'Temu version or tribute?' Wasim Akram's statue at Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad sparks meme fest

The unveiling of a statue of legendary Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram outside Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium in April 2025 sparked a wave of mixed reactions online, with many netizens mocking its craftsmanship and others calling it an unflattering tribute to the “King of Swing.”

The sculpture depicted the left-arm pacer in his trademark bowling action, wearing Pakistan’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 1999 jersey.

The statue became the centre of attention a month after its installation when a photo of it went viral on social media, triggering an outpouring of criticism over the statue’s resemblance to the World Cup-winning cricketer.

Social media users jokingly described the statue as a “Temu version” of Wasim Akram, while others joked that it looked like it had been ordered from Daraz. 

pic.twitter.com/GzirhsuLM0

— PSL Memes (@PSLMemesWalay) June 5, 2025

Waseem Akram from Daraz

— 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 (@MSBaig12) June 5, 2025

Some even quipped that the statue resembled an AI-generated image by Grok.

@grok make him Waseem Akram plus

— Mustafa usmani (@usmanimustafa) June 5, 2025

Despite the mockery, some users remarked that at least this controversy brought attention to Hyderabad, a city that often goes unnoticed.

Hyd is not that big city, so we tried to replicate WA, but it end up being the temu version of him. Atleast our city got highlighted.

— •𝓘𝓶𝓪𝓷 . (@rajariman) June 6, 2025

The viral photo also drew comparisons to former Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, whom former Prime Minister Imran Khan once referred to as “Wasim Akram Plus.”

Additionally, one of the social media users was reminded of the much-criticised Allama Iqbal statue in Lahore, which had previously gone viral for similar reasons.

Throwback to Allama Iqbals statue in Gulshan Iqbal Park Lahore. It looked more like usman buzadar lolz

— Bilal Ahmed Rai (@bilalrai22) June 5, 2025

Wasim Akram, who represented Pakistan from 1984 to 2003, is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in cricket history. He holds the national record for the most Test wickets (414) and has taken 502 wickets in One Day Internationals.

He played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s historic 1992 Cricket World Cup victory, finishing as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 18 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 18.77. He later led the team to the 1999 World Cup final, where Pakistan lost to Australia.