New Delhi, Jan 19: Back in his time, he knew a thing or two about bowling 'toe-crushers' and no wonder Wasim Akram is all praise for Jasprit Bumrah's ability to bowl the "most effective yorker" currently in world cricket.

Bumrah, who played a pivotal role in India's maiden Test series win on Australian soil, has been an 'x' factor in Virat Kohli's set-up.

"Jasprit Bumrah has the best and the most effective yorker among fast bowlers playing international cricket now," Akram told during an interaction.

Arguably the greatest left-arm fast bowler to have ever played the game, Akram believes that Bumrah will make a difference during death overs at this year's World Cup with his 'go to ball'.

"Bumrah has an exceptional action, very different from other fast bowlers and yet he gets the ball to swing and also move off the deck at good pace," Akram said.

"But what makes Bumrah special is his ability to bowl yorkers on a regular basis. Also yorker is not just used for ODIs but for Test matches too as me and Waqar did in our times," the Sultan of Swing said.

A lot of it Akram believes could be attributed to tennis ball cricket, which helps aspiring bowlers perfect their yorkers.

"If you see, whether it's me coming from Pakistan or Bumrah coming from India, we are all products of tennis ball cricket," said Akram, who is a mentor in the upcoming 10PL tennis ball tournament in UAE.

"When you play gully cricket with buildings on both sides and the batsman being deprived of playing cross batted shots on both sides, they are forced to play straight then.

"And then you start pitching it up and in the process learn to bowl at the base and prevent the batsman from going down the ground. You will see a lot of yorkers in 10PL," said Akram.

He was all praise for India, which became the first country from Asia to win a Test series in Australia.

"It's a huge achievement to win a Test series in Australia. I don't subscribe to the view that this is a weakened Australian side. Let's not take away any credit from Virat and his boys. The kind of consistency they have shown is indeed a big deal," said Akram.

Whenever a young talent is discovered in Pakistan, they start comparing him with Kohli, only to fade away like an Umar Akmal.

So why do potential 'Kohli's' of Pakistan fall off the radar, Akram said:"Had we known what the problem is, wouldn't we have addressed the issue?"

"On a serious note, it is Virat's mindset that makes all the difference. When I mean mindset, it also includes off the field preparation also."

The Indian captain's awareness is in a different league, feels Akram.

"Awareness about all the worldly things, what needs to be done to become the best in the world and it's not just about having the perfect technique. It is about having a perfect mindset. He is one of the most popular cricketer in Pakistan," said the owner of 900 plus international wickets.

Akram, who has been the face of 10PL in 2018, expects the tournament to grow with passage of time.

"The organisers have kept 250,000 Dirham (USD 68,00,000) prize money for this tennis ball tournament where as back in 1992, we got USD 40,000 for winning World Cup," Akram said.

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Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): Noted writer and Jnanpith award winner MT Vasudevan Nair, who died here on Wednesday evening, is known for elevating the art of Malayalam storytelling to a profound level through his works.

Popularly known as MT, Vasudevan Nair is celebrated for his evocative storytelling, exploring human emotions and the complexities of rural life.

The 91-year-old writer had been hospitalised in critical condition with a diagnosis of heart failure and breathed his last on Wednesday.

He was suffering several health issues including respiratory ailments for a while, according to the literary sources.

M T is a celebrated writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker, renowned for his profound contributions to Malayalam literature and cinema.

Born in 1933 in Kudallur, a quaint village in Palakkad district, Kerala, M T, through more than seven decades of writing created a literary world that appealed equally to both ordinary people and intellectuals.

At the time, Kudallur was part of the Malabar district under the Madras Presidency of British India.

He was the youngest of four children born to T Narayanan Nair and Ammalu Amma.

His father worked in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), while M T spent his early years in Kudallur and at his paternal home in Punnayurkulam, a village in present-day Thrissur district.

M T's early life and surroundings deeply influenced his literary sensibilities.

He completed his schooling at Malamakkavu Elementary School and Kumaranelloor High School and graduated with a degree in chemistry from Victoria College, Palakkad, in 1953.

His professional journey began as a teacher and gramasevakan at a block development office in Taliparamba, Kannur, before he joined Mathrubhumi Weekly as a sub-editor in 1957.

Over the course of seven decades, he has authored nine novels, 19 collections of short stories, directed six films, wrote around 54 screenplays and several collections of essays and memoirs.

His novel Naalukettu (The Ancestral House) established him as a literary icon and is considered a classic in Malayalam literature.

Over the years, he authored several acclaimed works, including Asuravithu, Manju, and Kaalam, which earned him the Jnanpith Award in 1995, India's highest literary honour.

At the age of 25, he won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for his second novel, Naalukettu (1959), and a decade later, Kaalam, his fifth novel, earned him the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award.

M T made significant contributions to Malayalam cinema as a screenwriter and director.

His films, including 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha' and 'Kadavu', are regarded as masterpieces, showcasing his ability to merge compelling narratives with visual storytelling.

M T holds the distinction of winning the National Film Award for Best Screenplay a record four times, for 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha' (1989), 'Kadavu' (1991), 'Sadayam' (1992), and 'Parinayam' (1994), the most by any individual in Malayalam in this category.

M T has been married twice.

In 1965, he married writer and translator Prameela, but the couple separated after 11 years of marriage.

They have a daughter, Sithara, who works in the United States.

In 1977, he married Kalamandalam Saraswathy, a noted dance artist. They have a daughter, Aswathy Nair, who is a professional dancer.

His residence on Kottaram Road in Kozhikode is named after his elder daughter, Sithara.