Shoaib Akhtar: “Definitely Kumar Sangakkara is one of the best I have bowled against”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shoaib Akhtar, the legendary Pakistan fast bowler, admitted that iconic Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara was one of the best players he ever bowled to.
Sangakkara represented his country in 134 Test matches and scored 12,400 runs, which included 38 centuries and 52 fifties, at an average of 57.40.
This puts him in sixth place on the all-time list of run-scorers in Test cricket.
He is also the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history behind India batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar with 14,234 runs in 404 matches, which included 25 hundreds and 93 half-centuries, at an average of 41.98.
As for T20Is, the 45-year-old featured in 56 matches and amassed 1,382 runs, which included eight fifties, at an average of 31.40 and a strike rate of 119.55.
Having faced the Sri Lankan legend on numerous occasions, Akhtar knows just how special he was.
“Definitely Kumar Sangakkara is one of the best I have bowled against,” the Rawalpindi Express, who holds the record for the fastest ball at 161.3 kph, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan recently played a two-Test series against Sri Lanka, a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and took part in the Asia Cup.
They will now be involved in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India, which begins on October 5.
The men in green will kick off their campaign against the Netherlands on October 6 in Hyderabad.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup:Â Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali