Shoaib Akhtar: “Muralitharan was the toughest batsman I bowled to. He asked me not to kill him and said he’d die if I hit him with a bouncer so please pitch the ball up”
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Legendary Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has surprisingly revealed that iconic Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was the toughest batsman he bowled to.
Akhtar noted that Muralitharan told him that he would die if he were to be hit by one of the Rawalpindi Express’ lethal bouncers.
However, whenever he pitched the ball up to Muralitharan, the Sri Lankan mystery spinner would slash hard at it and get runs.
Shoaib Akhtar "Muralitharan was the toughest batsman I bowled to. He asked me not to kill him & said he'd die if I hit him with a bouncer so please pitch the ball up & I'll give you my wicket. But whenever I pitched the ball up he'd slash hard & say he hit it by mistake" #Cricket
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) July 13, 2021
“Muralitharan was the toughest batsman I bowled to. He asked me not to kill him and said he’d die if I hit him with a bouncer so please pitch the ball up and I’ll give you my wicket. But whenever I pitched the ball up he’d slash hard and say he hit it by mistake,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by Saj Sadiq on Twitter.
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 46-year-old picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 22.73.
In fact, he still holds the record for the quickest delivery in international cricket, which was clocked at 161.3 kph (100.2 mph) during Pakistan’s match against England in the 2003 World Cup.
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