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Cricket Players'Shoaib, people remember how you play the cricket’: Akhtar shares his memories of Warne, recalls advice from AUS legend
Akhtar underlined how the Aussie icon cared more about how he played the game instead of being among the wickets.
He may have plucked 708 Test wickets as part of a dominant Australian Test team, but late Shane Warne was an absolute crowd puller. Credited with reviving the craft of leg-spin bowling, Warne was a treat to watch and his sudden demise at the age of 52 sent shockwaves around the cricketing world. The legendary bowler's body was found at a luxury resort in Thailand on March 4, with his death from a suspected heart attack triggering grief around the world. (Also Read | 'Lahore pitch will be quite similar, won't be super friendly for pacers': Pat Cummins ahead of deciding Test against PAK)
Tributes have been pouring in for Warne following his death with many players reliving their memories of the spin great. Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar also recalled his chat with Warne and underlined how the Aussie cared more about how he played the game instead of being among the wickets.
“He said, ‘No Shoaib, people remember how you play the cricket’,” Akhtar told The Sydney Morning Herald as he remembered asking Warne if his career would be defined by his scalps. While Akhtar ended up taking 178 wickets in Test cricket with 247 in One-day Internationals, Warne registered 708 plucks in the traditional format. In his 194 ODI appearances, he snared 293 wickets.
“It’s not how many wickets you have taken, it’s the way you played the game," Akhtar further added.
“Just heard the devastating news about legendary Shane Warne passing away. No words to describe how shocked & sad I am. What a legend. What a man. What a cricketer,” Akhtar had tweeted on Warne's sudden death.
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Warne on Sunday was farewelled at a private funeral by family and friends. About 80 people attended the service including retired Australian Test captains Mark Taylor, Allan Border and Michael Clarke. His teammates and Australia greats Mark Waugh, Merv Hughes, Glenn Mcgrath and Ian Healy were also in attendance, along with former England skipper Michael Vaughan.
A charter plane carried Warne's body to his home city of Melbourne last week after an eight-hour flight from Thailand. A state memorial service is scheduled to be held at the 100,000-seater Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on March 30.
