"My left knee had gone numb" : Shoaib Akhtar reveals 'sad secret' about 2003 World Cup loss to India

[Abdullah719]

"My left knee had gone numb" : Shoaib Akhtar reveals 'sad secret' about 2003 World Cup loss to India

Shoaib Akhtar revealed that the 2003 World Cup encounter against arch rivals India at the Centurion was the worst match of his international career. Pakistan failed to defend a competitive total of 274 against their foes despite boasting an extremely strong bowling attack which included Akhtar.

An India-Pakistan cricket match is always a hotly contested affair and the 2003 World Cup encounter between both sides was nothing short of the same. Banking on the back of a Saeed Anwar century, Pakistan posted a competitive total of 273/7 after 50 overs. Despite the early loss of Virender Sehwag, India managed to win the match thanks to Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and a late half-century from Yuvraj Singh.

Recalling that match from 16 years ago, Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar revealed that the outcome of that game was the worst he had suffered in his international career.

"The most disappointing match for me in my entire career was the 2003 World Cup match against India at Centurion. We had failed to defend a target of 274 despite having a very good bowling line-up," Akhtar said in a video he posted on YouTube.

Akhtar, who earned the nickname The 'Rawalpindi Express', also made it public that the night before the match against Sourav Ganguly & Co. he was forced to take 4-5 injections on his left knee which made it numb.

"Because of the injections water had filled up in my left knee and there was no sensation in it. After the end of our innings, I told my teammates that we have probably scored 30-40 runs less. However, all the players in the team shouted at me saying if '273 is not enough then what is'. They said we will be able to get India all out. However, I knew that the pitch was a good one for batting and it will remain so in the second innings as well.

"When we started the bowling, I noticed that my left knee had gone numb. Because of which, I wasn't able to run properly through my bowling run-up. As a result I was not able to bowl properly. Indian openers, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, went for the charge from the word go. In fact, Sachin played me very well and even hit me for a six over point. I had no clue how to bowl and get the breakthrough. Unfortunately, the captain (Waqar Younis) got me out of the attack. He brought me later in the innings where I just bowled fast and short. I got Sachin out at 98 off a short-pitched delivery. I told the captain that I should have persisted with such bowling from the very beginning. In the end we lost the match," Akhtar added.

https://sportscafe.in/articles/cric...ointing-match-of-my-career-says-shoaib-akhtar

 

[Abdullah719]

Shoaib Akhtar reveals 'sad secret' about 2003 World Cup loss to India

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed his "sad secret" about the 2003 World Cup match against India which his team lost by six wickets.

In the group-stage match played on March 1, 2003 at Centurion in South Africa, the Pakistan team failed to defend a target of 274. India rode on Sachin Tendulkar's brilliant 98 to chase down the target with more than four overs to spare.

In a video posted on his Youtube channel, Akhtar has revealed how his fitness and poor captaincy from then skipper Waqar Younis came in Pakistan's way of registering their first-ever win over India at the World Cup.

"The most disappointing match for me in my entire career was the 2003 World Cup match against India at Centurion. We had failed to defend a target of 274 despite having a very good bowling line-up," said Akhtar.

The 'Rawalpindi Express' revealed that the night before the match, he had to take 4-5 injections on his left knee because of which it became numb. "Because of the injections water had filled up in my left knee and there was no sensation in it."

"After the end of our innings, I told my teammates that we have probably scored 30-40 runs less. However, all the players in the team shouted at me saying if '273 is not enough then what is'. They said we will be able to get India all out. However, I knew that the pitch was a good one for batting and it will remain so in the second innings as well."

"When we started the bowling, I noticed that my left knee had gone numb. Because of which, I wasn't able to run properly through my bowling run-up. As a result I was not able to bowl properly. Indian openers, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, went for the charge from the word go. In fact, Sachin played me very well and even hit me for a six over point.

"I had no clue how to bowl and get the breakthrough. Unfortunately, the captain (Waqar Younis) got me out of the attack. He brought me later in the innings where I just bowled fast and short. I got Sachin out at 98 off a short-pitched delivery. I told the captain that I should have persisted with such bowling from the very beginning. In the end we lost the match," he added.

The 43-year-old went for 72 runs in that match and picked up the sole wicket of Sachin, but by then the match was already in India's pocket.

"It was a bitter experience for me because we could have defeated India, both in 1999 and 2003, but we couldn't. Not to take the credit away from India who have played us exceeding well at the World Cups," Akhtar, a veteran of 46 Tests and 163 ODIs, said.

"I still regret that loss. If we could have scored some more runs and bowled better, we could have won that match. But unfortunately, my fitness came in the way and also, it was poor captaincy that made us lose that match," he added.

India and Pakistan have faced each other seven times in World Cups, and the Men in Blue have won each time.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...ld-cup-loss-to-india/articleshow/70547288.cms

 

[Gabbar Singh]

He bowled so quick in that match - the injury didn't impact his speed?

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[Savak]

He bowled so quick in that match - the injury didn't impact his speed?

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This is the England match

 

[Mirpur express]

Not the same match he is talking about *

 

[Mp812]

I thought only Sachins knees wobbled according to him.....

 

[adil_909]

this guy is a clown. he wants us to believe he had no sensation in his left knee yet he could continue running and bowling? if you truly have no sensation in one of your knees you wouldn't even be able to walk, you'd be limping and falling over.

 

[Snowflake]

Lol!

He sensationalizes the past like anything ) None of his teammates would back-up his claims.

Shoaib is the definition of choru! A person who would exaggerate and make up stuff willy nilly!

 

[The_KING]

This guy is a clown. He loves to remind everyone how many matches he won for Pakistan. Then he loves to remind everyone how he did all that, despite being injured. He is clearly someone who has a very high opinion of himself and someone who desperately craves attention from everyone, especially Indians. He is an arrogant attention seeker and I can’t stand him.

 

[Savak]

He bowled so quick in that match - the injury didn't impact his speed?

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Lol!

He sensationalizes the past like anything ) None of his teammates would back-up his claims.

Shoaib is the definition of choru! A person who would exaggerate and make up stuff willy nilly!

Not exactly. The likes of Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Abdul Razzaq, Mohd Wasim and Co will all back up his claims.

Sure if you want to listen to Waqar who was upset at having lost his place in the team to him you wont get much confirmation or sympathy

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Oops sorry, my bad.

 

[khan_aa]

lol at this guy.
Isolated numbness in knee is extremely uncommon. If you have a L4 radiculopathy then you can have numbness but it will be with back pain or leg pain or both.
Unless he is confusing numbness in the knee after his shot (in which they put local
Anesthetic sometimes). This would not result in prolonged numbness of the knee

 

[zafarsyed]

All you hear is bunch of excuses and complaining for his bad performance. This is precisely why PCB needs to implement some sort of program to teach every cricketer that represents Pakistan how to interact with media so they don't embarrass themselves and their country like this buffoon by having oral diarrhea every time he is in front of camera.

I hope the next generation of crickets can learn from this guy's mistakes and represent themselves, their families, and their country with a lot more humility, humbleness, and fairness. Ameen

 

[Boi]

Razzaq was the biggest culprit. Dropped an absolute dolly.

 

[Slog]

Lol he just wants Views$$$ for his channel

 

[The streak is Alive]

Just checked the highlights. Regularly clocked 150+, even bowled one at 158 kph to Yuvraj immediately after he got Sachin.

I'm fairly certain he is just making excuses. No one else has played that kind of pace with such ease before that point in time. A freak innings from Sachin really.

 

[sweep_shot]

Pakistan really should've won that 2003 WC game against India. They had a killer bowling attack and had runs on the board. Big chance missed.

 

[kingusama92]

While I agree his knees gave him a lot of trouble, this seems like he's making excuses.

He touched 98.2 MPH late in that game.

You're not doing that with numbness.

 

[Savak]

As far as the game was concerned. We didn't have enough runs on the board and this was a new Indian team with young fearless players and the Pakistani pace attack of a past time Wasim, Waqar and out of firm Razzaq, Akhtar, Afridi were going to struggle to defend a par total on that wicket against a gun batting line up.

Don't think fitness is to blame for Akhtars poor bowling, he didn't bowl well enough and the Indians were up for it and played him with ease that day

 

[topspin]

He was bowling lightening fast (high 150s) during this game and throughout that WC. The fact he bowled the fastest recorded delivery ever against England in that tournament shows he was not just bowling quick by his standards, but was actually bowling faster than ever.

So overall I'm sick of Shoaib Akhtar coming up with these lies.

 

[The Viper]

It just reeks of attention. Just excuses as usual.

 

[muqarrab]

Excuses

 

[BaankeJi]

Is he himself able to make sense of what he has said?
He is saying he bowled fast and short to Sachin and got his wicket. Then he went to Waqar and told him that he should have bowled fast and short in the beginning also.
How he bowled fast and short if his knee was numb? And how he thought he could bowl fast and short from beginning itself if knee was numb since start of bowling innings??
Just does not add up.

 

[MenInG]

Why is he bringing this up now? Almost like he is running out of things to say on utube

 

[Realromeo]

Lol!

He sensationalizes the past like anything ) None of his teammates would back-up his claims.

Shoaib is the definition of choru! A person who would exaggerate and make up stuff willy nilly!

You are just a hater, he walked 35KM everday to practice and matches back and forth. He visited the rickshawala that allowed him to sleep on his wagon ears before after making the national team. What about the RPG rocket launcher going inches away from his head in his auto biography ? Surely that has to be true.

 

[Major]

Oh man him and his knee again.

We get it you bowled with an injured knee but you were joke of a person. Had no self respect and one of the worst persons along with afridi to wear that green jersey.

 

[Pakistanian]

Then he should've told his team management and sat out the game instead of going for personal glory.

 

[waleed88]

Not exactly. The likes of Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Abdul Razzaq, Mohd Wasim and Co will all back up his claims.

Sure if you want to listen to Waqar who was upset at having lost his place in the team to him you wont get much confirmation or sympathy

Its well known by both Wasim and Waqar that Shoaib Akhtar refused to bowl to Tendulkar after his first over went for plenty. Akhtar tries to blame it on Waqar, and I feel Akhtar chickened out honestly which is why he had to bring him in himself. And Waqar was the one who brought Pakistan back in the game with 2 wickets back to back of Sehwag and Ganguly.

 

[waleed88]

Akhtar tries to tell everyone about his injuries, and how fluid was aspirated from his knees before every game. If that was the case then this should be a regularity for him. He is not doing anyone a favor, he is a professional cricketer who was paid to remain fit. And if he can't be fit for the game then he has to opt out. It is not like we didn't have any backups for Akhtar. Sami was in prime form at that time, and he would've probably had the same stats as Akhtar.

Akhtar likes to rant about his struggles with his injury, he doesn't realize what a burden he was to the team, and the tantrums that the PCB had to tolerate from for being a spoilt child all the time. He remained a match winnner on his day, but was it worth having such an unstable and unpredictable guy in the dressing room all the time? I don't believe so. This guy's statements in a 4 minute video make me cringe, I cannot imagine the havoc this guy would create in the dressing room on his bad days

 

[Bouncer]

You are just a hater, he walked 35KM everday to practice and matches back and forth. He visited the rickshawala that allowed him to sleep on his wagon ears before after making the national team. What about the RPG rocket launcher going inches away from his head in his auto biography ? Surely that has to be true.

That RPG story from mid 90's is absolutely true [MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] was not just there but also he also was there when waqar younis hired the guy who fired RPG at shoaib and paid him money because years before shoaib's debut waqar wanted shoaib akhter to not come on to international scene.


[MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] just does not like to talk about it because you guy would not believe him but he knows that waqar had misplaced razzaq's position at mid off just so that he can drop SRT's catch and make shoaib's day even harder.

 

[Savak]

Its well known by both Wasim and Waqar that Shoaib Akhtar refused to bowl to Tendulkar after his first over went for plenty. Akhtar tries to blame it on Waqar, and I feel Akhtar chickened out honestly which is why he had to bring him in himself. And Waqar was the one who brought Pakistan back in the game with 2 wickets back to back of Sehwag and Ganguly.

There are instances when Wasim Waqar refused to bowl themselves when under attack. How many times Waqar as captain under bowled himself and overbowled others in various games and failed to lead by example?

Waqar in that game leaked a lot of runs as well which was the story of his world cup. Had he not been captain he would have never made the team as a player

 

[Sunny_majoka]

not a bad story to increase his youtube views

 

[Shaddy86]

I've been watching his YouTube videos, he's so full of himself. I hope he never gets a position at PCB, looks like he's got his brain in the knees too.

 

[waleed88]

There are instances when Wasim Waqar refused to bowl themselves when under attack. How many times Waqar as captain under bowled himself and overbowled others in various games and failed to lead by example?

Waqar in that game leaked a lot of runs as well which was the story of his world cup. Had he not been captain he would have never made the team as a player

Had it been Wasim Akram and not someone else who fixed matches, he would be banned for life as per Qayyum report. Waqar was cleaner as compared to Wasim which is why he was made captain, Wasim was too corrupt to captain the team as per the PCB.
Waqar got 2 break throughs which were not capitalized by Wasim Akram (Sehwag Ganguly), who's bowling was Amir-esque in that match. Shoaib Akhtar was haywire, and the support staff Razzaq and Afridi were off the mark with their bowling as always.

 

[maqbool]

His YouTube videos are cringe-worthy and pandering to the Indian audience.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

I must admit I did't read any of what's written there.

Just came to say: It's time to move beyond the past - 1992, 2003 of whenever. What matters is here and now - and the only currency is results.