Ian Pont: “Shoaib Akhtar asked me if he could bowl faster”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Renowned fast bowling coach Ian Pont has revealed legendary Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar asked him if there was any way he could bowl quicker.
Akhtar holds the record for the fastest ball ever bowled in international cricket at 161.3 kph (100.2 mph).
Despite sitting in first place in regards to bowling speed, the Rawalpindi Express still harboured aspirations to increase his pace.
“Shoaib Akhtar asked me if he could bowl faster,” Pont told PakPassion.
The Pakistan team recently took on South Africa at home and started off by drawing the Test series 1-1.
They fared better in the T20Is and ODIs, winning both series 2-1.
The men in green are involved in a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, where they hold a 1-0 lead.
Once the ODIs finish, Pakistan will go up against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in a T20I tri-series from November 18 to 29.
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Reserves: Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem