Karachi: Former Pakistan captains Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, and leg-spinner Yasir Shah have all been nominated for Civil Awards by the Pakistan government. ICC Hall of Famers Waqar and Wasim, who were recognised in the Pride of Performance awards during their playing days, will be conferred with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s second-highest civilian award, while Yasir will be bestowed the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third-highest civilian award by President of Pakistan Arif Alvi on March 23.
The three (Wasim, Waqar, and Yasir) are deserving recipients. Wasim and Waqar are highly-respected commentators and have played their role in enhancing the image of Pakistan and cricket as broadcasters, while Yasir has had a lion’s share in Pakistan’s major Test wins in the recent past, said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in its statement.
Wasim and Waqar, who sit at number two and three on the all-time ODI wicket-takers’ list, have broken many records during their feats on the cricket field. Wasim took 414 Tests and 502 ODIs wickets in career between 1984 and 2003, while Waqar claimed 373 Test and 416 ODI wickets in a 14-year international career.
Yasir has already taken 203 and 19 wickets in 35 Tests and 19 ODIs respectively after making his international debut in 2011. In Abu Dhabi last year, during the fourth day’s play in the second Test against New Zealand, Yasir became the quickest to 200 Test wickets, beating an 82-year-old record of Australia leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett, who picked up 36 Tests to reach the landmark against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1936.