Pathan seeks Akram's help

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said he was hugely impressed with Irfan Pathan after the Indian left-arm seamer reportedly sought his advice ahead of making his county debut in England.

Pathan, making his county debut for Middlesex, called up Akram recently asking for tips on how to bowl in the English conditions and also discussed about his poor form, the left-arm bowling legend said.

"No one like say Sami or Shoaib have ever called me up for some advice but Irfan called up as he is going to play for Middlesex and wanted some tips on how to bowl on English pitches," Akram was quoted as saying in 'The News'.

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Pathan had a poor outing in the recent Test series against Pakistan finishing with just six wickets at an average of 68.3 runs. He played in just one of the six one-day internationals returning figures of 1 for 67 -- a far cry from the great success he enjoyed against Pakistan while touring Pakistan last year in Tests and one-dayers.

Akram, who retired after the 2003 World Cup after finishing with 414 Test and 502 one-day wickets, had provided Pathan some tips on how to grip the ball when he was in Australia as a TV commentator while Indians were on tour there in 2003-2004.