Shoaib Akhtar: “To bowl to the likes of Sachin and Dravid, they used to tire me all day. So this was one of the main reasons for my retirement”
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Iconic Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar said one of the main reasons he retired from international cricket was how legendary India batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid “used to tire me all day”.
Tendulkar and Dravid are two of the greatest batsmen to ever play the game, while Akhtar holds the record for the fastest ball bowled at 161.3 kph.
“To bowl to the likes of Sachin and Dravid, they used to tire me all day. So this was one of the main reasons for my retirement – that I can’t wake up early,” he told Sportskeeda as quoted by Cricwick.
Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests and claimed 178 wickets at an average of 25.69.
He also featured in 163 ODIs and took 247 wickets at an average of 24.97.
In regards to T20 Internationals, the 46-year-old finished with 19 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 22.73.