Former Pakistan Speedster Shoaib Akhtar recently recalled hitting a batsman with a beamer during county cricket and left him thinking that he was dead. Shoaib Akhtar has always been infamous for his controversies on and off the field. The Rawalpindi Express is recognized as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket, delivering a world record owing to a top speed of 161.3 km/h (100.23 mph), which came in a pool match against England during the 2003 World Cup.
Shoaib Akhtar was feared by batsman whether rookie or veteran. However, he was also banned for the use of performance-enhancing drugs and was accused of ball-tampering during his career.
He Said ‘Let’s Face You’. So I Went Around The Wicket And Bowled A Fast Bouncer: Shoaib Akhtar
The pacer revealed an incident on his Youtube channel, where he thought he had killed a batsman with his searing pace. The incident occurred when he was playing for English county Worcestershire and had bowled a bouncer which hit the batsman’s face who fell on the wickets owing to an impact.
“In first class cricket when I played for English county Worcestershire, I hit quite a few batsmen. And then it seemed like ‘Oh God I have done something wrong’. I could never understand why I was so mean
“One incident that I remember is with Matthew Maynard of Glamorgan. It was dull in the evening and the light was not great so I told him, ‘let’s go off because my pace is not comfortable to face at this time. So if you want we can go off,”‘ Shoaib stated.
“But he said ‘let’s face you’. So I went around the wicket and bowled a fast bouncer. It wasn’t very dark but I felt it would be difficult to face my pace. The ball hit him on the face and he fell on the wickets. I thought ‘this guy is dead’,” Shoaib Akhtar maintained.
The Rawalpindi Express — Shoaib Akhtar Route
Shoaib Akhtar was an amalgamation of raw pace and deadly bouncers. He was delightful to watch. He threatened batsmen with his deadly pace and bounce. He played 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20Is for Pakistan and picked up more than 400 wickets across all formats.
The Rawalpindi Express always delivered for his team and played to his fullest, even when he was injured he used to play on painkillers. His spirit is commendable and unfathomable. His knees had given up back in 1997 itself and for the rest of the time, he played with pain and injections to keep going.