Waqar counters Akram’s claims on denying Kumble

This never happened!! I think age is catching up with Wasim Bhai #NotTrue

NEW DELHI: Waqar Younis dismissed Wasim Akram’s claim that the former tried to foil Anil Kumble’s 10-wicket haul by running himself out at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, New Delhi, in 1999.

Virender Sehwag tweeted on Wednesday a snapshot of the story on the 18th anniversary of the feat with a short message: “Kismat ke aage ,all saazish fail. Well done Wasim bhai. What a day it was at the Kotla by Anil bhai.”

“I said ‘You can’t deny him the feat if he is destined for it. But I can assure you that I’m not going to give my wicket to Kumble’,” Akram said. “But subsequently it was me who gifted my wicket to Kumble,’’ he added.

Waqar took to Twitter to deny the incident. “This never happened!! I think age is catching up with Wasim Bhai #NotTrue,” Waqar tweeted.

Chasing 420 runs to win the Test, Pakistan were off to a solid start with openers Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi adding 101 runs for the opening wicket.

But after Afridi fell for 41 to become Kumble’s first victim, Pakistan’s innings collapsed and eventually folded up for 207 as India won by 212 runs.

Kumble became only the second bowler after England’s Jim Laker to pick all the 10 wickets in an innings. No other bowler has been able to repeat the feat in the last 18 years.