Shoaib Akhtar: “I hit Matthew Hayden around 5 times in 3 overs. But that guy never moved an inch, I was shocked to see that”

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Legendary Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar recalled how he got into a fight with iconic Australia opener Matthew Hayden.

Akhtar noted that he got irritated when Hayden called him a “C-class actor and low-grade fast-bowler”.

He responded to this by hitting Hayden “around 5 times in 3 overs”.

“I got into a fight with Matthew Hayden. It was the first game of the World Cup and we lost it, I completely lost it. Hayden used to call me a C-class actor and low-grade fast-bowler. I said Matthew, I’m gonna have a go at you in the World Cup,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel as quoted by PakPassion.

“Bad luck for me that we lost the game and it was really bad luck on top of that that we got up for breakfast really early in the morning. I won’t get into details but Matthew and myself were alone, standing and having a verbal chat. We got into a fight, a really bad fight.

“Matthew was the one guy, and Justin Langer, they used to tease me. They would ask me to bowl quicker and quicker and quicker. I went after them and I wasted a lot of energy in the Melbourne and Perth Test matches but I hit them badly, I hit Matthew Hayden around 5 times in 3 overs. But that guy never moved an inch, I was shocked to see that.

“People would get under my skin badly at times and I faced many problems with the management and with batsmen.”

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