With 916 international wickets in hand, it was shocking when great Wasim Akram had announced his retirement after the 2003 World Cup.

The best left-arm quick of all-time said he knew when it was his time to walk away. Akram revealed the moment and the person responsible for making him realise it was time.

“It’s a tough decision alright, no doubt. For any top player to retire from sports is always tough. But everything has a time limit,” Wasim told Aakash Chopra during a chat on YouTube. 

“In my case, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the decision very easy for me since they dropped me. Every day was a pain going to the game. I wasn’t enjoying it and I thought that’s a sign. I spoke to my late wife, who was in Pakistan back then. She told me, ‘Wasim, if your heart is not there and if you’re cursing each day, it means it’s time.’ And I knew it was time to go.”

However, since then, a lot has changed for cricket in Pakistan. They did win two ICC championships, however, Pakistan cricket as a whole was and is muddled in controversies and lack of performances.

While Pakistan was still struggling, their rivals India went ahead from strength to strength. When asked Akram the difference between the PCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), he said it all boils down to the improvement of the First-Class structure.

“Whoever came to the cricket board, he came with a short-term goal. There was no fixing of the First-Class structure. What’s been going on for the last 30 years, they did nothing different from it. So that is the reason. There’s plenty of talent in Pakistan. The FC structure has now finally changed but you still need 3-4 years for it to show results,” Akram pointed out.

“What did India do? The money generated by the Indian Premier League (IPL) invested whole-heartedly in First-Class cricket. They changed the FC structure, the pay structure, everything. They brought in professionals - they have the best physios and trainers in the world. Former Indian cricketers have become good coaches themselves. They then, in turn, have employed individual coaches, which is the need of the hour. So that is where the difference is.”