Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that he can groom a young fast bowler to break his personal speed record. The 'Rawalpindi Express' owns the record for the fastest delivery bowled in international cricket history at 161.3 kmph (100 mph), a record which has stood for over 20 years.
Speaking on the TNKS podcast, Shoaib Akhtar claimed that if he gathered around 3,000 youngsters from different parts of the world and trained them for six months, one of them would break his record. He even claimed that individuals who can't bowl in the range of 160 would at least bowl in the 150s, thus ensuring there are many talented express bowlers in international cricket.
When asked if anyone can break his record of fastest ball in international cricket, Akhtar said (via YouTube channel 'Nakash Khan'):
"I think it's doable. It's achievable. If I take this thing in my hands and I gather talented boys from across the world, within six months, one of them will break this record. If I gather 2,000 or 3,000 boys from different parts of the world and train them, I guarantee they will break my record." [From 50.35 onwards]
"They can touch 160-170 kmph. Only one ball needs to be bowled at that speed, right? If not, I can create the nuisance value by running polls online, showing the talents that can bowl 140, 145, 150 kmph consistently. If I do this, at least I can give so many fast bowlers who can bowl 150 kmph to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. ICC should then wash my legs and drink that water," Akhtar concluded.
Akhtar bowled the 100 mph ball to Nick Knight during the 2003 World Cup group match between Pakistan and England. In fact, five of the six balls in that over clocked more than 155 kmph on the speedometer.
"I could have touched 165 kmph on the speedometer" - Shoaib Akhtar
During the same show, Akhtar further claimed that if he worked harder in his training sessions, he could have touched 165 kmph on the speedometer as well. However, he was still happy to have bowled a delivery at 100 mph.
"Nothing is impossible. Trust me. If I worked even harder and did more training sessions, I could have touched 165kmph on the speedometer," Akhtar said in the aforementioned podcast.
Shoaib Akhtar retired from international cricket in 2011, amassing 444 wickets in 214 matches across all formats. Following his retirement, he has worked as a broadcaster and commentator while exploring avenues of business.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news