Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram sheepishly revealed why he has checked out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he made the statement on commentary during the first ODI against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Monday. A video of the same emerged on social media as he was speaking to commentator Mark Howard.
The IPL is arguably the most-followed T20 league in the world, given the sort of players the BCCI attract and the money involved in it. However, the tragic events of the Mumbai attacks in 2008 ensured that the BCCI doesn't allow any Pakistan players in the lucrative league.
The video in question shows Howard and Wasim discussing about Jake Fraser-McGurk's price in the IPL 2025 mega auction. The ex-Pakistan pacer chipped in with a response that he has checked out of IPL as they are banned from the competition.
Australia ace nervy chase in the opening game of the summer:
Meanwhile, the first of the three-game ODI series went Australia's way as they took a 1-0 lead.
It was Australia, who won the toss and elected to field first and restricted the tourists to 203 as Mitchell Starc emerged as the pick of the bowlers with three scalps. In response, Australia chased down the total as Pat Cummins held his nerves with an unbeaten 32. Steve Smith and Josh Inglis stabilized the innings with an 85-run stand after the openers perished cheaply.
With Australia suffering a collapse, Pakistan threatened to pull off a victory. However, Cummins denied it to take their side home with two wickets to spare. The two sides will square off in the 2nd ODI on November 8, Friday.
