Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar recently talked about his knee problems. Akhtar is arguably one of the best pacers the sport has witnessed. The fast-bowler has always hogged the limelight for his off and on-field antics.
Known as Rawalpindi Express, the 46-year-old broke numerous records and only became more lethal with time, developing the reputation of an almost unplayable and one of the fastest bowlers the world has ever seen.
Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20Is. He took 178 wickets in the longest format of the game and also bagged 247 in 50-over format to go with 19 T20I wickets.
The main highlight of his career was when he bowled the fastest delivery in international cricket. Akhtar clocked a 161.3 kph during the World Cup game against England in 2003.
There’s no doubt that Akhtar would’ve achieved a lot more than what he did if his career wasn't marred by injuries, with his knees often troubling him.
In an interview with Sydney Morning Herald, Shoaib Akhtar said that his knee problem is still there and is forcing him to crawl to the bathroom every day. He revealed that he couldn’t walk till he was six and even doctors told his mother that he’ll be half-disabled.
“I literally crawl to the bathroom every morning. Even today, my legs are locked. This is how my career started. The only year pain free was 1999. I could not walk until the age of six. I used to crawl. The doctor always said to my mother, ‘Listen, this guy will be half-disabled. He will not be able to run like normal guys,” Akhtar said.
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Akhtar recalled his "terrible" pain, saying he used to fall asleep in ice baths but still "hide" his injuries to avoid losing his place to "fierce competition" in the Pakistan team.
“[The injuries] became bone on bone in my knees. Imagine the pain I went through. Man, it was terrible. I used to [fall] asleep in an ice bath. There were many times that teammates would wake me up and say, ‘It’s four in the morning, get out and get in the bed’. I used to hide my injuries. There was fierce competition and the media wouldn’t understand why I didn’t play regularly," he said.
Shoaib Akhtar also said that he will soon undergo a total knee replacement surgery in Melbourne, Australia. He revealed that so far he has taken 42 injections on his left knee and 62 on the right and has undergone 9 surgeries throughout his career.
(Sydney Morning Herald inputs)
