‘He bowled balls that could not have been bowled by anyone else in history’ - Gideon Haigh on Wasim Akram

In the latest episode we talk to author and journalist Gideon Haigh about his recent collaboration with Wasim Akram on his memoir Sultan.

We talk about the process of writing the book and the challenges that Gideon had to overcome to ensure he told the story in Wasim's voice.

Talking Points:

• The process Gideon followed and the contrast with On Warne


• The conversations Gideon had with Imran, Dravid, Shastri, and plenty of others


• Settling on a voice for the book - how people imagine Wasim will speak like


• Wasim's ability to praise and slam his team-mates - often in the same paragraph


• Wasim's evolving relationship with Waqar - their partnership and falling out


• The physical and emotional hurdles Wasim had to overcome through his career


• The challenge of writing the chapter on match-fixing


• Was Wasim the greatest bowler of all time?


• Revisiting the great spells via YouTube

Participants:

Gideon Haigh

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

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Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar and War Minus the Shooting (both books republished by 81allout)

Related:

The wonder that was Waz - Gideon Haigh - ESPNcricinfo

'The match-fixing rumours were like a trauma... no one trusted each other' - Wasim Akram interview - Guardian

At 56, Wasim is turning his thoughts to his legacy - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo

'He made you believe the impossible' - Gideon Haigh on Shane Warne - 81allout podcast

On Warne - Gideon Haigh - Amazon

The Unquiet Ones - Osman Samiuddin - Amazon

Pakistan in 1999: the allure, the magic, the heartbreak - 81allout podcast with Ahmer Naqvi and Hassan Cheema