Dav Whatmore and Wasim Akram at the Eden on Friday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta/Karachi: Sachin Tendulkar has already received rich admiration from two greats — Sunil Gavaskar and Sir Garfield Sobers. On Thursday, the list of his admirers swelled further when Pakistan great and one of the best-ever architects of swing bowling, Wasim Akram, lavished praise on the maestro.

Akram’s words certainly add another dimension to the man’s feat because it comes from a man who has seen Sachin’s artistry from the other side of the wicket having shared numerous duels on the field.

Referring to Sachin’s record knock against South Africa last month — he broke the 200-run barrier in a one-day International — Akram said: “It’s an incredible achievement for a man of 36 years of age. The sheer passion he displays on the field, the commitment with which he approaches every game is exemplary.

“Such an innings on any stage, against any opposition is special. The fact that it came against a team like South Africa made it all the more special. To put it simply, he is the right man for the right record. He deserves it,” Akram, who is in the city to attend the Kolkata Knight Riders’ final preparatory camp as the bowling consultant, said.

He also added that if such records are in one’s destiny, nothing can stop him from achieving it. “Sachin had it in his destiny and there’s nothing much that anyone can do about it.”

Recalling his playing days, the man who boasts of a rare record of having taken more than 400 wickets in both Tests and ODIs, said: “It’s extremely difficult to plan anything for a batsman like Sachin… He is too perfect a batsman to fall into the traps. He has enormous talent and a sound technique. He is not a slogger and that counts.

“His records speaks for himself… He is the highest run-grosser in both Tests and ODIs… And now he also has the record for the most runs in an innings in a one-dayer,” he added.

Asked about the often-made comparisons between the maestro and Sir Don Bradman, Akram said: “Both are from two different eras… But there is no doubt that he is one of the greatest ever.”

Meanwhile, Akram, earlier in the day, before his departure from Karachi said that the match-fixing slur on Pakistan players Kamran Akmal and Rana Naved might just be a conspiracy by their fellow players to discredit the duo.

Akram said that he was shocked to read reports that Akmal and Naved were under investigation by the Pakistan Cricket Board. “I know this is not true because these players are not involved in this menace at all. There has always been a conspiracy to link our players to this scandal to spoil the image of Pakistan cricket, which is sad,” he said.

He also said it was also that some players were behind this move to discredit their teammates. “I can sense this is happening… It is really disappointing because the players need to support each other,” he added.

The former captain said it was sad that for years accusations have been levelled against Pakistani players without any evidence backing them up. “In any other country no one can make such accusations and not face legal complications but in Pakistan it happens regularly and it disturbs our players a lot,” he said.