Mohammad Akram: Rixon is speaking my language

Journeyman can rouse sleeping giants
By Scott Heinrich


Mohammad Akram and Surrey coach Steve Rixon
I have had discussions with Steve Rixon and he is speaking my language
Akram on Surrey's coach

A former international cricketer he may be, but Mohammad Akram was not county cricket's most headline-grabbing signing of the off-season.

Even at his new club Surrey, the Pakistani paceman's transfer from Sussex was something of an aside to the coup acquisition of India spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Akram, who is classed as an English player after completing a two-year residency qualification, will be at his third county in three years following spells at Essex and Sussex.

But the 30-year-old journeyman is seen by coach Steve Rixon as the type of steely performer Surrey need to get back on the glory trail.

Last season, Rixon's first in charge, saw Surrey fail to secure any of the four major trophies for the first time since 1998.

And when Akram made it known he wanted to move to London for family reasons, management at The Oval snapped him up on a three-year deal.

"I'm very happy to be at Surrey," Akram tells BBC Sport.

Mohammad Akram
Akram is an experienced campaigner who can benefit Surrey

"They have got the best history of any county in England and I hope I can help to get them back to the top where they belong."

Akram, a right-arm workhorse who can gain marked movement off the seam, played nine Tests and 23 one-dayers for Pakistan between 1995 and 2001.

The unmovable figures of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis meant he failed to cement a place.

But Akram's credentials at first-class level have always stood close inspection, as 324 wickets at an average of 27.4 attests.

He expects to make his Surrey debut against Sussex on the opening day of the Championship season, despite competition from countryman Azhar Mahmood, veterans Martin Bicknell and James Ormond, and emerging homegrown pacemen Tim Murtagh and Phillip Sampson.

"I'm confident I will get a place in the first team straight away," he says.

"I have had discussions with Steve Rixon about what he wants from me and they have gone very well.

"He is speaking my language."

On top of Rixon's appointment ahead of last year's campaign, Surrey also had a new skipper in the form of Jon Batty - factors Akram attributes to the club's potless season.

The 2002 county champions still finished strongly to grab third place, and with the captaincy now going to club stalwart Mark Butcher, Akram is predicting vast improvement.

"It was just one of those seasons. You change the captain and change the coach and it takes time," he reasons.

"But in the end they did quite well even with the changes that took place.

"I think Surrey can do it again and get back to where they were a couple of seasons ago.

"Surrey have a very good squad and can push for any title they go for."

Rixon, a former coach of New Zealand and Australian state side New South Wales, is a reputed taskmaster who arranged for Surrey's pre-season to start earlier than normal.

"We are all professionals and it is normal for everyone to want to do well," says Akram, who welcomes Rixon's no-nonsense approach.

"I have played under a few coaches now and they all want the same thing, for you to give 100% and I think that's very fair.

"Steve knows how to get his messages across, but he is like any other coach in the world in that nothing silly will be said to you if you are trying your best."

Akram may not be the most glamorous player doing the rounds, but Rixon and Surrey can be sure he will always give his best.

Good for him - I am not sure if it was the 2 Ws that stopped him getting a place in the Pak team!

I do wonder now if he will make it to the Eng team or at 30, is it too late ?

England don't need him and he probably hasn't qualified yet.

england dont need him i feel

You know it happened with Hick when he went to Zimbabwe - but would be interesting to see some of the on field chat if Mo Zahid played AGAINST Pak for England !

It won't happen (he won't play for England) in fact Pakistan 'needed' him much more in the past two years but Akram wasn't interested anymore.

Why was that ? was it money or his desire to qualify for England ?

Secure future I would think (and very rightly). He knew he had no security playing for Pak. After all he was dropped after a 5 for against Australia and got few chances.

Good move and I hope he continues to do well in county cricket.

i wouldnt have picked him for pakistan - average bowler

He looked good when he first came on the scene, however was injury prone, as Northants found out to their disliking.

Average bowler, he had a few problems with his line but his length was immaculate and got nippy bounce from good length, He Got a 5fer against the mighty australian batting lineup where both Wasim and Shoaib were unable to reap results. He is another bowler whose career has been destroyed by PCB.

he is not that good of a bowler he struggled last year for sussex.

mohamed akrams a real nice guy i remember when i met him about a year ago really friendly dude

Is he into rap and 50 paisa too ?

guys i dont know if this is true but when a sohail was selector he wanted m akram back but he said could anyone confirm that this is true.

Well he was good when he made his debut but now he is over for int cricket

"I have had discussions with Steve Rixon and he is speaking my language"

I didnt know Nixon spoke urdu.

Muhammad Akram has never made the most of his talent. Even playing for Sussex, he probably did not get the amount of wickets one would of expected.

He tends to operate in extremes, able to bowl some lovely deliveries, but also bowls lot of rubbish ones, and there is not much in between.

So not consistent enough, and that is why he never kicked on at the top level.

The only thing I have been impressed by Akram as an International player was his run up. lol. However, he's a good county player and it's good for him and Surrey. Sad about saqqy boy.

Unfortunately his no ball problem didn't seem to help him too. He can deliver the magic outswing delivery or be very average. I hope he does do well and England have been known in the past to recruit a team od "Dad's army" cricketers so there's still hope for Mo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am excited by Mohammad Akram's arrival at Surrey and feel he can do well in English conditions. His biggest strength imo is that he can extract bounce out of the wicket which others might struggle to get. Surrey appear to have a strong pace battery but Akram is probably the quickest of the lot which I think will help him to keep a full time place at least in the championship side.

Azhar & Bicknell struggle to get it to 80mph and Ormond is not the fittest bowler around so I think Akram will in effect be the strike bowler of the side.

I also think Surrey would not have released Tudor if Akram had not signed for them so that shows that they were thinking about him being in the first team ahead of Tudor.

I very much doubt England will consider Akram as the answer to all their problems and it would also be shameful for them if they had to select a past it non-englishman when they have so many home grown players.

I assume that Mohammad Akram has married a british pakistani girl along with the likes of Azhar and Saqi so he probably saw a more settled and secure future in England as opposed to playing a one off test here and there and then coming to england when he is way past his best.

County players probably earn in the region of £40-100k per year so it is a very lucrative workplace for a pakistani player. International players like Youhana and Inzamam have probably never earned £100,000 in a single year.

He had a huge attitude problem when i spoke to him in 2003..

I met Mohd Akram and Shoaib Akthar when they were playing for Lashings,

Shoaib was very polite, he signed a few balls and a bat for me, I though Akram might be feeling left out so i also asked him for his autograph,

He just gave me a moody look and then complained when the pen lid would not come off....!!! "Yeh Kya bakwaas hai" he said...

From that day i had no time for Mohd Akram..

Shoaib Akhtar = Polite
Mohammad Akram = impolite

? ? ? ? ?

lol

I think Shoaib Akhtar is probably more polite with the ladies than anyone, lol!

The problem with Mohd. Akram is that he just doesn't look polite.