Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar while sharing a podcast with former Australia pacer Brett Lee revealed few interesting details about him. Renowned as ‘The Rawalpindi Express’ during his playing days, Akhtar used to bowl at a soaring pace and holds the record of touching 161 kph.
Akhtar, however, in the podcast states he "never wanted to be a fast bowler" credited his “atom bomb” like energy to inspire him to become one.
The former Pakistan bowler also mentioned that as a child he was constantly ridiculed by his friends but it helped him to channel his focus towards a particular direction.
“(I) Never wanted to be a fast bowler. But I always believed that I am able to do something because I have energy like nobody. I have the energy of an atom bomb that needs to explode somewhere,” said Akhtar while speaking on the podcast.
“I always used to tell my childhood friends that I am something. But the word from my childhood started from - ‘you can’t do it’. [sic]. The minute I started listening to that, I started getting that kick. That was the kind of environment that I was living in. But I said I will go through the walls,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“I always used to tell my childhood friends that I am something. But the word from my childhood started from - ‘you can’t do it’. [sic]. The minute I started listening to that, I started getting that kick. That was the kind of environment that I was living in. But I said I will go through the walls,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Akhtar achieved remarkable success during his stint with the Pakistan cricket team. Ever since making his international debut in 1997, the pacer soon developed into a lethal player for his side. He has featured in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, in which he has scalped 178 and 247 wickets respectively.