100.2 mph: In conversation with Shoaib Akhtar
An Interview with the Fastest Bowler in the Cricket history
A few months ago, I had the chance to meet and interview the fastest bowler in cricket history. Nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express, Shoaib Akhtar was arguably the scariest bowler world cricket had ever seen since the West Indies fast bowlers of the 80s. Through hard work and heroic determination, he overcame a multitude of injuries throughout his career and became both a global icon and a fan favourite amongst the Pakistani supporters.
Kindly, Shoaib invited me to his office in Islamabad, Pakistan, where I was able to interview him both about his own career and his views on the sport.
Firstly, what was your first cricketing memory?
My first cricketing memory would be watching Waqar Younis running in and bowling the fastest spell of bowling I have ever seen at the Rawalpindi cricket stadium. I think from then on, I wanted to be like him as a child, so yeah that’s my first memory, Waqar Younis running in and bowling some gas.
We all know about your difficult childhood, especially the issues you had in your knee from birth. Tell us about your journey, from a struggling toddler to becoming a successful international cricketer.
It was a very, very long journey. It is miraculous that someone who could not walk until the age of 6 became the fastest bowler in the world. It is impossible, but I did it with a lot of conviction - I wanted to become a star, someone who will be remembered. The journey was tough, hard and painful till today, but if I would get the chance to do this all over again, I would put myself through the same pain again.
One thing that I can’t help but notice is the drop in quality of fast bowlers in today’s game compared to the 90s and earlier 2000s. Long gone are the days of in-swinging yorkers and stumps cartwheeling out of the ground. What are your thoughts on this?
This current era is very different from my generation. I was watching Rocky the other day, and training then compared to now is completely different. Back then we were hard core athletes. No disrespect to players now but I think the attitude towards test matches especially is missing. Attitude towards bowling long spells and making sure that your last spell is faster than your first one. The mentality and mindset is not the same anymore; most players simply don’t want to put in sweat and tears.
What is the Pakistan vs India rivalry like as a player?
It is obviously a massive rivalry, but there is a lot of friendship and camaraderie that people don’t really see. The player I had the biggest rivalry with is Sachin Tendulkar, someone who I am also great friends with now. In my opinion, Sachin is the best player we have ever seen and there will be no one like him ever.
Some quickfire; favourite bowling spell in your career?
My three favourite spells are: 8-118 in a test match against India in Kolkata in 1999, 5/25 in an ODI against Australia at the Gabba in 2002 and 8-82 in a test match against Australia in Sri Lanka in 2002.
Who was the hardest batsman to bowl to?
Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] – being a tailender, he would back away so I didn’t know whether to hit the stumps or ball a bouncer! Usually, I would just try to hit him on the head! On a serious note, the hardest would have to be Justin Langer, the Australian opener.
And finally, your favourite stadium to play in
Of course, I have to include my home ground Rawalpindi. Other than that, the home of cricket Lords, the MCG, and Newlands in Cape Town are some of my favourites.
With this, I concluded the interview and thanked Shoaib for allowing a 16-year-old cricket badger to conduct this interview. A surreal experience…