KARACHI: Former Pakistani speedster and the world record holder for bowling the fastest delivery in international cricket Shoaib Akhtar, revealed that he used to pull trucks to practice.
In an interview, with an Indian website Sportskeeda, the former Pakistani pacer opened on how he managed to bowl the fastest delivery, admitting that it was not easy or a natural process, while also revealing how he practised to achieve the feat.
“When you touch 155 kph as a bowler, remember that you have another 5 kph inside you. However, adding that extra pace to your bowling requires specific training. Before I broke the 100 miles record, I was bowling at speeds of 157-158 kph but I was not able to reach 160. I was a bit baffled over the same, wondering why it was not happening,” Shoaib was quoted saying.
“I began by running with tires but soon realized that they are light. Next, I started pulling small vehicles with my shoulders. There is less public in Islamabad, so I used to pull vehicles at night. I used to match its speed with the pace of my run-up. I realized that the vehicle is also small, so I started pulling a truck. I used to pull a truck for 4-5 miles,” the statement added.
Shoaib further revealed that he also practised bowling as quick as 150 kph on 26-yard wickets instead of the standard 22-yard long pitch.
“When I bowled on 26-yard strips, my speed came down to 142-143 kph. But my aim remained to touch 150 kph on 26-yard surfaces. My muscles were in great shape back then and I started bowling with old, worn-out balls. I was aiming to hit the wickets with those old balls,” he shared.
“I gradually moved back to bowling with comparatively newer balls. I was playing with the mechanics of the body. This procedure went on for two months and I started hitting 150 kph,” he added.
The right-arm pacer also claimed that he had told his 2003 World Cup teammates Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mehmood that he was going to break the 100 miles barrier.
“When I bowled in the nets during the 2003 World Cup, batters were telling me – ‘you’ll kill us, you are bowling so quick. What have you done to increase your speed so much?’ I told them that I have trained very hard because I want to break the 100-miles barrier,” Shoaib revealed.
“I told my teammates Saqlain (Mushtaq) and Azhar (Mahmood) that I will break the record in the World Cup,” he maintained.
“After I touched 161.3 kph, I thought I could bowl even quicker. But then I started getting cracks in my body – in my back, in my hamstring. I thought I would break down and get ruled out of the World Cup, so I left it at that,” he concluded.
READ: ‘Overseas cricketers have a good diet and we don’t get pure food’ Fatima
