Mohammed Shami is The Best Fast Bowler in The World: Shoaib Akhtar
Jan 31, 2020 at 2:05 PM
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has lauded Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who became the hero during the third Hamilton T20I on Wednesday. Akhtar called him the ‘best fast bowler’ in the world after Shami delivered under pressure to restrict Kiwis scoring nine off six deliveries.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson‘s brilliant batting (95 runs) almost guided the team to the crucial victory during the Hamilton T20I on last Wednesday (29th January).
Chasing down the 180-run target, the hosts New Zealand needed to score nine runs in the final over to win that match. Ross Taylor hit a sixer to Mohammed Shami on the very first ball of that over, but that game was ultimately tied.
Shami took two wickets in that over and conceded only two more runs off the last five balls. Taylor failed to snatch a single on the final ball as he was bowled after dragging the ball onto his stumps.
Talking about that last over, Akhtar said on his YouTube channel, “When Taylor hit Shami for a six in the first ball, I thought the match was over but that’s where the experience of Shami came into play. He realized there was little bit of dew which will help the ball skid if he hits the length.
“Taylor hit me a lot through the midwicket region in my last match but unfortunately he dragged the same shot onto his stumps on the last ball. But credit to Shami.”
Mohammed Shami is a very, very smart fast bowler – Shoaib Akhtar
Akhtar has claimed that Shami is a very ‘smart fast bowler’. He further praised his work ethic as a lead paceman.
Akhtar added, “Shami is a very clever bowler. He is the find of India and he is the best fast bowler in the world. Whatever situation you put him in, he always excels, whether it’s a world cup or a T20 in New Zealand, he’s a very very smart fast bowler. When he got to know that yorkers won’t work, he immediately switched to length balls and bouncers.”
After that tie result, India won that match in the one-over eliminator. In the Super Over, while New Zealand scored 17/0, India chased down that target after Rohit Sharma hit two sixes in the final two balls (20/0).
The former Pakistan speedster also felt bad for New Zealand. Interestingly, their ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 final memory is still afresh. However, another heart-breaking defeat has left Kiwis thoroughly disappointed.
Akhtar said, “I feel bad for New Zealand. All the memories of the World Cup crept up. You could almost feel the pain in their eyes.”
With that Hamilton T20I victory in the third game of this five-match series, India have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead. The visitors won the first two matches of this series by six and seven wickets respectively.