Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has revealed the three cricketers that according to him are the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in the game. Akhtar himself is considered to be one of the best fast bowlers the game has seen and he named one Indian, one Pakistani, and one Australian as the GOAT of cricket.
In a chat on YouTube with comedian Tanmay Bhat, Shoaib Akhtar also spoke about his equation with the late great Shane Warne, whose untimely demise at the age of 52 still has the cricketing world in shock.
"I have plenty of memories with Shane Warne, he was a large-hearted player. He always came forward to help others, was a good friend. He was a massive bowler. He was a spinner who had a pacer hidden inside him," Akhtar said.
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Shane Warne had picked 708 wickets in 145 Tests and in his 194 ODI appearances, Warne claimed 293 scalps for Australia. He is often considered the best captain Australia ever had. His acute knowledge of the game led him to captain Rajasthan Royals to the inaugural title win in IPL 2008.
Shoaib Akhtar then went on to term Shane Warne, along with Sachin Tendulkar and Wasim Akram as the greatest of all time in cricket.
“I was heartbroken with the news of his demise, he went too early. He was one of the greatest cricketers. Wasim Akram, Sachin Tendulkar, and Shane Warne. These three will go down as three greatest cricketers in the history of cricket," Akhtar added.
Warne passed away of a heart attack on March 4, while he was vacationing in Thailand. The Thai police ruled out any foul play and the autopsy conducted by the local doctor confirmed that he died of a heart attack.
His remains have been brought back home and he will get a state funeral from his home state of Victoria, which will be attended by 100,000 people at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), a stand of which will also be named after him.
