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Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar shared an interesting advice for current players on handling hostile crowds.
While speaking during the PSL 10 special show, he emphasized that players should maintain calmness and composure during such interactions.
Akhtar also recalled his playing time, revealing that he had been banned four times for engaging in altercations with the crowd.
“I have fought with the crowd four times, and on those four occasions, I have been banned. It happens; you lose your temper, but it shouldn’t,” Akhtar admitted.
When asked how to handle an aggressive crowd while fielding near the boundary, the pacer revealed that one should remain calm in such kind of situations. The Rawalpindi-born fast bowler also recalled the famous Kolkata Test between Pakistan and India.
“Put cotton [earbuds] in your ears. I have played a Test match in Kolkata, where one hundred thousand people in the stadium were abusing me,” he said.
“Not many things happen. You have to become a star in the next one or two balls. The public opinion is very fickle, and you as a (Player) should not rely on public opinion, ” he added.
Shoaib Akhtar also advised players to refrain from confronting the spectators, noting that the crowd comes to watch and celebrate the players, ultimately making them stars. He further encouraged cricketers to channel negative energy into positive performance.
It is pertinent to mention that earlier in the month, an altercation between Pakistan cricketer Khushdil Shah and spectators during the third ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan in Mount Maunganui led to the ejection of two spectators from the venue.
Following the incident, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement indicating that spectators were chanting anti-Pakistan slogans.
READ: Shoaib Akhtar reacts sharply to Mohammad Hafeez’s comments on 90s cricketers