I could never dismiss Inzamam-ul-Haq in the nets – Shoaib Akhtar

 

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has revealed that he could not never dismiss his teammate Inzamam-ul-Haq in the nets. Akhtar said the right-hander was the toughest to bowl to in the Pakistan team. The Rawalpindi express praised the former Pakistan skipper and added that he had an extra second while playing the fast bowlers.

Shoaib Akhtar was one of the fastest bowlers of the previous era. The right-arm pacer had a long run-up and a perfect action, which helped him in generating high speed. Akhtar revealed that it was not easy to pick his action but Inzamam never had issues while playing him in the nets.

When Shoaib Akhtar was asked by Sanjay Manjrekar who was the most difficult batsman he bowled to, the former said on ESPN Cricinfo videocast, “To be honest, it’s Inzamam-ul-Haq. See my action is very complicated unlike Bret Lee’s but I could not bowl him out even once in the nets in 10 years. I think he could read the ball a second faster than others.”

Meanwhile, Inzamam is regarded as one of the finest batsman produced by Pakistan. The right-hander was technically sound and played world-class bowlers with aplomb. Furthermore, Inzamam used to face the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar in the nets, which made him a better batsman.

The right-hander scored 8830 runs in 120 Test matches at an impressive average of 49.33. The talisman scored 11739 runs in 378 ODI matches at an average of 39.53.

On the other hand, it was never easy to face Shoaib Akhtar even in the nets as he was always very competitive. Akhtar was known to never give an inch even to his teammates and he would give his best in the practice sessions.

Akhtar’s career was cut short by injuries and he finished with 178 Test wickets from 46 matches. The speedster scalped 247 wickets in 163 ODI matches for Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Akhtar added that former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid was also hard to dismiss. Dravid always knew where his off-stump was and thus he was a good leaver of the ball. The gun fast bowler stated that it was difficult to go past Dravid as he offered less shots. Furthermore, Akhtar picked Jacques Kallis as the best all-rounder.

“Among Indian players, Rahul Dravid is the most decorated batsman. If he won’t offer me a shot, I would not be able to penetrate his defense. I also think Jacques Kallis is one of the best all-rounders, and slip fielders cricket has ever produced.”