While in his prime as a fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar would make the world's best dance to his tunes, seems like being one of the fastest bowlers in the world has taken toll on his body. Years after hanging up his boots, the Rawalpindi Express had to undergo a double knee replacement surgery in Melbourne and shared a video from the hospital bed asking his fans to keep him in their prayers.
In the video, Akhtar revealed that he has been in pain all these years after his retirement from international cricket. He termed it as the danger of trying to bowl fast. However, he admitted that it was all worth it in the end as he got to represent his country at the highest level and rub shoulders against the best in the world.
“I could have played for another four to five years. But I was aware that if I did, I would become wheelchair-bound. That’s the reason why I retired from cricket,” Akhtar revealed.
"Alhamdolillah, surgery went well. It will take some time to recover. Need your prayers. A special thanks to @13kamilkhan as well, he's a true friend who is looking after me here in Melbourne," his video message was captioned.
The 46-year-old hoped that this would be his last surgery having undergone quite a few battling injuries in his professional cricket career.
Overall, Akhtar represented Pakistan at the highest level in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20Is. He scalped 178, 247 and 19 wickets in these three formats respectively. More than the numbers though, it was the sheer terror that he would cause in the opposition dugout that defined the kind of bowler he was.