LAHORE — Legendary Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram has revealed in his upcoming autobiography how he became addicted to cocaine and how he got rid of this addition.
According to ESPN cricinfo, a sports news website dedicated to the game of cricket, Wasim has revealed in his upcoming autobiography “Sultan: A Memoir” that he became addicted to cocaine after his cricketing career came to an end.
Quoting an excerpt from the book, the website wrote, “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 website quoted Wasim as saying, “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.”
He says, “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. I grew inattentive to my diabetes, which caused me headaches and mood swings. Like a lot of addicts, part of me welcomed discovery: the secrecy had been exhausting.”
Wasim’s 18 years long career ended in 2003, but he is still considered one of the greatest fast bowlers Pakistan has ever produced. According to stats, the left-arm bowler took 414 Test wickets and 502 ODI wickets.
The book reveals the cricketer-turned-commentator had a long struggle with drug addiction, which finally ended after the death of his first wife Huma Akram.
Wasim says in his upcoming autobiography, “Huma’s last selfless, unconscious act was curing me of my drug problem. That way of life was over, and I have never looked back.”
“Sultan: A Memoir” has been written by Patrick Murphy and Wasim Aram has contributed to it. The book will be out soon.