Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has made a controversial claim regarding Ex-Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar’s action. Famously known as the Rawalpindi Express, Akhtar is regarded as one of the fastest bowlers of all time and also holds the record for bowling the quickest delivery in international cricket.
During his peak, Akhtar was a nightmare for every batter with his brute pace. He used to trouble the best of batters with the ball and enjoyed some intense on-field duels with Sehwag, who got the better of Akhtar on several occasions. The former India opener recently claimed Akhtar used to chuck while bowling in international cricket.
Calling out Akhtar, Sehwag said the former Pakistan fast bowler was aware that he was chucking and that his action was not legal. The ex-India opener pointed out ICC’s ban on Akhtar for his illegal action to further support his claim. It was in 1999 that Akhtar was banned by ICC for a month for chucking before returning with a remodelled action.
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“Shoaib knows he used to jerk his elbow; he knew he was chucking too. Why would ICC ban him otherwise?” Sehwag said while speaking on Sports 18.
“Brett Lee’s hand came down straight, so it was easy to pick the ball. But with Shoaib, you could never guess where the hand and the ball will come from,” he added.
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While he called Akhtar his ‘boundary bowler’, Sehwag picked former Australian pacer Brett Lee as the easier one to face between him and the Rawalpindi Express. Sehwag said he could not trust Akhtar with what he would throw at him next after being struck for two boundaries on the previous deliveries.
“I never feared facing Brett Lee, but with Shoaib, I could not trust what he would do if I hit him twice to the fence. Maybe a beamer or a toe-crushing yorker,” explained Sehwag.
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