Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar thinks that if he had been fitter, he would have been the greatest
Wake up, rant on youtube, mention Rawalpindi express 14 times on air in one over, repeat.
Shoaib Akthar’s typical routine was altered as he said that if he had been fitter, he would have been unstoppable.
“I would have been the greatest ever if I had been the fittest guy”
During a video call from his home in Pakistan, the Rawalpindi express said, “Had I been the fittest guy, I would’ve been the greatest ever.”
Shoaib took 444 international wickets during a magnificent but contentious 15-year career in which he became the first player to break the 100mph barrier, a bowler who was one of the most exciting spectacles the game had ever seen. His place among the Top 10 Pakistani Fast Bowlers highlights his exceptional impact and contribution to cricket.
He is ecstatic about the next Test series.“It’s fantastic that England are coming back with a strong side for a fully fledged series. It’s been a long 17 years since they played Test cricket in Pakistan back in 2005 … their confidence was skyrocketing but I soon put paid to that!”
England’s visit in 2005 was one of Shoaib’s best Test series. He captured 17 wickets in three matches, bowling with lightning speed and deftness. Shoaib’s pace was termed as “frightening” by Kevin Pietersen, and Michael Vaughan lauded him for his skilfully camouflaged slower ball.
“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.”
After meeting Shoaib in the 2005 ICC Super Series, Flintoff criticized him, stating he “looked like Tarzan but bowled like Jane.” Shoaib spent weeks leading up to the series getting as fit as he could for a clash with England’s best all-rounder. “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.’”
Shoaib was at the heart of some of Pakistan’s most famous moments, including his “chicken dance” after removing Kevin Pietersen and yorking Ashley Giles with a delivery so lethal that the troubled Englishman’s stumps were splattered into distinct postcodes.
He is credited with bowling the fastest delivery in international cricket and was a batter’s nightmare during his prime. However, due to frequent injuries that kept him out of the game for extended periods of time, he was unable to enjoy a long career.
