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.

ENGLAND PULL OFF STUNNING VICTORY
Three balls after he had reduced Pakistan to 78 for eight, White sent Pakistan spiralling further towards defeat whenWaqar Younis was turned and the ball looped up to Knight in the gully.

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.

Pakistan’s Wasim Akram felt relief rather than ecstasy on Tuesday after becoming the first player in history to take 500 one-day international wickets.

The 36-year-old left-arm swing bowler, who reached the mark by dismissing Dutch opener Nick Statham in a World Cup Group A match, said: “I was really under pressure last night and, like any youngster, although I am not a youngster, I couldn’t get to sleep.

“But now I’m relaxed and, yes, relieved… It was a feeling more of relief than ecstasy.”

Statham was out for a duck after playing a typically venomous inswinging Wasim delivery back on to his stumps.