Pakistan pace great Wasim Akram has revealed he developed a cocaine addiction after he retired from the game but quit following the death of his first wife in 2009.
Pakistan pace great Wasim Akram has revealed he developed a cocaine addiction after he retired from the game but quit following the death of his first wife in 2009. The 56-year-old has opened up about his dependency on cocaine in his upcoming autobiography 'Sultan: A Memoir'.
Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in both Test and ODI cricket said he started to crave "a substitute for the adrenaline rush of competition" while travelling away from his first wife, Huma.
"The culture of fame in south Asia is all consuming, seductive and corrupting. You can go to 10 parties a night, and some do. And it took its toll on me," Akram told the Times.
"It made me volatile. It made me deceptive. Huma, I know, was often lonely in this time... she would talk of her desire to move to Karachi, to be nearer her parents and siblings. I was reluctant. Why? Partly because I liked going to Karachi on my own, pretending it was work when it was actually about partying, often for days at a time," he added.
Widely regarded as one of the best bowlers of all time, Akram made his international debut in 1985, playing 104 Tests and 356 ODIs for Pakistan. He picked 414 Test wickets and 502 ODI wickets.
"Huma eventually found me out, discovering a packet of cocaine in my wallet... 'You need help.' I agreed. It was getting out of hand. I couldn't control it. One line would become two; two would become four; four would become a gram, and a gram would become two. I could not sleep. I could not eat," Akram revealed.
"One line would become two, two would become four; four would become a gram, a gram would become two. I could not sleep/eat which caused me headaches & mood swings .. like a lot of addicts ..." talks about his addiction to in his autobiography Sultan pic.twitter.com/x044PhA5VN
— Basit Subhani (@BasitSubhani)"I grew inattentive to my diabetes, which caused me headaches and mood swings. Like a lot of addicts, part of me welcomed discovery: the secrecy had been exhausting," he added.
Akram went to rehab, but his experience with the doctor was all but pleasant, resulting in a relapse. "The doctor was a complete con man, who worked primarily on manipulating families rather than treating patients, on separating relatives from money rather than users from drugs," he said.
"Try as I might, part of me was still smouldering inside about the indignity of what I'd been put through. My pride was hurt, and the lure of my lifestyle remained. I briefly contemplated divorce. I settled for heading to the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy, where I was out from under Huma's daily scrutiny. I started using again," Akram remarked.
However, the legendary pacer, who continues to take up commentary and coaching assignments around the world, said he eventually stopped after Huma's sudden death from a rare fungal infection in 2009.
"Huma's last selfless, unconscious act was curing me of my drug problem. That way of life was over, and I have never looked back," he added.
Following this revelation, while many fans supported Wasim Akram, applauding his courage to open up about his addiction, there were also those who trolled the legendary pacer on Twitter. Here's a look at some of the reactions:
Can’t believe people are judging Wasim for this. It takes courage to accept one’s mistakes and overcome them. He did. What did you all achieve other than being a keyboard warrior. Nobody is perfect. If anyone says so, they are either the biggest actors or the biggest liars! https://t.co/0b6QDOfJBy
— Ali Wajee Ur Rehman 🇵🇰 🇩🇪 (@iamaliwajee)It takes courage to come out and I respect you even more, there may be differences in opinion some may even question your judgement but no one can take away your service for Pakistan. 🐐 Legend!! https://t.co/vUpPR9FlW7
— Bilal 🔺 (@bilal_xyz)Extremely unprofessional of Wasim Akram to have used coke, considering that he was a brand ambassador for Pepsi https://t.co/19F8GJOznE
— Menongitis (@menongitis)Akram on a roll. First saying he asked Babar to bat in middle order then saying he was a cocaine addict. What next? Match fixing scandals from 90s? https://t.co/6mqgMWZ5ei
— cricBC (@cricBC)Wasim akram started hitting different lines (and lengths)after his retirement https://t.co/b9kRoBhmIN pic.twitter.com/YdxaySwtud
— FaisalK× (@SpicyMilkNoodle)No wonder the ball swung that much 😂 https://t.co/AOiW989ydJ
— Martyn Emery (@martynemery)Just like Diabetes or Hypertension, Addiction can affect even the best of people! Suffering from Addiction doesn't make anyone a lesser human being! Very courageous of Wasim Akram to open up about it (I'm sure he will get trolled a lot though) https://t.co/pWqVFmHz6B
— Dr. Arpit Parmar (@Dr_ArpitParmar)might as well just reveal how & why we lost the 99 worldcup final 🥱 https://t.co/O5nBbVHPT4
— Irteza (@Irtezafaruqi)Match fixing to Cocaine addict, i guess he was following his Ex captain. https://t.co/UIrMByuchw
— Fawad Rehman (@fawadrehman)its your turn now. when will you let us know your story of dark nights. https://t.co/HL4DqRBdBW
— mohammad jazib (@mjclick2check)Damn!!!!! Wasim Akram be like https://t.co/cL3nOLe1HC pic.twitter.com/QPYOSEl2uN
— Far Reh (@152_0_)You Are Who You Hang Out with
So choose your friends carefully https://t.co/65JGoILOal pic.twitter.com/ZP2fCAP1bD
Wasim Akram was a fixer and a cocaine addict and now he can't handle sarcasm. What a loser!
— mojojojo (@mojojojo1_011)A cricketer using cocaine or drugs in his life is not a news to be discussed publicly. This is a very personal corner of life. Infact the cricketer himself should have refrained from discussing sex drugs and rock and roll aspect of his life.
— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_)Wasim Akram talking about his cocaine addiction openly in his book is quite brave knowing the kind of fan base he has got in Pakistan. There is no need to ridicule him over it, it takes a lot to talk about that kind of stuff as a star in Pakistan.
— Hassan Cheema (@Gotoxytop1)