Lancashire: Wasim is our king (17 Sep 1998)

17 September 1998

Wasim is our king

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph

Wasim Akram's Lancashire team mates want to give their "king" the perfect Old Trafford send off against Hampshire over the next four days - the county's first championship since 1950.

Wasim's life has been turned upside down in the last ten days as he has led his adopted county to two one day trophies, learned that he will not be retained by Lancashire next season, and been accused of match fixing - allegations which this week forced him to retire, hopefully temporarily, from international cricket.

But the rest of the Lancashire players, who call Wasim "king," still won't hear a word against him. And they will be giving everything against Hampshire to allow Wasim to leave as the first man to lead Lancashire to the championship since Nigel Howard in 1950 - and only the fifth this century.

"We don't look at Wasim as our overseas player," said wicket keeper Warren Hegg. "Quite simply, he's one of us. Most of us have grown up with him in the team, and we are very close.

"When he first came to Old Trafford in 1988, he was 21 and I was 19, so we go back a long way and have enjoyed all the team's successes together. The same applies to most of the other lads in the dressing room.

"And all the allegations that we are hearing from Pakistan - well, we just can't accept it. We know him, we know he is straight, and we all hope he comes through this crisis and continues to play at the highest level. "No one will ever take his record away from him. He is one of the world's all time greats and we have been lucky to have him at Old Trafford. It won't be easy saying goodbye. Obviously the best way to do it would be to beat Hampshire, pick up the full bag of points, and for events to turn our way at The Oval."

Hegg, like Wasim a veteran of so many one day trophies with Lancashire over the last decade, added that the championship would be something special for all the current players, who have been saddled for so long with the unwanted, and often undeserved, reputation of "one day wonders, championship chumps."

"You hear talk about Lancashire's priorities being the limited overs competitions, but that's not correct," he insists. "The championship is the one which gives any professional cricketer the most satisfaction.

"There is nothing like winning a championship game after four - or sometimes three - hard days' work."

Four more hard days work, and Lancashire could rid themselves of that reputation forever.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (http://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)

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