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Shoaib Akhtar says he can dismiss Steve Smith in four balls

Abdullah719

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Sadly we won't ever see this matchup happen :yk2
 
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It’ll be something to watch a peak AdV facing a peak Wasim.

Shoaib is trying to do what he is good at these days, no surprise.
 
Shoaib Akhtar at his peak could definitely do it.

Top bowler. Inspired a generation.
 
A peak Hafeez the batsman facing the fast ‘chin music’ type bowling of a peak Andy Roberts would be some duel.
 
Oh dear lord...
He’d probably walk off injured after three deliveries..

This guys is so full of it that I can almost smell it through my phone.
 
I know cricketing wise times are bad both with Covid and, for a lot of people, even before Covid.
But people, please have some self respect and move on from this waste of space...
he did far more harm to Pakistan cricket then good
 
The guy dismissed Ponting, Langer, Gilchrist, Hayden numerous times when opposition teams used to have sleepless nights before stepping on to the field against them. Why couldn't he dismiss Smith?
 

Why so much hate for one of the greatest bowler the game has seen?

ATG stats too. Not just pace.


The guy dismissed Ponting, Langer, Gilchrist, Hayden numerous times when opposition teams used to have sleepless nights before stepping on to the field against them. Why couldn't he dismiss Smith?


Exactly.
 
Why so much hate for one of the greatest bowler the game has seen?

ATG stats too. Not just pace.





Exactly.

Shoaib is a motormouth Someone who talks a lot of nonsense Its not hate Its facts Something you seem to be unaware of when you call akhter an ATG
 
I doubt your knees would let you bowl 4 balls consecutively, Shoaib.
 
Shoaib is a motormouth Someone who talks a lot of nonsense Its not hate Its facts Something you seem to be unaware of when you call akhter an ATG

He's a motormouth, yes. So what?

Doesn't have anything to do with his greatness as a bowler which he was.

Not everyone is a nice diplomatic guy. KP, CHappell, Miandad, Sehwag, many.
 
Why so much hate for one of the greatest bowler the game has seen?

ATG stats too. Not just pace.





Exactly.

ATG stats? An average of 36 and 35 in Tests against the two strongest batting sides of his time, i.e. Australia and India...

Yes, he had a great impact on the cricket world, no doubt.
 
ATG stats? An average of 36 and 35 in Tests against the two strongest batting sides of his time, i.e. Australia and India...

Yes, he had a great impact on the cricket world, no doubt.

Waqar averages 40 against Australia throughout the course of his career. Does it affect his status in the game?
 
Waqar averages 40 against Australia throughout the course of his career. Does it affect his status in the game?

I am discussing stats here. [MENTION=134608]Hawkeye[/MENTION] said Shoaib Akhtar has "ATG stats."

Waqar averaged 40 in Australia, not overall (33.xx). Akhtar's average in Australia is even higher than that.

Waqar averages a full 2 points lesser than Akhtar overall and has 200 more Test wickets. Those are true ATG stats.
 
I am discussing stats here. [MENTION=134608]Hawkeye[/MENTION] said Shoaib Akhtar has "ATG stats."

Waqar averaged 40 in Australia, not overall (33.xx). Akhtar's average in Australia is even higher than that.

Waqar averages a full 2 points lesser than Akhtar overall and has 200 more Test wickets. Those are true ATG stats.

Akhtar played against a much superior Australian team than Waqar did and has three five wicket hauls in test cricket against that team. Akhtar even contributed to a victory against that invincible side in 2002. Sure you can drool over Waqar's huge numbers filled with vastly inferior batsmen from 1989 to 1994 but when Shane Warne rates Akhtar above Waqar that tells something. Waqar averaged an invincible 19 from 1989 to 1998 but averaged close to 30 after that. He was very lucky to have been rewarded the captaincy and to have played many games during that time which he would not have been able to as a regular player.
 
Akhtar played against a much superior Australian team than Waqar did and has three five wicket hauls in test cricket against that team. Akhtar even contributed to a victory against that invincible side in 2002. Sure you can drool over Waqar's huge numbers filled with vastly inferior batsmen from 1989 to 1994 but when Shane Warne rates Akhtar above Waqar that tells something. Waqar averaged an invincible 19 from 1989 to 1998 but averaged close to 30 after that. He was very lucky to have been rewarded the captaincy and to have played many games during that time which he would not have been able to as a regular player.

I respect your opinion but that's not really related to my initial reply and the topic at hand.

180 Test wickets and an average of 35 against the two strongest batting lineups are not really ATG level stats.
 
Akhtar played against a much superior Australian team than Waqar did and has three five wicket hauls in test cricket against that team. Akhtar even contributed to a victory against that invincible side in 2002. Sure you can drool over Waqar's huge numbers filled with vastly inferior batsmen from 1989 to 1994 but when Shane Warne rates Akhtar above Waqar that tells something. Waqar averaged an invincible 19 from 1989 to 1998 but averaged close to 30 after that. He was very lucky to have been rewarded the captaincy and to have played many games during that time which he would not have been able to as a regular player.


Lets be honest no great bowler has less than 200 test wickets If akhter had talked more on the pitch than of it he mightve rivalled waqar

As stats stand he shouldnt even be mnetioned in the same breath as waqar

Back to the topic one shouldnt take anything akhter has to say seriously Just smile and nod and say Of course he would :-)
 
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I think Smith should be fine against any bowler. He has a very unorthodox technique and he knows his game well.
 
Shoaib Akhtar is one of those guys who loves to be centre of attention and hence no surprises over here as well.

As for comparisons vs Waqar, I argue that between 1990-94, Waqar took close to 180 test wickets at average of 19.

Which period of Shoaib Akhtar should we take to make an argument for him over Waqar?
 
Akthar can be pathetic at times but he can be funny with statements like this.
 
Shoaib Akhtar is one of those guys who loves to be centre of attention and hence no surprises over here as well.

As for comparisons vs Waqar, I argue that between 1990-94, Waqar took close to 180 test wickets at average of 19.

Which period of Shoaib Akhtar should we take to make an argument for him over Waqar?

The problem is he gets asked questions in interviews, he answers them honestly as per his opinion and then people create Masala's out of it.
 
He's mellowing with age.

The Shoaib Akhtar of a few years ago would have said one ball :)
 
Shoaib says this, shoaib says that. Is there a day that goes by without Shoaib saying anything.

I hope Smith replies and takes him on
 
Forget Smith, for most of Shoaib's career he wasn't getting anyone out. How can you get people out when you spend most of your time on the bench "injured" or committing doping violations?

If Smith was around in the Akthar era, he would have many more double centuries to his name. Akther would have sat out most games being the drama queen he's always been, paving the way for the sensational Mohammed Sami to lead the attack :facepalm:
 
As usual the Akhtar haters hijacking this thread. A guy who has dismissed Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Ganguly, Ponting, Gilchrist, Langer, Hayden, Fleming, Kallis numerous times is going to have problems against Steven Smith? Get the hell out of here
 
Why so much hate for one of the greatest bowler the game has seen?

Could name 25 greater bowlers
 
As usual the Akhtar haters hijacking this thread. A guy who has dismissed Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Ganguly, Ponting, Gilchrist, Langer, Hayden, Fleming, Kallis numerous times is going to have problems against Steven Smith? Get the hell out of here

Smith >= than all those batsmen
 
Lets be honest no great bowler has less than 200 test wickets If akhter had talked more on the pitch than of it he mightve rivalled waqar

As stats stand he shouldnt even be mnetioned in the same breath as waqar

Back to the topic one shouldnt take anything akhter has to say seriously Just smile and nod and say Of course he would :-)

Davidson, Barnes, O'Reilly are great bowlers
 
Shoaib says this, shoaib says that. Is there a day that goes by without Shoaib saying anything.

I hope Smith replies and takes him on

I would imagine that Smith can spot a Youtube warrior when he sees one.

Amazing how Shoaib continues to get traction online regardless of any substance. It's literally encouraging him to say whatever brings notice to his social media channels.

PP needs a Shoaib Akhtar containment thread otherwise soon half the front page will consist of his 'hot takes' which don't serve any purpose other than to get him even more attention.
 
lol some more of his fraud bravado.

The Perth Test in 1999 is often talked about as the peak of Shoaib's hostile bowling. And rightly so. His battle with Ponting challenges any other contest from among his peers.

But the reality of that game which many conveniently choose to ignore is that Australia were down at 54/4 when Shoaib had Ponting and Langer in his sights.

Ponting finished that innings on 197 :) Pretty much the story of a lot of Akhtar's career. Lots of excitement generated, wow moments, but mostly ineffective as far as his team and nation were concerned.

Pakistan also lost that game by an innings. Actually, need not have mentioned this last point considering Pakistan's clean record in Australia :vk2
 
lol some more of his fraud bravado.

The Perth Test in 1999 is often talked about as the peak of Shoaib's hostile bowling. And rightly so. His battle with Ponting challenges any other contest from among his peers.

But the reality of that game which many conveniently choose to ignore is that Australia were down at 54/4 when Shoaib had Ponting and Langer in his sights.

Ponting finished that innings on 197 :) Pretty much the story of a lot of Akhtar's career. Lots of excitement generated, wow moments, but mostly ineffective as far as his team and nation were concerned.

Pakistan also lost that game by an innings. Actually, need not have mentioned this last point considering Pakistan's clean record in Australia :vk2

So Akhtar should also bat and bowl for the others as well. People talk as if Akhtar was the only one bowling, that bowling attack also had the legendary Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mohd Akram, Azhar Mahmood as well. Ponting and Langer are all time greats.
 
shoaib would have success vs him in odi. in tests no. Smith will work him out just like he works out everyone else.
 
The guy dismissed Ponting, Langer, Gilchrist, Hayden numerous times when opposition teams used to have sleepless nights before stepping on to the field against them. Why couldn't he dismiss Smith?

Shoaib played ten tests against Australia, taking 40 wickets at average 36.

Botham had the same average against WI and is often considered to be a failure against them.
 
shoaib had a pretty mediocre average vs australia and india. Not the worst but not good enough hence why he isn't a true ATG. He is a very good bowler but not at the level of say wasim and imran.
 
Pakistani bowlers always had a difficult time in Australia in test cricket

For all the hype abt Shoaib Akhtar in that 1999 series - he took only 6 wickets in 3 tests ( even after bowling at bouncy pitches like Brisbane & Perth )

Fared better in 2004 but again powerless from stopping Australia from posting big totals
 
Steve smith averages 90 + with the bat against fast deliveries(140 +). Among contemporaries, Kohli averages the 2nd highest against fast bowling (55 +). we are talking about, arguably, the greatest player of pace in the history of the sport. Which good player of fast bowling did akhtar repeatedly dismiss in 4 balls in his time to even talk about the GOAT batsman?
 
Steve smith averages 90 + with the bat against fast deliveries(140 +). Among contemporaries, Kohli averages the 2nd highest against fast bowling (55 +). we are talking about, arguably, the greatest player of pace in the history of the sport. Which good player of fast bowling did akhtar repeatedly dismiss in 4 balls in his time to even talk about the GOAT batsman?

Interesting. Is there a way to know a batsman's avg against a particular pace ?
 
Steve smith averages 90 + with the bat against fast deliveries(140 +). Among contemporaries, Kohli averages the 2nd highest against fast bowling (55 +). we are talking about, arguably, the greatest player of pace in the history of the sport. Which good player of fast bowling did akhtar repeatedly dismiss in 4 balls in his time to even talk about the GOAT batsman?

Uhh, Ponting, Hayden, Gilcrhrist, Tendulkar, Dravid. It can be argued Steve Smith is batting in an era where there are just not enough quality bowlers around and he is blessed to be in the team with the best bowling attack.
 
How many rapid bowlers has he faced? Australia has the fastest bowlers and Steyn has been absent for a long time.

You are right,he has faced many bowlers above 140 kph but very less above 150 kph.
Shoaib akhtar vs smith will be a great battle,shoaib will target smith's leg stump with 150+ kph yorker as smith has a tendency to leave leg side wicket.
 
You are right,he has faced many bowlers above 140 kph but very less above 150 kph.
Shoaib akhtar vs smith will be a great battle,shoaib will target smith's leg stump with 150+ kph yorker as smith has a tendency to leave leg side wicket.

Not to demean Smith's achievements, to average 62 plus in 73 tests is no small achievements regardless of the lack of quality in bowling attacks. It will be similar to Shoaib vs Ponting where both men will have their moments where Ponting will dominate and when Shoaib will dismiss him cheaply as well.
 
Ponting and Langer are all time greats.
lol no. Langer is not even an Australian ATG. A very good Aussie opener, yes. Hayden has a better shot at that title and even he would struggle.

The only reason Langer is hyped here, is because he's had positive things to say about Pakistan cricket and Saeed Anwar in particular (which he would, as a lefthander recognizing a classier batsman).

It will be similar to Shoaib vs Ponting where both men will have their moments where Ponting will dominate and when Shoaib will dismiss him cheaply as well.

Except that this didn't happen. Ponting played Akhtar in 9 test matches where he averaged 76 :faf. Akhtar got him out a paltry three times.

The much-maligned Ishant Sharma has a better record. Ponting's average drops to 60 in 12 tests, with Sharma having got him 7 times.

In ODIs, Akhtar got Ponting out 5 times in 20 attempts where Ponting averaged 41.
 
Uhh, Ponting, Hayden, Gilcrhrist, Tendulkar, Dravid. It can be argued Steve Smith is batting in an era where there are just not enough quality bowlers around and he is blessed to be in the team with the best bowling attack.

And as pointed out by [MENTION=139758]pillionrider[/MENTION] , Akhtar was manhandled by ponting in tests. Not a great record against any of the others either.
 
And as pointed out by [MENTION=139758]pillionrider[/MENTION] , Akhtar was manhandled by ponting in tests. Not a great record against any of the others either.

Who wasn't manhandled by Ponting in any format? Those Aussies delivered phaintas to everyone!
 
lol no. Langer is not even an Australian ATG. A very good Aussie opener, yes. Hayden has a better shot at that title and even he would struggle.

The only reason Langer is hyped here, is because he's had positive things to say about Pakistan cricket and Saeed Anwar in particular (which he would, as a lefthander recognizing a classier batsman).



Except that this didn't happen. Ponting played Akhtar in 9 test matches where he averaged 76 :faf. Akhtar got him out a paltry three times.

The much-maligned Ishant Sharma has a better record. Ponting's average drops to 60 in 12 tests, with Sharma having got him 7 times.

In ODIs, Akhtar got Ponting out 5 times in 20 attempts where Ponting averaged 41.

Ishant Sharma bowled to Ponting when he was past his prime. Ponting's stats nose dived when his main players retired in 2007. He even admits he prolonged his career because of the lack of quality Australian batsmen coming through the ranks.
 
Maybe he meant Steve Smith of 2011. Honestly I don't think it's so easy. Smith is a fighter . If Shoiab said same about Kohli I would agree. But Smith nah. Jofra Archer was breathing fire at him but he stood in that Ashes. Indians prepared the worst pitch in Pune stiil he prevailed. He is a fighter and Shoiab would get tired bowling at him
 
Lol, i wonder how people in this thread would have reacted if Waqar said the same about Smith.
 
Lol, i wonder how people in this thread would have reacted if Waqar said the same about Smith.

Waqar wouldnt say silly things like that Hes got more sense Thats the whole point
 
Waqar wouldnt say silly things like that Hes got more sense Thats the whole point

No i meant will people be offended if some said Smith would dominate him
 
I mean I don’t get why this is a huge debate. Shoaib’s ego aside, Jofra could trouble him with short balls and Jofra isn’t half the bowler Shoaib was.
 
Lol, i wonder how people in this thread would have reacted if Waqar said the same about Smith.

People would respect Waqar's opinion as being more realistic.

The only person who could credibly throw a 4 ball challenge and pull it off on at least one occasion would be Wasim Akram.
 
People would respect Waqar's opinion as being more realistic.

The only person who could credibly throw a 4 ball challenge and pull it off on at least one occasion would be Wasim Akram.

Well it's not exactly realistic for a bowler who mostly dominated inferior teams and batting line ups from 1989-94. Smith is notches above most of the players Waqar bowled too.
 
kehn ch kii jaanda.. vehle baithe I can also get Smith out in 2 balls.. lo g...
shoaib nu views dii agg lag gai hai..
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A symbolic tweet, how ICC has thrown neutrality out of the window. <br>Basically this is how the state of affairs are run there :) <a href="https://t.co/OEoJx30lXt">https://t.co/OEoJx30lXt</a></p>— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoaib100mph/status/1260521515898077185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Shouldn't the ICC be impartial on these matters?
 
As usual the Akhtar haters hijacking this thread. A guy who has dismissed Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Ganguly, Ponting, Gilchrist, Langer, Hayden, Fleming, Kallis numerous times is going to have problems against Steven Smith? Get the hell out of here

Smith is >> all those batsmen, except for maybe Tendulkar.
 
Smith is >> all those batsmen, except for maybe Tendulkar.

That is debatable. Smith still has questions to answer. Has Smith faced better bowlers than the players in those list? I don't think so.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@icc</a>, find a new meme or Emoji. Sorry i couldn't find any, only found some real videos &#55357;&#56834;&#55357;&#56834; <a href="https://t.co/eYID4ZXTvT">pic.twitter.com/eYID4ZXTvT</a></p>— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoaib100mph/status/1260589706552717314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@icc</a>, find a new meme or Emoji. Sorry i couldn't find any, only found some real videos ���� <a href="https://t.co/eYID4ZXTvT">pic.twitter.com/eYID4ZXTvT</a></p>— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoaib100mph/status/1260589706552717314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ha ha gotta love Akhtar the character!!
 
Shoaib had all the Australians batsmen number and they knew it
I think he was probably even better than akram in australia
 
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