Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is still considered one of the fastest bowlers to play cricket. Shoaib Akhtar, popularly known as ‘The Rawalpindi Express’, used to terrify even the best batsmen in the world with his precise bouncers reaching the batsman’s nose and yorker balls hitting the toes. He used to bowl at 150 km/h or more. Akhtar still holds the record for bowling the fastest ball in international cricket.
Shoaib Akhtar bowled the ball at a speed of 161.3 km/h in the 2003 ODI World Cup match against England. That short-pitched ball from Akhtar was faced by England opener Nick Knight. Akhtar, who specializes in bowling bouncers, said in a conversation with Mohammad Kaif on SportsKrida’s YouTube channel that he likes to bowl short balls, as it makes the batsman bounce on the crease.
Akhtar said, ‘I bowled the bouncers because I used to be very happy to see the batsmen jumping like monkeys. Not going to lie, I wanted to hit the batsmen on the head because I had the pace. That’s the advantage of being a fast bowler, it just has to happen.
Akhtar told that he wanted to hit the batsmen’s body so that whenever he saw his face in the mirror, my face would spin in front of his eyes. He told Mohammad Kaif, ‘Man it happens that the enthusiasm is high, the hair is flying, the ball is going at a speed of 150 or more. …then you will not do it further, will you? No, no, no further action has to be taken. back it up Do it on the hands, do it on the body. Balls hit, potato-shaloos fall on your body. If you look at yourself in the mirror at night, I will remember you.’ Akhtar laughs again and says, ‘Yeh mohabbat hai hai’.
Shoaib Akhtar took 178 wickets at an average of 25 in 46 Tests during his career. His record in white ball cricket was even better. He took 247 wickets in 163 ODIs. Akhtar was at the end of his career when T20 cricket became a regular.
At that time, he did not have the pace for which he was known. Despite this, the right-arm bowler took 19 wickets in 15 matches. He played 3 World Cups for Pakistan in 1999, 2003 and 2011 before retiring from all forms of cricket.