Shoaib Akhtar on his love for bouncers: Watching batters jump like monkeys was heartening to see
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Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed why he loved bowling bouncers to batters during his playing career. The legendary fast bowler also said he wanted to hit batters on their head with the kind of pace he had.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed why he used to love bowling bouncers against the batters during his playing days. One of the quickest bowlers to have played the game, Akhtar was a nightmare to face for the best of batters and he enjoyed some great duels with legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting among others. On his day, Akhtar was almost unplayable and breathed fire with the ball.
Bowling bouncers to the batters was one of his strongest weapons and he utilised them fully to trouble them during his playing days. He even injured several batters with his deadly bouncers in international cricket and recently claimed he wanted to hit the batters on their heads as he had brute pace.
Opening up on his love for bouncers, Akhtar said he used to bowl them to make batters dance like monkeys. "I bowled bouncers because watching batters jump like monkeys was heartening to see. Not going to lie, I wanted to hit batters on the head as I had the pace. This is the perk of being a fast bowler, it simply has to happen," Akhtar said on Sportskeeda.
Further elaborating on his obsession with bouncers, Akhtar said he used them to terrorise the batters as he believed a batter should remember him while watching himself in the mirror after being hit by the Rawalpindi Express during a game.
"The adrenaline rush is there, the hair is flying, the heartbeat is 185+, you would surely not bowl fuller. It should hit on the body, aalu dikhe jism pe (swelling should be seen on the body). Whenever the batter sees himself in the mirror, he should remember me. This is true love," said the legendary pacer.
Akhtar still continues to hold the record for the fastest delivery bowled in international cricket. He played 224 matches across formats in his international career and picked up an impressive 444 wickets. Akhtar continues to remain involved in the game as an expert after retiring as a player.
