Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar was known for implanting fear in the minds of opposition batsmen with his deadly pace. He is not just a fast bowler, he is the most lethal fast bowler. The Rawalpindi Express, known as one of the fastest bowlers ever played, had rattled the stumps of several batsmen when he was at his peak.
His career might have been restricted by disciplinary issues and injuries, but on his day he was unplayable. He was involved in several iconic duels with the world’s best batsmen. There are numerous accounts of the speedster’s spats with batters.
Akhtar’s fearsome pace meant batsmen found it hard to deal with him and eventually get injured facing him. Many batsmen used to go retired-hurt after being hit by Akhtar’s deliveries.
Recently, Akhtar shared a stat on Twitter that stated he had sent 19 batsmen off the field thanks to his brutal deliveries, the most for any bowler.
Did u know about this fact that have injured more batsman,s then any 1
which i never enjoyed it but apart-from 1 guess who is it ?? pic.twitter.com/N9wJ8axV8s
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 24, 2017
But if he’s to be believed then the cricketer never liked injuring the batsmen, except one.
Akhtar enjoyed injuring former Australian opener, Matthew Hayden.
“It was Matthew Hayden I wanted to hit badly during my playing days & I did that many times during test & practice games & now we r best mates. But now we are best of friends now & I think he’s 1 of the most generous & kind human being I ever met is Matthew Hayden,” Akhtar tweeted.
But now we are best of friends now & I think he’s 1 of the most generous & kind human being I ever met is Matthew Hayden.
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 25, 2017
It’s worth noting that Matthew Hayden isn’t the only batsmen Shoaib Akhtar has become friendly with post-retirement.
Akhtar had a fiery on-field rivalry with former India opener Virender Sehwag. Nowadays, the two can be found exchanging friendly banter on social media.
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Both Virender Sehwag and former skipper M.S. Dhoni have also gone on record stating that Akhtar was extremely hard to deal with in his peak. It would be interesting to know what Matthew Hayden has to say on this matter.