Shoaib Akhtar claims Muttiah Muralitharan, Indian tailenders used to ask him not to hit them
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar revealed that legendary Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was scared to face his pace. Akhtar has claimed that Muralitharan used to ask him to bowl slow to him.
The former speedster said that many Indian tailenders were also scared of his pace and asked him to don't hit them.
“There were many who told me not to hit them. Muralitharan was one. Many Indian tailenders would tell me ‘don’t hit us, we have families’. Muralitharan would ask me to bowl slow, and he would get out.
“Yousuf would ask me to hit him. He would say ‘break his fingers I can’t play his spin’. I bowled Muralitharan a few bouncers but he said ‘don’t do this to me I will die if the ball hits me’," Akhtar told Pakistani presenter Sawera Pasha on her Youtube show ‘Cric Cast’.
Akhtar has recorded the fastest ball in the international cricket - 161.3km/h or 100.2mph against Nick Knight of England.
The Rawalpindi Express further recalled an incident when he tell the former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten to not attempt the pull but the southpaw didn't listedn and was hit hard.
“I had told Gary not to attempt the pull against me. I kept telling him don’t try it against the world’s fastest bowler. But he didn’t listen and was hit really hard. Whenever he meets me he points towards his eye,” Akhtar said.
Recently Akhtar said that Indian batting great Rahul Dravid was a difficult proposition for him to bowl. Akhtar said that Dravid's determination and ability meant that the latter could play him pretty easily.
"Dravid was a difficult and determined batsman. It was difficult for me as well as him. He would play me quite easily," said Akhtar on former India batsman and commentator Aakash Chopra's YouTube show AakashVani.
