'One Line Became Two': Pak Legend Wasim Akram Struggled With Cocaine Addiction

"It was getting out of hand. I couldn’t control it," the retired fast bowler has penned in his autobiography.

Legendary Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram came clean about the fact that he was addicted to drugs once upon a time. 

(Photo: IANS)

(Trigger Warning: Descriptions of substance abuse, reader discretion is advised.)

Legendary Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram came clean about the fact that he was addicted to drugs once upon a time, in an interview published by The Times on Saturday, 29 October.

Citing excerpts from Akram's upcoming autobiography 'Sultan: A Memoir', the British daily said that the death of his wife Huma in 2009 is what brought a stop to his "dependence on cocaine."

“I liked to indulge myself; I liked to party [...] the culture of fame in south Asia is all consuming, seductive and corrupting. You can go to ten parties a night, and some do. And it took its toll on me. My devices turned into vices," the retired cricket player confessed.

"Worst of all, I developed a dependence on cocaine. It started innocuously enough when I was offered a line at a party in England; my use grew steadily more serious, to the point that I felt I needed it to function," Akram said.

Sharing how substance abuse changed him as a person, Akram has further written, "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."

'Rehab Was Brutal'

“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, a gram would become two. I could not sleep. I could not eat,” the fast bowler revealed.

After being confronted by his wife who found cocaine in his wallet, Akram sought help and checked into a rehabilitation facility in Lahore.

"Movies conjure up an image of rehab as a caring, nurturing environment. This facility was brutal: a bare building with five cells, a meeting room and a kitchen. 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."

Wasim Akram

The former Pakistan skipper took a total of 916 wickets in international matches. Once known as the 'Sultan of Swing', Akram signed off with 414 Test victims under his belt at an average of 23.62.

In One-Day Internationals, Akram was just as lethal – racking up a tally of 502 wickets from 356 ODIs at a 23.52 average. He was also part of the Pakistan side that won the World Cup in 1992. Now, Akram is married to an Australian named Shaniera Thompson.

(With inputs from The Times.)