Pakistan’s express pace man Shoaib Akhtar said he was no longer interested in bowling faster.
Just imagine if James Dean had said he was giving up screen stardom for slippers, a pipe and an armchair by the fire.
Shoaib is speed. The man, with his powerful, low-centred frame, reeks of the stuff.
If the fastest bowler in the world were to start trying to check his pace and concentrating on line and length instead, he would be denying his very personality.
He would no longer be Shoaib Akhtar. He would be Glenn McGrath. Only with longer hair.
Shoaib Akhtar enjoyed himself with some wild swinging and authentic strokes to take two sixes off White. That 30th over of the innings cost 21 runs and lifted Shoaib to become top scorer. He only faced 16 balls, but he smote five fours and three sixes before Flintoff, who had perhaps been guilty of bowling too short, found a full length delivery to shatter Shoaib’s stumps and England had claimed a stunning victory.