The fast bowling attack in India has grown heaps and bounds over the past two years. The Indian pacers have been collecting praises for their splendid performances across the three formats, and the latest to join the huge list of admirers is former Pakistan quick Shoaib Akhtar. After India secured its first-ever T20I series victory in New Zealand, Akhtar, on his official YouTube channel, pin-pointed one of India's pacers as the 'best fast bowler in the world'.
The third T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand ended in a thriller with India winning in the Super Over. While Rohit Sharma was praised for his two sixes off the final two deliveries of the Super Over which sealed the game, Mohammed Shami also impressed with his bowling in the final over of the New Zealand innings.
After being hit for a six on the first ball of the 20th over, Shami successfully defended three runs in the last five balls, forcing a Super Over.
Akhtar admitted that he thought India were going to lose when Shami was hit for a six.
"When Taylor hit Shami for a six in the first ball, I thought the match was over but that’s where the experience of Shami came into play. He realized there was little bit of dew which will help the ball skid if he hits the length," Akhtar said.
"Taylor hit me a lot through the midwicket region in my last match but unfortunately he dragged the same shot onto his stumps on the last ball. But credit to Shami.
"Shami is a very clever bowler. He is the find of India and he is the best fast bowler in the world. Whatever situation you put him in, he always excels, whether it’s a world cup or a T20 in New Zealand, he’s a very very smart fast bowler. When he got to know that yorkers won’t work, he immediately switched to length balls and bouncers."
Akhtar also sympathized with the New Zealand side, whose poor luck with the Super Overs continued on Wednesday. The Kiwis famously lost the final of the 2019 World Cup to England in the Super Over and also conceded a defeat to the same side in similar fashion in a T20I series later last year.
"I feel bad for New Zealand. All the memories of the World Cup crept up. You could almost feel the pain in their eyes," said Akhtar.
