Former Pakistan batsman Imran Farhat, who has represented his side in 40 Tests and 58 ODIs, has picked Shoaib Akhtar over Shaun Tait as the quickest bowler.
Imran Farhat shares an interesting battle with the Australian pacer Shaun Tait. He was the one to face Tait’s quickest delivery of 160.7 kph which had shocked the batsmen. This spell occurred during the T20 international game against Pakistan in 2010.
Although it was a low scoring match, the Green Army failed to chase down the target as they were left intimidated by Tait’s pace.
His 160.7 km/hr delivery is the third fastest behind Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee. The former Pakistan pacer delivered the fastest spell against England during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. His speed was recorded 161.3 km/h and after which he named as Rawalpindi Express.
Imran Farhat’s revelation that Akhtar was quicker than Tait came after a fan asked him the question on Twitter.
Shoaib akhtar https://t.co/7j8VxtQIm2
— Imran Farhat (@imranfarhat1982) July 14, 2020
Shaun Tait and Shoaib Akhtar’s menacing pace
Shaun Tait could not create an impact like Shoaib Akhtar did in international cricket. His career was plagued with injuries though he etched his name in Australia‘s history after playing a significant role in World Cup 2007 winning campaign. He was the leading wicket-taker of the team.
Like Akhtar, Tait’s strength was also pace but he was also an expensive bowler. He had unpredictable action which acted in his favour but was also his enemy.
He represented Australia in 3 Tests, 35 ODIs and 21 T20Is as his career spanned from 2005 to 2016. He has scalped 5 Tests, 62 ODI and 28 T20I wickets. The towering pacer retired from all forms of cricket in 2017.
On the other hand, Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, where he took 178 wickets at an average of 25.69. He also featured in 163 ODIs and claimed 247 wickets at an average of 24.97. As for his T20 International career, the 44-year-old picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 22.73.