“I felt I needed it to function” - Pakistan great Wasim Akram admits getting addicted to cocaine after retirement

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has revealed he became addicted to cocaine after his playing career ended. Stating that he used drugs as “a substitute for the adrenaline rush of competition”, the 56-year-old added that he quit the habit following the death of his first wife.

Akram is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers to have played the sport. In a glorious international career that spanned from 1984 to 2003, the Pakistan legend claimed more than 900 international scalps - 414 in Tests and 502 in ODIs.

In his new autobiography - “Sultan: A Memoir”, Akram has opened up about how he got addicted to cocaine after retiring from the sport. He was quoted as saying by “The Times”:

"The culture of fame in south Asia is all consuming, seductive and corrupting. You can go to 10 parties a night, and some do. And it took its toll on me."

He added that the sudden death of his first wife Huma from a rare fungal infection forced him to change and have a relook at his life. The former cricketer stated:

"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."

Opening up in detail about his drug addiction, Akram said that he developed a “dependence on cocaine" when he was away from Huma and their two sons, who were living in Manchester. He explained:

"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. Huma, I know, was often lonely in this time, she would talk of her desire to move to Karachi, to be nearer her parents and siblings. I was reluctant."

"Why? Partly because I liked going to Karachi on my own, pretending it was work when it was actually about partying, often for days at a time.”

To address the problem, Akram even got himself admitted to a rehab facility in Lahore, but lamented that he had a bad experience. The cricketer-turned-expert's bad habit relapsed during the 2009 Champions Trophy - he worked as an analyst during the tournament.

Akram was further quoted as saying that he looked at drugs as "a substitute for the adrenaline rush of competition”, which he sorely missed. Huma's death shortly after the tournament made him quit the habit.

Following the death of his first wife, Akram remarried in 2013 and has a daughter from his second wife.

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“I knew I was innocent” - Wasim Akram denies match-fixing allegations

Opening up on allegations of match-fixing against him in 2000, Akram dismissed the same, claiming he was never involved in corruption.

In a report on the scandal, Justice Malik Qayyum observed that there was some evidence to "cast doubt on his integrity". However, the 56-year-old said:

"I knew I was innocent. Everything was he said, she said, I heard from someone else, Wasim sent a message through someone else. I mean it doesn't even sound right.

"It's embarrassing because my kids have grown up and they ask questions."

Former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik and fast bowler Ata-ur-Rehman were banned for match-fixing following an investigation into the controversy.