Shoaib Akhtar reveals the reason for his love for bowling bouncers

The former Pakistani speedster, Shoaib Akhtar was known for his sheer pace during his playing days. His name was enough to send chills down the spine of the best batters. He had a lethal yorker under his repertoire and also a very potent bouncer.

The Pakistani speedster was not only aggressive while bowling, but his general attitude on the field also spoke of the passion with which he played the game. In a recent conversation with former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif, Akhtar revealed how he felt seeing the batters struggle against his bouncers.

To quote Akhtar from the conversation as reported by Sports Tiger – “I bowled bouncers because watching batters jump like monkeys was heartening to see.” He also revealed that his intention while bowling the bouncers was to hit the batters on the head. He felt doing the same was feasible for him because he had the pace to do it.

Akhter also revealed that bounce with the pace is in the blood of such bowlers. He used his sheer pace to gain a psychological edge over his opponent.

Speaking of Akhtar’s career, he played 224 international matches for Pakistan. In these matches, he picked up 444 international wickets. But he could not live to the potential that he showed being plagued by injury throughout his career.

Shoaib was also a part of the Indian T20 League in the inaugural edition. He played a couple of matches for Kolkata, but his exploits against Delhi are still etched in the memories of the fans. Besides his brilliant on-field exploits fans also remember him for his trademark ‘Flying Eagle’ celebration that he used to do after picking up wickets.

While Akhtar struck fear in the minds of the best batters of his time, he recently revealed his opinion on the best batter of his era. In a rapid-fire round with an online news portal, he was asked to choose between Brian Charles Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. Akhtar went ahead to pick the Indian legend.