Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed that as part of his rigorous training to break the ‘100 miles barrier’ in international cricket, he used to pull a truck for 4-5 miles.

During the 2003 ICC World Cup, he made history by bowling the fastest ball in the history of international cricket in a match against England. That ball was clocked at 161.3 kmph.

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In an interview with Sportskeeda, the 46-year-old explained how he was able to bowl at such an express pace, admitting that it took special training.

“When you touch 155 kph as a bowler, remember that you have another 5 kph inside you. However, adding that extra pace to your bowling requires specific training. Before I broke the 100 miles record, I was bowling at speeds of 157-158 kph but I was not able to reach 160. I was a bit baffled over the same, wondering why it was not happening," said Shoaib.

Akhtar revealed that in his quest to become the fastest bowler on the planet, he even used to pull vehicles at night in Islamabad. When he realized that even the vehicle wasn’t challenging enough, he decided to take it a step further by pulling a truck.

"I began by running with tires but soon realized that they are light. Next, I started pulling small vehicles with my shoulders. There is less public in Islamabad, so I used to pull vehicles in the night. I used to match its speed with the pace of my run-up. I realized that the vehicle is also small, so I started pulling a truck. I used to pull a truck for 4-5 miles," he stated.

When the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ made his international debut against West Indies at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in 1997, his teammates Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram were at the peak of their powers. He represented his nation in 46 Tests and 163 ODIs, taking 178 and 247 wickets respectively.

(SPORTSKEEDA INPUTS)