‘Ye bas ball hi tez ni fekta’ – Fans react as Shoaib Akhtar reveals process behind delivering fastest ball in International cricket

The former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has disclosed that, as part of his rigorous training regimen aimed at achieving the milestone of bowling over 100 mph in international cricket, he would pull a truck for 4-5 miles. The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ explained that he further honed his skills by practising on 26-yard pitches, a gruelling training method that helped him strengthen his body to handle the demanding workload.

On February 22, 2003, Akhtar delivered the fastest officially recorded delivery in international cricket, reaching a speed of 161.3 kilometres per hour (100.23 miles per hour) during a World Cup match against England in Cape Town. The recipient of this lightning-fast delivery was former England opener Nick Knight.

In an interview with Sportskeeda, the 48-year-old provided an in-depth account of how he managed to secure the record for bowling the fastest ball in international cricket. The former Pakistan speedster also recalled that he was bowling at speeds of 157-158 kmph but was able to reach 160 kmph which indeed baffled him as he was not able to cross that threshold of 100 mph despite doing everything right.  Subsequently, the former fast bowler opted for an arduous training regimen that involved tasks such as hauling tires, smaller vehicles, and, eventually, even a truck.

“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 in the 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,” Akhtar said.

Told my teammates I will break the record: Shoaib Akhtar

As the 2003 World Cup approached, Akhtar’s confidence in surpassing the 100 mph barrier was so high that he informed his teammates, Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood, that he would achieve this feat during the prestigious tournament for Pakistan.

“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. I told my teammates Saqlain (Mushtaq) and Azhar (Mahmood) that I will break the record in the World Cup,” former Pakistan speedster said.

Let us look at how Twitter has reacted to this: