Wasim Akram - one of the all time greats Photo © AFP

Till the very last minute, fast bowler Wasim Akram's inclusion in the England-bound squad remained a matter of conjecture and suspense. That he finally made it, apparently in the face of stiff opposition by the team captain, his one-time bosom pal Waqar Younis, has been attributed to the desperate, almost pathetic, efforts that he was forced to make on his own behalf. It was reported that he sought the intervention of various people, including his mentor Imran Khan, to achieve his cherished desire of a fourth tour of the island nation on whose greens the game of cricket had originated.

This running-from-pillar-to-post mode of selection by one who has been termed as an all-time great fast bowler in the annals of cricket, makes for sorry reading. In the normal scheme of things, his unrivalled record of 400-plus wickets in both Test and one-day cricket, and his vast experience of English conditions (three tours, a World Cup and numerous years for his county Lancashire) would have made him an automatic choice for the tour. Also, Pakistan, seeking to avenge its recent 0-1 loss to England in the home series would have preferred the strongest possible side, and dropping Akram would have been tantamount to neglecting a `force-multiplier' weapon in its armoury.

All's well that ends well, goes the clichéd saying, but it must be recorded that the doubts and uncertainty surrounding his berth had little to do with Akram's undoubted cricketing skills. Many non-cricketing reasons were cited in a bid to keep him out. Maybe it was Akram's offhand treatment of Younis that still rankled with the latter. Or it may be those numerous instances when various captains felt that when he was not leading the side, Akram was not only not giving of his best but also distracting other, younger and more impressionable members of the team.

There is also this feeling in the PCB boardrooms that with Moin axed in a bid to make a few examples, Akram remains the last vestige of player power that has dogged Pakistan cricket through the '90s.

Wasim Akram - at practice in Nottingham Photo PA Sports

Anyway, now that Akram has survived – albeit after considerable humiliation – it remains to be seen how well he does in England. Despite the weight of his performance over the last decade and a half, it would be extremely difficult for Akram to maintain his place in the outfit if he fails to produce anything less than really high-calibre stuff.

Akram, however, is a great survivor. In the last eight years or so, this champion all-rounder had to undergo many a setback and ignominy – charges of ball-tampering (1992), rebellion against his captaincy (1993), allegations of match-fixing (1994 to date), debilitating effects of diabetes (1997 to date).

Almost always he emerged stronger than before. Despite having 16 years of a fast-bowling career behind him, that this most `natural' of southpaws is still a force to reckon with is reflected from his performance in the year 2000. At St. John's, Antigua, he took a 10-wicket haul against the West Indies – it would have been a match-winning effort had a couple of umpiring decisions not deprived Pakistan of a much-coveted first series triumph in the Caribbean.

Then he had a big hand in Pakistan winning its first Asia Cup, and immediately afterwards two back-to-back Man of the Match awards in Tests in Sri Lanka for his all-round performance. Pakistan ended up winner in both encounters.

His fitness is not an issue at this point, for he seems to have recovered from his injuries and one has to believe him when he says that he is all fired up to do well in England. Clearly, if he were not fit he would not have gone to such great lengths to secure a place in the squad.

So Wasim Akram, the `temperamental team man' but a great performer nevertheless, has to do well to silence his many detractors. And, considering his track record, especially when he wants to make a point, that is bad news for England!

© CricInfo Limited