vastly different Akram who will be bowling.

Whatever though, Dunedin fans will have their last chance to admire one of the great bowlers of the game, a player who made his mark in world cricket in Dunedin and who, with his 409 wickets at 23.17 is set to move into the top echelon of wicket-takers in the game.

© CricInfo