Pakistan’s Wasim Akram praises his cricket statue amid social media flak

Former skipper says ‘it’s the thought that matters’ aft his recently erected statue successful Hyderabad goes viral.

Legendary Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram has saluted the “effort” of the creator who created a statue of him that has spawned scorn connected societal media for being acold from the player’s existent features.

“Lots of speech astir my sculpture being erected astatine Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad. Mine is decidedly amended than the tiger,” helium said successful a station connected X connected Thursday.

“It’s the thought that matters. Credit to the creators, afloat marks for the effort and acknowledgment to everyone involved.”

Lots of speech astir my sculpture being erected astatine Naiz stadium Hyderabad “Mine is decidedly amended than the tiger”, btw it’s the thought that matters recognition to the creators & afloat marks for the effort and acknowledgment to everyone involved… pic.twitter.com/Eb6aOmpWH5

— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) June 12, 2025

The statue of Akram – 1 of the top left-arm accelerated bowlers to play the crippled – was installed extracurricular the southwestern metropolis of Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium successful April, but was wide shared connected societal media successful the past week.

Akram is shown bowling wearing the kit of the 1999 World Cup team, erstwhile Pakistan were runners-up astatine the tourney successful England.

Nearby is simply a statue of a tiger.

Taking a jab astatine the different statue, Akram added, “Mine is decidedly amended than the tiger’s.”

One instrumentality mocked the statue, saying, “The lone happening that looks existent is the ball,” adding the look looked much similar Hollywood leader Sylvester Stallone.

After being the centre of societal media’s ire for days, the affable Akram took to societal media to praise the effort.

Niaz Stadium main Shiraz Leghari told the AFP quality bureau that the creator “did his champion effort, but accepts it doesn’t lucifer [Akram] a 100 percent .”

Statues of cricket stars adjacent stadiums are not uncommon; Australia has a past of placing statues of their iconic players extracurricular their stadiums, portion India unveiled 1 of maestro batter Sachin Tendulkar extracurricular a stadium successful Mumbai successful 2023.

Akram is 1 of the country’s astir celebrated cricketers, having represented Pakistan successful 104 Tests and 356 one-day internationals with 414 and 502 wickets respectively.

He was the starring wicket-taker successful the 1992 World Cup erstwhile Pakistan claimed the trophy.