Published 17:53 IST, August 21st 2020
Shoaib Akhtar says Yousuf asked him to break Muttiah Muralitharan's fingers; read why
Pace icon Shoaib Akhtar recalled an incident where spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan had pleaded not to hurt him after he had bowled many bouncers
Shoaib Akhtar was known as a fierce competitor on the field and left no stone unturned while sledging or exchanging a few words with the batsmen. However, there was one such instance where a batsman i.e. a tail-ender had requested Shoaib not to hurt him and it was none other than Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan.
'Don't do this': Shoaib Akhtar
While speaking to Pakistani broadcaster Sawera Pasha on her Youtube chat show Cric Cast, the 'Rawalpindi Express' recalled an incident during a match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and went on to say that Muralitharan was one of the batsmen who would ask him to bowl slow and if he does then the offie would oblige by getting out.
The pace icon also revealed his ex-Pakistani team-mate Mohammad Yousuf had asked Akhtar to hit Muralitharan and break his fingers as the frontline batsman was unable to counter his spin. Nonetheless, according to the tear away speedster, Murali himself had requested him not to do this to the tail-ender batsman, or else he would die if the ball hits him. This happened after the quickie had bowled a few bouncers to the 1996 World Cup winner.
Shoaib Akhtar's cricketing career
Akhtar has represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, 163 One Day Internationals and, 15 T20Is from 1997 to 2011. The 'Rawalpindi Express' has picked up 178, 247, and, 19 scalps in all three formats respectively.
The iconic speedster is recognized as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket, delivering a world record top speed of 161.3 km/h (100.23 mph) in a pool match against England during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. He called it a day in 2011 after Pakistan were ousted from World Cup 2011 by losing the semi-final against arch-rivals and eventual winners India at Mohali.
Ever since his retirement, the 'Rawalpindi Express' has found success as a commentator and as a cricket pundit. Shoaib has his own Youtube channel where he can be seen giving cricket analysis on a regular basis.
Muttiah Muralitharan's illustrious career
Muralitharan is currently the leading wicket-taker in international cricket with 534 ODI and 800 Test scalps to his name. The veteran offie Muralitharan on the other hand has featured in three World Cup finals. He was an integral part of Lanka's 1996 triumphant squad. However, even though his team had made it to back-to-back finals in the 2007, and, 2011 editions respectively, the island nation could not get over the finish line on both occasions. He bid adieu to all forms of cricket after Sri Lanka's World Cup 2011 final loss to co-hosts India at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on April 2, 2011.
Updated 17:53 IST, August 21st 2020