Pakistan great Wasim Akram said he was addicted to winning after leading Pakistan to victory at the $250,000 Hong Kong International Sixes on Sunday.
Pakistan defeated South Africa by 11 runs in a tense finale to the two-day event where Akram's outstanding display with both bat and ball earned him the player of the tournament award.
"I get a high from winning. I'm addicted to it as there is no alternative to winning," Wasim said. "The buzz will keep me going for another two days. It doesn't matter what tournament it is, winning is all that matters."
"It has been a great two weeks for us. Last week we won in Sharjah, beating Sri Lanka in the final and now here in Hong Kong. We have a very good set of youngsters coming through and they have proved it in the past fortnight," Akram added.
The Pakistan team in Hong Kong included Azhar Mahmood, Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and skipper Rashid Latif who sat out the last day's play after he came down with flu. The Pakistanis, who defended their title, earned a winners' purse of $80,000.
"I hope our successes in the past fortnight will have lifted the spirits of our countrymen back home. There is so much trouble happening around them that I hope the cricket will have been a welcome distraction," Wasim said.
Pakistan booked their berth in the final by defeating Sri Lanka by 34 runs in the semi-final while South Africa earned their place with a four wicket win over a Matthew Maynard-led England team. Sri Lanka defeated England by 14 runs to finish third in the tournament.
Bureau Report