Shoaib Akhtar Recalls The War Of Words Between Him And Matthew Hayden

If not the most consistent and the best, one has to agree that Shoaib Akhtar was one of the fastest bowlers to have played. He boasted a reputation of instilling fear amongst the best batsmen with his raw pace and pinpoint skills when in rhythm. The retired speedster also had face-offs and war of words with several opposing cricketers on the field, one of which was Matthew Hayden. In a YouTube Channel, Akhtar disclosed how Hayden came down hard at him.

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The incident took place in the 2003 World Cup rubber between Australia and Pakistan in Johannesburg. Hayden, who played fearless and aggressive cricket, is also known for giving back to the opposition. The Rawalpindi Express revealed how he and the Queensland batsman indulged in a fight after Pakistan lost to Australia.

Akhtar, who hosted former English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff in a talk show, conceded that Hayden used to call him a “C-class actor and a low-grade fast bowler”. Furthermore, he lamented Pakistan’s loss to the Aussies in the World Cup and being alone after the game; they got into an ugly fight.

“I got into a fight with Matthew Hayden. It was the first game of the World Cup and we lost it, I completely lost it. Hayden used to call me a C-class actor and low-grade fast-bowler. I said Matthew, I’m gonna have a go at you in the World Cup.”

“Bad luck for me that we lost the game and it was really bad luck on top of that that we got up for breakfast really early in the morning. I won’t get into details but Matthew and myself were alone, standing and having a verbal chat. We got into a fight, a really bad fight.” Akhtar said as quoted by Times Now.

Shoaib Akhtar remembers how the Australian Test pair used to provoke him:

Not many batsmen were known for standing upright to the sheer pace of Shoaib Akhtar. The 44-year old was in his prime in the late 1990s and early 2000s and recalled how Justin Langer and Hayden provoked him to bowl faster. In one of the shocking revelations, the Rawalpindi Express also admitted that the southpaw didn’t move a muscle or blink an eye even as he hit the batsman around five times in three overs. The speedster said that it was a clear loss of his energy to go after them.

“Matthew was the one guy, and Justin Langer, they used to tease me. They would ask me to bowl quick and quick and quick. I went after them and I wasted a lot of energy in the Melbourne and Perth Test matches but I hit them badly, I hit Matthew Hayden around 5 times in 3 overs. But that guy never moved an inch, I was shocked to see that.” he continued saying.

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