Happy Birthday Wasim Akram: Top Facts About 'Sultan Of Swing' You Didn't Know

Ex-Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram, regarded as one of the best bowlers of all time, celebrated his 56th birthday on June 3. The former Pakistan captain, born in 1966 in Lahore, was known for his impeccable skill of getting the new ball to swing both ways and reverse swing with the old ball. Pic Courtesy: wasimakramliveofficial / Instagram

Wasim Akram's glorious international cricket career spanned almost two decades. He was popularly known as the 'Sultan of swing' and was a role model for many fast bowlers. Pic Courtesy: wasimakramliveofficial / Instagram

Wasim Akram made his international debut when he was 19-years-old. He hadn't played a single match in the domestic circuit before playing his first-ever international match for Pakistan. Pic Courtesy: wasimakramliveofficial / Instagram

Wasim Akram has taken 916 international wickets for Pakistan cricket team - the maximum number of wickets taken by a bowler for Pakistan across formats in international cricket. Akram has taken 414 Test wickets and 502 ODI wickets in his career. Pic Courtesy: wasimakramliveofficial / Instagram

Wasim Akram is the first-ever bowler to take 500 wickets in One Day International cricket. He was later joined by Sri Lanka's legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in the elite club. Pic Courtesy: wasimakramliveofficial / Instagram

Wasim Akram is the first bowler to take four hat-tricks in international cricket. He has two hat-tricks each in Tests and ODIs. Akram has taken a total of 5 hat-tricks in his international career. Pic Courtesy: Getty Images

Wasim Akram scored 257 runs in a Test match against Zimbabwe. He had hit 12 sixes during this period, which is still the most number of sixes hit by a batsman in an innings of a Test match. Pic Courtesy: wasimakramliveofficial / Instagram