After a dreadful showing in the opening match against Dhoni’s eleven, most of the Pakistani fans are left with more hope than expectation regarding their team’s remaining campaign at the World Cup. One person who seems to be the most concerned about the scenario is the “most complete bowler of all time”, the great Wasim Akram.

In his most recent interview for a Pakistani channel Geo TV (on a street with another ‘legend’: the journalist Yahya Hussaini), Wasim Akram expressed his grief about the Pakistan team’s approach and has further dented the faith of the Pakistani supporters by earmarking different players in the side and highlighting their lack of skill, especially with regards to handling match pressure.

“Secret weapon” is a very simple term with two simple words “secret” and “weapon”. Even if we do not categorize Younis Khan as a “weapon”, he can still be our secret despite playing for over a decade in 262 ODIs.

But who is responsible for the fact that opening with Younis Khan did not work?

“Zaraey” or “sources” have proved to be very destructive for us. A day before the most crucial match against India (the World Cup opener for us), it was all over Geo Network that the channel has found out the secret strategy of the Pakistan team.

See, we did it! Geo is the best! There is nothing hidden from us! So on and so forth.

That secret was that Pakistan were going to open with Younis Khan. And we made sure that India were well aware of it, so that they work out a strategy on how to get him out early.

Anyway, coming back to the great Wasim Akram, it might be debatable if he is the most complete bowler ever or not, but there is little doubt that he possesses the most complete ego.

“I am here in the World Cup and I want to go and help our players adjust and do well in the tournament in these conditions. But I can’t do this without an invitation,” he said.

Wasim Bhai, you cannot do it without an invitation? Or you will not do it without an invitation?

Wasim Akram has been helping many fast bowlers around the world and giving them tips.  He has done it many times for Pakistan as well, and he has done it without invitation too. But why does he need an official approach now?

Why does the invitation matter more than the desire to help the team in the current crisis?

Is it because of the other W? The head coach Waqar Younis, who too is amongst the greatest fast bowlers of all time. Was Shane Warne sent an official request when he spent some time with Yasir Shah, giving him useful tips before the Pakistan India match?

There have already been many recorded instances during the ongoing World Cup, where players while practicing on the field got to meet the legends of the game, who are there for broadcasting. And almost every time it’s the former greats who approached the camp or players and shared their thoughts. Which makes perfect sense because you cannot expect a player who is practicing on the field with his coach and players, to get off it and run to a former cricketer on the other end of the field and seek help.

Wasim Akram was also reported saying: “I don’t want a job in Pakistan cricket. I just want to see our team in the knockout stage. Then anything can happen.”

This is not the first time Wasim has openly expressed his unwillingness to be hired as a coach or for any other post within the PCB. So if he does not want the job, then the only way he can help is through little sessions or prep talk with the player or team management, etc. And the lack of willingness to offer help just because there was no official request, doesn’t make a lot of sense.

But if we think about a typical Pakistani team setup, it might make some ‘sense’.

We have Waqar Younis as our head coach, and hence the young fast bowlers in the team would not dare approach Wasim Akram in the presence of Waqar.

I cannot help but mention the Sri Lankan Cricket team here. The T20 World Cup that they won last year under the captaincy of Angelo Mathews was a prime example of the fact that no one person or captain wins you the tournament, but the entire team.

The Sri Lankan squad had two successful and respectable former captains: Sangakkara and Jayawardene. They were always there to offer their expertise and help the young captain. Jayawardene seemed to show no ego when Mathews consulted Sangakkara and the other way around.

But this tradition of ego and conflict between Wasim and Waqar has been going on for ages, from the time when they were in the team as players, and especially when one of them was the captain.

And I find it funny to think that Wasim is criticizing the team and their strategy in chasing the total against India, while at the same time admitting that the team never expected to chase targets during his time either, and used to feel immense pressure in his presence. I wish he had some other things to quote from his reign that would have helped the team in finding winning new ways to improve.

He also claimed that he knows weaknesses of every batsman in the world, and the way Ahmad Shahzad was playing against India, it would take him just three balls in his prime to dismiss him. To be honest, I do believe that, and most will.

There is no denying the exceptional artistry and experience of the great Wasim Akram. There is no denying the fact that he can be extremely helpful for the team with his cricketing knowledge and tips, either.

But it’s just so sad that he is not going to do it because he must be ‘approached officially’, which would raise questions “What is Waqar doing with the team then?", "Why does PCB need Wasim Akram?” etc. So basically Waqar or PCB might have to compromise some ‘respect’, in order to bring out the patriotism in Wasim Bhai.