The legendary Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar seemingly slammed a news portal which revealed why he turned down the opportunity to lead the National team in 2002. It was noted that he had said he wasn’t fit enough to play every game.
Shoaib Akhtar opens up on the matter
It is needless to mention that Shoaib Akhtar has been one of the most lethal fast bowlers of his time. His intense pace often caused the batters to falter at the crease. The Rawalpindi Express, as he is famously known, was a legend in his own right.
Taking to Twitter he slammed a news outlet for taking his comments out of context. He wrote:
“Its so much fun to see how some portals take out, out of context old interviews & conversations and make new headlines from them and other portals jump on them. What fun cycle of statements that is. Yar kuch naya ker lo bhai.”
Its so much fun to see how some portals take out, out of context old interviews & conversations and make new headlines from them and other portals jump on them. What fun cycle of statements that is.
Yar kuch naya ker lo bhai.— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) February 21, 2023
Akhtar was offered the chance to lead Pakistan and add another feather to his cap, but the right-arm pacer didn’t show any interest.
“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).”
He also stated that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was extremely unstable at the time, saying that the apex body was full of mismanagement.
“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.
It has been noted how Pakistan went through a chaotic time between the late 1990s and early 2000s. Legendary pacer Wasim Akram was the skipper when Akhtar made his Test debut in 2007. Four months later, Rashid Latif was the leader of the side when Akhtar made his ODI debut, despite Akram being in the side.
Shoaib Akhtar further lashed out at the current administrators, saying the officials embrace mediocrity and run away from responsibility.
“When your culture endures mediocrity, every person in power is mediocre,” he added. “The mediocrity continues to increase. You see what the state is today. Is there anything we can manage right now? Nothing. Everyone runs away from responsibility.”
In his 14-year-long career, Akhtar has featured in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20Is, picking up 444 international wickets in total.
