Akhtar made his debut for Pakistan on November 29, 1997, under Wasim Akram’s leadership.
New Delhi: Legendary Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar is one of the best bowlers of all time. Popularly known as Rawalpindi Express played at the highest level for 14 years and took a total of 444 wickets. He also holds record for the fastest delivery by any bowler. He touched the 100 mph (161 kmph) mark against New Zealand in 2002.
Akhtar made his debut for Pakistan on November 29, 1997, under Wasim Akram’s leadership. He has now revealed that in 2002, he was offered the opportunity to lead the Men in Green, but he passed on that chance.
Shoaib mentioned in an interview that I was offered captaincy in 2002 but he had to refuse it because of h was unfit and could only play three out of five matches.
“I wasn’t fit enough,” Akhtar told Suno News HD. “I could play three matches out of five. I was offered captaincy in 2002, but then I would’ve played only 1.5–2 years (if I played all matches),” said Akhtar.
He further added he support his teammates but Pakistan board is ‘unstable’ and mismanaged
“I supported my teammates, but the board was very unstable. There was mismanagement all over the board. Pakistan itself had faced mismanagement at that time,” he added.
Irrespective of Akhtar’s multiple injuries that kept him out for long periods, he managed to represent Pakistan in a total of 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20I matches, in which he picked up 178, 247, and 19 wickets, respectively.
