Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar is one of the most renowned players of the modern day. It is an understatement to call him a ‘fast’ bowler as it won’t be hyperbolic to call him the fastest bowler of the 21st century. The long run-up and the fiery follow-through of the Rawalpindi Express is one of the most exciting sights on a cricket field, if and only if you are not facing him from 22 yards.
After retiring from international cricket post the 2011 World Cup, the 43-year old has been around the cricketing circuit as a commentator and expert. Except for few appearances in certain non-competitive games, we haven’t seen the ferocious fast bowler in action since retirement. As the fans across the world would love to watch him bowl yet again, Shoaib has come up with an intriguing announcement on Monday.
Shoaib Akhtar’s surprise on the Valentine’s Day
The erstwhile speedster took to Twitter on Monday and made an exciting announcement that would make a lot of his fans rejoice. Akhtar tweeted that he is all set to play cricket again on the 14th of February, the Valentine’s Day. He has added that he would participate in a ‘league’, but he hasn’t disclosed any other details of the whereabouts.
Besides the aforementioned message, the fast bowler has also posted a video on Twitter. Akhtar took a light-hearted jibe at the current generation of fast bowlers, saying that the fast bowlers of today are not as fast as one would imagine. He further said that it’s time for him to show the world what ‘real pace’ is. It can’t be an overwhelming statement at all when it comes from the man who was the first ever to break the 100 miles per hour barrier in his fourteen-year-long career.
Fans jubilant with Akhtar’s return
Despite the ambiguity in Shoaib’s statement, the fans are elated to have their favorite fast bowler back on a cricket field. A good number of his followers expressed their desire to let him participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which is the premium T20 league of Pakistan.
