Sultan: A Memoir is an autobiographical book by Wasim Akram, contributed by Gideon Haigh and published by HarperCollins in 2022. [1] [2]
Akram writes about his struggles with cocaine addiction and mentions Imran Khan. [3] [4]
The memoir, written by cricket author Gideon Haigh, explores Akram's career, including his rise to prominence, contributions to cricket, and the 1992 Cricket World Cup victory. [5]
Akram acknowledges his professional bonds, notably with Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, while expressing his disdain towards Ramiz Raja, Saleem Malik, and Aamer Sohail. [5] His influence over the selection of Waqar Younis and the development of talents such as Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar are also discussed. [5]
On personal matters, Akram openly addresses controversial issues such as the match-fixing allegations, team disputes, the Justice Qayyum report, the 1993 Grenada incident, and his cocaine addiction. [5]
The memoir provides insights into the 1996 World Cup Bangalore Quarter final, his 1999 experiences following the Lahore meeting between Nawaz Sharif and Vajpayee, and the turbulent 1998/99 tour. [5] Akram also reminisces about his earlier tour to India and the Nehru Cup. [5]
The book ends with Akram's analysis of the 1999 Cricket World Cup and his criticism of political interference within the team. [5]
The book has been reviewed by Ollie Randall of The Times Literary Supplement, [6] Rohit Mahajan of The Tribune India, [7] Chintan Girish Modi of Hindustan Times, [8] R. Kaushik of Moneycontrol [9] and K C Vijaya Kumar of The Hindu. [10]