Former Pakistani paceman Shoaib Akhtar was known for his electrifying pace and incredible capability of bowling constantly at 150 kmph. The right-armer used to terrify batsmen of all the teams simply by his long run-up and unreal speed.
Apart from his tremendous bowling, Akhtar is also famous for voicing out his opinions on several topics related to the game and players. Recently, he showed a glimpse of it when Akhtar was asked to pick top 10 players from Pakistan and India.
It is a well-known fact that Akhtar has met several outstanding batters in his cricketing career, but his battle with Indian players was always a treat to watch. During the chat on Helo app, the “Rawalpindi express’ responded to the question regarding the top-10 ODI players from both nations. He selected four Indians, and six Pakistanis in the list.
Starting from the Indian side, Akhtar went with four batsmen. He started the proceedings by naming the iconic Sachin Tendulkar as his first choice. The 44-year-old then chose ‘The Wall’ Rahul Dravid. Akhtar didn’t just stop there, he went on to pick attacking opener Virender Sehwag, and in the end, he picked the 2011 World Cup-winner Yuvraj Singh.
When it comes to the Pakistan side, Akhtar went with two reliable batsmen in the form of legendary Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq. For the role of an all-rounder, Akhtar named veteran Abdul Razzaq. The remaining three were bowlers as Akhtar chose the ultimate pace duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Saqlain Mushtaq was chosen as the lone spinner by Akhtar.
Akhtar had a marvellous career for Pakistan cricket. In 46 Tests, the right-armer claimed 178 scalps with 12 times he earned a five-wicket haul while ten times Akhtar accomplished a four-wicket haul. In ODIs, the former paceman grabbed 247 wickets in 163 games. For six times, Akhtar bagged a four-wicket haul in the 50-over format and four times he produced a five-wicket haul performance.
Here are Shoaib Akhtar’s top 10 ODI cricketers from India and Pakistan:
Sachin Tendulkar, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Abdul Razzaq, Yuvraj Singh, Saqlain Mushtaq, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis.
