Wasim Akram hails 'fighter' Mohammed Siraj after Indian pacer's stellar run in England: ‘Not a support bowler anymore'

Mohammed Siraj became the toast of the cricketing world after bowling India to a thrilling six-run victory in the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval on Monday. Siraj stood tall and delivered in a series in which senior pace colleague Jasprit Bumrah missed two games out of five due to workload issues, finishing at the top of the wicket-takers’ list (23) for the series and establishing himself as the alternate leader of the Indian attack.

Akram hails Siraj’s ‘hunger and passion’

Siraj’s heroics in the tour of England, in which batter Shubman Gill made his debut as Test captain, has earned him a fan in legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram, who described the Hyderabadi speedster as someone who isn’t a support bowler anymore but leading the attack.

“I rarely watch cricket when I’m not working, but I was glued to the last day. Siraj was full of hunger and passion – it was an incredible effort. To bowl nearly 186 overs across five Tests and still be that fiery on the final day shows remarkable stamina and mental strength,” former Pakistan captain Akram told Telecom Asia Sport.

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“He’s not just a support bowler anymore. He’s leading the attack and doing it with heart. Even when a catch went down– that of Brook – he didn’t lose focus. That’s the mark of a fighter. Test cricket is alive and kicking.

“I gave India a 60 per cent chance on Day 5. They just needed that first breakthrough. With Woakes injured and India sensing blood, it was game on. Siraj made it possible,” the 59-year-old added, referring to the final day of the series.

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What set Siraj apart from the rest of the bowlers during the series, which was for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, was the fact that he was able to maintain his intensity throughout the tour despite bowling 1,113 across five Tests.

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And it was that intensity that rubbed off on his pace colleagues – Akash Deep in the second Test at Edgbaston and Prasidh Krishna in the fifth Test at The Oval.

Bumrah, meanwhile, had finished the fourth-highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets at an average of 26 in three Tests while Akash and Prasidh collected 13 each.