Raba Noor

• Wasim Akram is one of the most well-known cricketers from Pakistan.
• In it, he reveals that he developed a cocaine addiction after retiring in 2003.
• He credits his late wife with putting his life back on track after she died from a fungal infection.

Legendary Wasim Akram is one of the most well-known cricketers that have emerged from Pakistan. He is in a terrific position in the cricket world thanks to his knowledge of the game and his elegant delivery. Wasim Akram, who had a significant influence as a bowler, later rose to prominence as a coach and commentator.

With the release of his autobiography Sultan A Memoir, Wasim Akram has disclosed some astounding details about his life that are difficult to accept and understand. Wasim Akram has admitted that, when his cricketing career ended, he truly developed a cocaine addiction.

In some of the extracts from his book, he discussed how, after retiring in 2003, he developed a cocaine addiction and started partying nonstop. It got so severe that he began to depend on it. He even spent some time in rehab, but it was terrible and didn’t really help. He attributed himself for getting himself out of this problem to his late wife Huma, who had truly told him he needed help

Wasim revealed: “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. Worst of all, I developed a cocaine dependence. 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 said that “Huma on finding out said that he needed treatment.”

He further added: “It made me agitated. It caused me to be deceitful. I know Huma was often lonely during this time… she talked of wanting to move to Karachi to be closer to her parents and siblings. I was hesitant. Why? Partly because I like coming to Karachi on my own and pretending it was working when it was really about partying for days on end. Huma eventually found me out, discovering a packet of cocaine in my wallet . . . ‘You need help.’ I agreed. 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, and 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 many addicts, part of me welcomed discovery: the secrecy had been exhausting.”

Wasim has also added that it was the fame he had before that pushed him to this: “Try as I might, part of me was still smoldering inside about the indignity of what I’d been put through. My pride was hurt, and the lure of my lifestyle remained. I briefly contemplated divorce. I settled for heading to the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy where, out from Huma’s daily scrutiny, I started using again.”

“Huma later died from a rare fungal infection. This made Wasim get his act together and realize what he was doing. He credits his late wife to putting his life back on track. 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.”

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