Shoaib Akhtar opens up on the most difficult batsman he ever bowled to

One of the most fearsome pacers of his time, Shoaib Akhtar has revealed the one batsman whom he struggled against most. In a show called The Sportsman hosted by his former skipper Wasim Akram, the Pakistani fast bowler also reminisced on the famous 1999 Kolkata Test.

Taking a trip down memory lane, Akhtar claimed, “There were a lot of players in the world (whom I found difficult to get out) but the most difficult, whom I couldn’t even get out in the nets, was Inzamam (ul Haq).”

Elaborating the reason behind his opinion, the 41-year old added, “I think there was no other player who played me better than him. His footwork was quick, he would place himself and be ready to play. He could see the ball earlier than many. I always thought he had an extra second. However fast I bowl, he had placed himself where the ball would land.”

Debuting in Birmingham during 1992, Inzamam ul Haq played 120 Tests and scored 8830 runs at an average of 49.60 in addition to 378 ODIs which brought him 11739 runs at an average of 39.52. Across all formats, he remains Pakistan’s leading international run-scorer.

‘My dream got fulfilled in Kolkata’

When the focus shifted to his favorite moments, Akhtar inevitably veered towards the stunning spell against arch-rivals India at the iconic Eden Gardens during the opening match of the 1999 Asian Test Championship.

After missing out on the preceding Test series which ended 1-1, he finally broke into the playing eleven and managed to silence a raucous crowd by scalping eight wickets in the match which included those of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in successive deliveries.

Looking back on the tense encounter, Akhtar quipped, “You (Wasim who was captain then) gave me the ball after lunch and you were telling me to do this and that. Then you became quiet for some time and I thought to myself that I should open up and bowl a quicker one to Dravid. When Dravid was bowled, then I realized that Sachin is coming. I realized that he didn’t walk in while watching the shine on the ball.”

“I turned from my mark to bowl and you shouted, ‘O Shabi, pura told k lana andar ta k leg stump miss na ho’ (Shoaib, swing it in calculatedly so it doesn’t miss the leg stump). I turned again and I stopped and said to myself, ‘Ya Allah, if I get this wicket, my dream will be fulfilled in Kolkata.’ I ran in and as I was approaching the crease, I saw that the gap between Sachin’s bat and his pads was opening. And then when I bowled outside off-stump, I knew he would miss it. As soon as it hit the middle stump, it was an amazing moment for me.”

The effort was all the more remarkable since Pakistan were bowled out for 185 in the first innings and India looked to build a huge lead at 147/2. However, Shoaib intervened and turned the game on its head.