Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has made a bold statement. The bowling great said that if someone breaks his record he’ll be the first to fly and shake hands with that bowler.
Shoaib Akhtar is currently the fastest bowler in the world
Shoaib Akhtar is arguably one of the best pacers the sport has witnessed. The fast bowler has always hogged the limelight for his off and on-field antics.
Known as Rawalpindi Express, the 47-year-old broke numerous records and only became more lethal with time, developing the reputation of an almost unplayable and one of the fastest in the world.
Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20Is. He took 178 wickets in the longest format of the game and also bagged 247 in the 50-over format to go with 19 T20I wickets.
"If someone broke my record and if I'm no longer the fastest bowler on the planet, I'll be the first person to fly and shake hands with that bowler," Shoaib Akhtar told The Guardian in an interview.
Which bowler can break his record? Will he be Umran Malik? #PAKvENG
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) November 29, 2022
The main highlight of his career was when he bowled the fastest delivery in international cricket. Akhtar clocked 161.3 kph during the World Cup game against England in 2003.
Since then many fast bowlers have played but no one has been able to breach the 160. Kph. However, the current lot of fast bowlers which include Umran Malik, Haris Rauf, Mark Wood, Anrich Nortje and Lockie Ferguson have the capability to break Akhtar’s record.
“If someone broke my record, I’ll be the first person to fly and shake hands with that bowler,” Shoaib Akhtar on his record
With a current lot of fast bowlers breathing fire with the ball in the middle, it’s fair to say that Akhtar’s record might be in danger. However, the former fast bowler himself said that if anyone breaks his record he will be the first person to shake hands with that pacer. Speaking to The Guardian, he said:
“If someone broke my record and if I’m no longer the fastest bowler on the planet, I’ll be the first person to fly and shake hands with that bowler.”
