Wasim Akram discusses his time in rehabilitation in the following interview: “Illegal In The World, But Not In Pakistan”

In his autobiography, “Sultan A Memoir,” the legendary bowler and former captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, Wasim Akram, said that he used to be addicted to cocaine.

The former left-arm seamer has been promoting his book, and in a recent interview with the Grade Cricketers’ Podcast, Wasim Akram disclosed that he was held against his will in a rehabilitation facility in Pakistan for almost two and a half months.

In addition to this, he stated that “illegal in the world, but not in Pakistan” is the practise of holding someone against their will.

Speaking about how he eventually developed a dependency on cocaine, Wasim Akram remarked, “In England, somebody at a party said ‘you want to try it?'” [Case in point] “you want to try it?” Since I was already retired, I responded with a yes. After that, a single line turned into a gramme. I travelled all the way back to Pakistan.

Even though no one knew what it was, it was nonetheless accessible. I came to the conclusion that I was unable to function well without it, which also meant that I was unable to interact with other people. It grew worse and worse. When my children were little. I caused a great deal of pain to my late wife. There would be conflict between us. She told me that I require assistance.

“She told me that there is a rehabilitation centre, and that you can go there. I said okay, and I’ll go there for a month, but they forced me to stay there for two and a half months even though I tried to get out of it. It would appear that doing so is against the law everywhere except in Pakistan.

That was of no assistance to me. A spirit of defiance arose within me the moment I stepped outside. The following is what he had to say: “It’s my money, and I stayed in that dreadful location against my will.”

In continuation of his discussion of his time spent in rehabilitation, Akram stated, “In western movies, even in Australia, you see rehabs having lovely wide lawns, people giving lectures, and you going to the gym.”

On the other hand, I visited a location in Pakistan that consisted of a single corridor and eight rooms. It was extremely difficult in every way. It was a dreadful period of time.”

“Later on, a terrible event took place: my wife passed away. I was well aware that I was going in the wrong direction, and I was eager to change course. I was the father of two little sons.

In Western cultures, the involvement of a father is considered to be 50/50. (with the mother). You get up in the morning, drive your child to school, wait for them there, and then drive them home again before changing their clothing. As a father in our society, we would never act in such a manner. It is now the turn of the wife.

Going out and soliciting donations is part of our job description. I spent those two years wandering aimlessly. I was never informed of where I needed to go to purchase clothing for them.

I was required to visit each class as well as participate in parent-teacher conferences. I had no idea what they consumed. It was required of me to get along with the parents of their friends’ children. But I have to acknowledge that every parent who was in the vicinity of my children was a huge assistance,” he continued.

The record for most wickets taken by a Pakistani bowler is still held by Akram, who took 414 throughout the course of 104 tests he played in for his country. Additionally, in 356 One-Day Internationals, he took 502 wickets.