Afridi, Akram tell old NSK tales on visit to new honour boards

Former Pakistan all-rounders Wasim Akram and Shahid Afridi on Wednesday became the latest cricketing legends to pay a visit to the newly installed honours board at the National Stadium Karachi (NSK) and go down the memory lane.

The board, which bears the names of local and foreign cricketers who have achieved major feats at the stadium over the years, has become somewhat of an attraction recently.

Afridi’s face lit up when he found his name on the board; a five-wicket haul against Australia in a Test match in 1998 had earned him a place on the prestigious plank.

“My first-ever Test match was here against Australia,” Afridi recalled. “I took five wickets for 52 runs. It was a big achievement as I got the chance to play a Test after 50-60 ODIs.”

“Aamer Sohail was our captain back then,” he added.

Akram, meanwhile, has his name on not just the ODI board but also on the Test match one.

“I remember these five wickets against Zimbabwe,” he said of his 1993 five-fer against the Africans. “I think the first wicket was of Grant Flower and it was probably his birthday. He had asked me to bowl the first ball in front. I did just that but then he played a drive and was caught behind.”

“I also remember breaking a wicket too in that match,” the Sultan of Swing said.

Akram praised the PCB’s decision to install the board, saying: “I am glad that these boards have been installed. They provide a lot of motivation to past and present players.”