Shoaib Akhtar is undoubtedly one of the fastest bowlers ever to play the game of cricket. He was the first bowler to officially break the 100mph barrier, a feat he achieved in the 2003 World Cup against England.
In his career spanning from 1997-2011, he picked 444 wickets in 224 international matches for Pakistan. These remarkable numbers could have been higher if not for controversies on and off the field and a career riddled with injuries to knees.
In an interview with the Guardian, Shoaib Akhtar said that the happiest he was during his career was when he bowled fast and the ball hit the stumps.
“If you get a wicket after all that effort when the ball hits the stumps, the sound of it goes inside your soul and explodes like an atom bomb. That’s true happiness,” he said.
“Every time I turn on the TV, I say: ‘Is there anyone out there who can step up? Please take this record away from me,’ I’ll be the first to fly out and shake them by the hand,” he added.
He also claimed that “Had I been the fittest guy, I would’ve been the greatest ever.”
He was truly a menace when he was at his best like in the 1999 World Cup where he bowled like the wind or when he silenced the thousands of Indian fans by clean bowling Rahul Dravid and then Sachin Tendulkar in back-to-back deliveries in a Test match in Kolkata in the same year.
Akhtar also talked about England’s return to Pakistan for Tests for the first time since 2005, a series that was one of the best for Shoaib Akhtar. Akhtar picked 17 wickets in that series bowling extremely fast which led to Kevin Pietersen describing Shoaib’s pace as “frightening”.
“I was on the edge of my sofa wondering whether I was going to be selected for the series or not. Once I was, then my main motivation was Freddie Flintoff,” Akhtar said.
Flintoff had mocked Akhtar after encountering him in the 2005 ICC Super Series, saying he “looked like Tarzan but bowled like Jane”.
“I got Freddie on my radar and I just started bowling bouncers. He was uncomfortable, I got him out and said to him: ‘How do I look Mr Flintoff, like Tarzan or Jane?’ He said: ‘Forgive me Shoaib. You are two different people in a span of three weeks. You were unfit and down in the mouth and now you are totally different. What happened?’ I said: ‘A lot of painkillers and even more heart,’” Akhtar added.
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Akhtar reserved special pace for James Anderson, the only England player returning to Pakistan from the 2005 Test series. When Shoaib bowled the fastest delivery on record in the 2003 World Cup, 20-year-old Jimmy Anderson took 4/29 as England defeated Pakistan by 112 runs.
Akhtar said: “Mr Anderson, you played against me in 2003 and spoiled my day! When I broke the record, you annihilated us in that game … ruined my happiness! He’s a brilliant guy and it will be fantastic to see him bowl in Pakistan again. It’s been nearly 18 years since he was here and now he’s back again and his bowling looks as virile as ever!”
Shoaib’s passion for fast bowling is undimmed.
He says: “My doctor asked me recently: ‘Shoaib, you are in so much pain right now. Tell me one thing. Was it worth it?’ I said: ‘Doc, every minute of it. It was so worth it.’”
(The Guardian inputs)
