Ali Raza: “I want to have Shoaib Akhtar’s speed, Wasim Akram’s swing and Waqar Younis’ yorker”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan pace bowler Ali Raza has expressed his desire to bowl as fast as iconic speedster Shoaib Akhtar.
Akhtar currently holds the record for the fastest ball ever bowled in international cricket at 161.3 kph (100.2 mph).
Raza has been clocked at 146 kph in the past and knows he has a lot of work to do if he wants to match the Rawalpindi Express’ bowling speed.
The 17-year-old also wants to swing the ball like Wasim Akram and unleash deadly yorkers like Waqar Younis.
“I want to have Shoaib Akhtar’s speed, Wasim Akram’s swing and Waqar Younis’ yorker,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Raza was one of the standout performers in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he took 12 wickets in nine matches for the Peshawar Zalmi at an average of 25.25 and an economy rate of 9.18.
Despite doing well in PSL 10, he was not picked for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, the T20I tour of Bangladesh, and the limited overs tour of the West Indies.
Pakistan will now be involved in a T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan, which will take place in Sharjah from August 29 to September 7.
After this, the men in green will play in the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup:Â Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem