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"When I bowled, batsmen got hit worse than this" : Shoaib Akhtar

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GLORY OF '92

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Dubai:*The unfortunate and tragic death of Phil Hughes has given rise to another debate on the use of bouncers in cricket. While some voices have called for the bouncer to be banned, some others have called for more regulations on its use.

But former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is against any further regulation on the usage of bouncers. "Bouncers should not be banned. That is not the solution to this issue. Phil Hughes' death is an unfortunate incident, but banning the bouncer will not help matters," said Akhtar. (In pics:*Cricket Australia unites in grief*|*Michael Clarke breaks down)

During his 13-year international career, Akhtar, known for his ferocious pace, played 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20 internationals. A number of batsmen endured the wrath of his express speed. (Also read:*Cricket closes rank on shattered bowler Abbott)

Akhtar himself recalled two instances when batsmen suffered at his hands. The first was when former South Africa batsman and former India coach Gary Kirsten got hit on his face in 2003-04 during a Test. The second was the unfortunate injury that former West Indies captain Brian Lara suffered during the 2004 Champions Trophy semi-final.

Lara's injury seemed to be closest to what Hughes suffered as he got hit on the back of his head, but fortunately the Trinidadian dasher survived to fight another day.

"When I bowled, batsmen got hit worse than this (Hughes), maybe Phil Hughes got hit on a sensitive part.

I remember Brian Lara got hit when I bowled to him at around the same area during the Champions Trophy. There have been other cricketers too like Gary Kirsten who got hit on his face when I bowled to him in 2003," recalled Akhtar.

Akhtar though had a piece of advice for the helmet manufacturers around the world. "It is time the helmet manufacturers look at adding a protective material which takes care of the back of the head and the neck. Hopefully some work will begin on it soon," advised Akhtar.

http://m.sports.ndtv.com/cricket/news/233768-banning-bouncers-is-not-the-solution-shoaib-akhtar
 
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"When I bowled, batsmen got hit worse than this (Hughes), maybe Phil Hughes got hit on a sensitive part."

How ignorant :facepalm:
 
Pretty strange type of statement by AKhtar glorifying his macho status in this moment of sadness! is he trying to say that Lara was lucky otherwise he would had died :13:
 
Cricket_Engineer said:
"When I bowled, batsmen got hit worse than this (Hughes), maybe Phil Hughes got hit on a sensitive part."

How ignorant :facepalm:
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What he is saying that he must have been hit on a part where only medium pace is enough to make the damage. Wasn't it a slow bouncer?
 
IAJ said:
What he is saying that he must have been hit on a part where only medium pace is enough to make the damage. Wasn't it a slow bouncer?
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It's not a case of maybe, if the ball struck millimetres either side it would have missed one of the vertebral arteries.
 
Cricket_Engineer said:
It's not a case of maybe, if the ball struck millimetres either side it would have missed one of the vertebral arteries.
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And he would have survived than? Is that what you are saying? Well then What was wrong with Akhtar's point?
 
IAJ said:
And he would have survived than? Is that what you are saying? Well then What was wrong with Akhtar's point?
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It was just a bit insensitive. Hughes was struck in a sensitive area, not maybe. But I apologise if I have caused an unnecessary argument.
 
Cricket_Engineer said:
It was just a bit insensitive. Hughes was struck in a sensitive area, not maybe. But I apologise if I have caused an unnecessary argument.
Click to expand...

No need to apologise, but I think we all are talking about same thing more or less, so actually not much to discuss.
 
Trust Akhtar using this unfortunate incident as a PR opportunity.
 
The guy is an idiot. He considers himself an idiot which he clearly is not.

And what is he trying to say by saying that he hurt batsmen worse then this. Is that some kind of achievement? Not a wise thing to say in such situation
 
In a nutshell he is saying this was a freak accident. I think the newspaper has sensationalized a comment which were probably meaningless and didnt mean much in the actual interview.
 
If you guys read properly he is trying to say there is no need to ban bouncers , he is trying to explain that the incident with hughes was a freak accident as bowlers like akhtar have hit batsman with the ball coming much quicker and harder
 
Major said:
The guy is an idiot. He considers himself an idiot which he clearly is not.

And what is he trying to say by saying that he hurt batsmen worse then this. Is that some kind of achievement? Not a wise thing to say in such situation
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No need for personal insults pal. The fact that he has hurt batsmen worse than this is not an achievement, but its a testament to Akhtars breathtaking speed and bowling ability since at times he was too quick to bat against and thus caused injury.
 
Major said:
The guy is an idiot. He considers himself an idiot which he clearly is not.

And what is he trying to say by saying that he hurt batsmen worse then this. Is that some kind of achievement? Not a wise thing to say in such situation
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Your first two sentences are contradictory.
 
He probably wanted to say that batsman have survived far severe blows but Hughes was unfortunate as he got hit where he did. With all the talk of banning bouncers, he's just giving his 2c. And I agree, it was a freak accident. No point banning bouncers and make the game more dull, improve the protection rather than taking away one of fast bowlers most important weapon.
 
It's a freak accident, that's part of the whole point.
There have been only around 100 instances of this particular method of death ever recorded (this particular artery being severed and bleeding into the brain) and it's the first that it's happened with a cricket ball.

The skull is more protective, and perhaps even the face; Kirsten's injury is exemplary of it because he came out of it in the end despite the terrible damage.
Just so cruel where Hughes was struck.
 
As always Akhtar opens his mouth and talks garbage! Now isn't the time for such talk.
I know what he is trying to say but the guy is an uneducated fool and will always embarrass himself.
Now is a time for sensitive measured words.....everything Akhtar is incapable of.

Btw - I was there when Lara got hit....and we got thrashed and it was a cold miserable day.
 
I remember one time Akhtar hit Tendulkar on his helmet. That was fast and helmet really saved Tendulkar.

Not sure if we should ban bouncers. After this incident I am ok with banning bouncers.
 
I don't know if his words are getting mixed up from translation(in his mind). But he kinda sounds like "I BOWLED FASTER AND THE BATSMEN WERE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE". Maybe this is not what he meant but that is what the words are telling me lol.

Sarwan was hit on the temple during 2003 WC by Dilhara's bouncer. That was my first time seeing live a bouncer knock a batsmen out. I was young, i thought Sarwan died, he was taken to hospital on a stretcher. He came later on to bat with concession and fought extremely had to chase the target. But I believe it was Powell who was tuk tuking while sarwan was blasting through. WI ran out of balls.
 
This is exactly the kind of attitude the fans love. "Kiya baat hai Shoaib Bhai kee - Khoona Khoon kardiya!"

Shoaib should thank his lucky stars that he was able to see his career through without seriously hurting someone.
 
srh said:
I remember one time Akhtar hit Tendulkar on his helmet. That was fast and helmet really saved Tendulkar.

Not sure if we should ban bouncers. After this incident I am ok with banning bouncers.
Click to expand...

Speaking of Tendulkar, there was one particular delivery from Anderson in the 2007 tour of England which absolutely flattened his helmet, and the ball on slow motion had shades of the grill imprinted all over it when bouncing off of it.

There's a video of this out there somewhere.
 
Buffet said:
Wrong choice of words at wrong time.
Click to expand...

Problem with him and MoYo is that after speaking on GEO etc, they feel that simplistic talk will appeal to people around the world. It doesnt.
 
Buffet said:
Wrong choice of words at wrong time.
Click to expand...

Only his words are inappropriate. He is trying to speak in favor of the bouncer due to all the silly discussion.

Tbh, he really was good only with the ball. Shouldnt be anywhere near a mic.
 
Guys you need to read between the lines. I do not think he is being insensitive but merely trying to pint out that in general bouncers should not be restricted. It's was unfortunate that Hughes ( RIP) suffered a freak accident which is no ones fault.
 
MenInG said:
Problem with him and MoYo is that after speaking on GEO etc, they feel that simplistic talk will appeal to people around the world. It doesnt.
Click to expand...

Stark said:
Only his words are inappropriate. He is trying to speak in favor of the bouncer due to all the silly discussion.

Tbh, he really was good only with the ball. Shouldnt be anywhere near a mic.
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I am very sure that Akhtar didn't meant it in a bad way. He should have worded it bit differently given the mood around cricket fraternity right now.
 
Perhaps it was translated in a more harsh way or he was speaking english which isnt his first tongue.
 
Buffet said:
I am very sure that Akhtar didn't meant it in a bad way.
He should have worded it bit differently given the mood around cricket fraternity right now.
Click to expand...

Precisely my understanding as well.
 
Mo_Ahmed84 said:
Perhaps it was translated in a more harsh way or he was speaking english which isnt his first tongue.
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His English isnt bad, and there shouldnt be anything lost in translation. Not the first time that he has made a hash of things while making statements.
 
I am pretty sure the actual video interview will prove this is being blown out of proportion by our media that loves to sensationalize stories.
 
Savak said:
I am pretty sure the actual video interview will prove this is being blown out of proportion by our media that loves to sensationalize stories.
Click to expand...

Indeed, he can never be wrong because he trash talks Misbah.
 
Putting aside his insensitive language....I find it astounding that someone who is making a living out of talking about cricket.....says maybe he was hit in a sensitive spot. No Sh... Sherlock! Even he could have done some basic research on the realms written about it in the press before opening his mouth. But just like in his playing days he fails to prepare.......
 
Amoeba said:
Putting aside his insensitive language....I find it astounding that someone who is making a living out of talking about cricket.....says maybe he was hit in a sensitive spot. No Sh... Sherlock! Even he could have done some basic research on the realms written about it in the press before opening his mouth. But just like in his playing days he fails to prepare.......
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He is just unintelligent, to put it respectfully.
 
Honestly when I read the title I knew Akhtar will come up with some bla bla clearly man dont think before talking.
 
There is serious bias in the way comments are handpicked and worded.

He did say its very unfortunate and conveyed condolences. Then said he too got hurt when hit bowl hit at an opposition batsman and he would always walk up to them to inquire if they are alright.

Said some other stuff as well.
 
Very insensitive of shoaib akhtar, phil hughes did definetely get hit on a sensitive part
 
chacha kashmiri said:
Very insensitive of shoaib akhtar, phil hughes did definetely get hit on a sensitive part
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Does anyone have any idea what the cause of death was?? Was it trauma, or shock?? There can be tons of arguements based on what sort of region he was hit in and what are the chances it can happen to anyone else that is playing. According to that the manufacturers will have to decide what sort of protection is required.
It is a definite that this death has changed alot of things in cricket.
 
And Mods gets mad all the time when i call him an actor. Everything has to be about him.
 
We will have to wait for the actual video interview

Sent from my SGH-T999V using Tapatalk
 
waleed88 said:
Does anyone have any idea what the cause of death was?? Was it trauma, or shock?? There can be tons of arguements based on what sort of region he was hit in and what are the chances it can happen to anyone else that is playing. According to that the manufacturers will have to decide what sort of protection is required.
It is a definite that this death has changed alot of things in cricket.
Click to expand...

It hit a vertebral artery which is are major arteries in the neck that supply blood to pretty much all of the brain. The ball impacted and hit the artery which compressed it and it then burst which caused massive bleeding in his brain, doctors performed surgery by removing parts of his skull to allow the brain to release pressure and expand but it was unsuccessful.

I think it is actually a brain haemorrhage because he may have suffered a stroke, but it has a terrible prognosis. My uncle had a brain haemorrhage a few years back and after unsuccessful operation he was told he has 5% chance of living, somehow he did survive but he is now severely disabled.
 
Nothing wrong with the comments. OTT reaction by the posters. Many people were/are discussing the same subject that some batsmen got hit more brutally on their heads but survived while unfortunately Phill died :(. His blow did not seemed as brutal as others. Fact! It was a freakish accident and a rare case to be reported.
 
I dnt think there is anything wrong with his statement, some time words do not show the actual tone & most of the time newspapers use this for headline.
 
:facepalm:

This is really pathetic from Shoaib but then what to expect from Pakistan cricket ki veena malik.
 
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What Akhtar is trying to say that people have been hit worse than what Phil Hughes was hit, but have survived as Phil was probably hit on a region which caused such internal bleeding that it was unable for him to survive. He is just trying to defend the use of bouncers in cricket. To me its a bit insensitive from Shoaib especially at this point in time, but he has spoken his mind and IMO its true.
 
But former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is against any further regulation on the usage of bouncers. "Bouncers should not be banned. That is not the solution to this issue. Phil Hughes' death is an unfortunate incident, but banning the bouncer will not help matters," said Akhtar. (In pics:*Cricket Australia unites in grief*|*Michael Clarke breaks down)

During his 13-year international career, Akhtar, known for his ferocious pace, played 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20 internationals. A number of batsmen endured the wrath of his express speed.

Akhtar himself recalled two instances when batsmen suffered at his hands. The first was when former South Africa batsman and former India coach Gary Kirsten got hit on his face in 2003-04 during a Test. The second was the unfortunate injury that former West Indies captain Brian Lara suffered during the 2004 Champions Trophy semi-final.

Lara's injury seemed to be closest to what Hughes suffered as he got hit on the back of his head, but fortunately the Trinidadian dasher survived to fight another day.

"When I bowled, batsmen got hit worse than this (Hughes), maybe Phil Hughes got hit on a sensitive part.

I remember Brian Lara got hit when I bowled to him at around the same area during the Champions Trophy. There have been other cricketers too like Gary Kirsten who got hit on his face when I bowled to him in 2003," recalled Akhtar.

Akhtar though had a piece of advice for the helmet manufacturers around the world. "It is time the helmet manufacturers look at adding a protective material which takes care of the back of the head and the neck. Hopefully some work will begin on it soon," advised Akhtar.


^ Most of points he has raised is very crucial. This interview will seem he is bragging about his past accomplishment [knocking people's head off]. I have yet to see the video interview, but judging by the article, either the author didn't word properly or Shoaib Akhtar didn't use the words properly while addressing the concerns of bouncer after highlight his past achievement.
 
To misquote BBC TV's "The Thick of It":

"I find Shoaib's attention-seeking twattery even more annoying than usual".
 
Clearly ill-considered and poor comments, not worth defending even if you are a fan.
 
Probably he meant that this was a freak accident, but this is hardly the time to speak like this about a sensitive issue. Cricket is not a boxing match to boast about how many knockouts you have delivered. Not at a time like this, anyway.
 
Like I said before. Shoaib comments are popular in the "char anna" class or what is diplomatically known as the "calling spade a spade" style.

This is what happens when his comments address an issue which gets international coverage.
 
Always will be a classless player and a classless man.
 
I'm not sure what akthar's intentions are but it didn't come out right. But this is not the first instance and he's been always like this. Good talented player with no sensitivity unfortunately.. no class at all.
 
Savak said:
In a nutshell he is saying this was a freak accident. I think the newspaper has sensationalized a comment which were probably meaningless and didnt mean much in the actual interview.
Click to expand...

Yeah pretty much. It comes out as wrong, but what he is implying is that this was a freak accident and banning bouncers is not the answer. And bouncers are usually safe even if batsmen get hit
 
Nothing personal .......just don't wasteful classless people. He ended up exactly how I predicted over 15 years ago.....with a pitiful tally of test wickets and everyone saying he never did his talent justice. Well you need half a brain and lots of hard work to go with talent. Classless people don't recognise that till it is far too late.
 
Amoeba said:
Nothing personal .......just don't wasteful classless people. He ended up exactly how I predicted over 15 years ago.....with a pitiful tally of test wickets and everyone saying he never did his talent justice. Well you need half a brain and lots of hard work to go with talent. Classless people don't recognise that till it is far too late.
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Man, you knew him before he made his debut?
 
Amoeba said:
Nothing personal .......just don't wasteful classless people. He ended up exactly how I predicted over 15 years ago.....with a pitiful tally of test wickets and everyone saying he never did his talent justice. Well you need half a brain and lots of hard work to go with talent. Classless people don't recognise that till it is far too late.
Click to expand...
what is your prediction about Umar Akmal? Similar?
 
Regarding hitting people, one thing i will never forget about Akhtar and i still pretty much hold him guilty for it. He bowled probably the ugliest beamer ever to MSD when MSD had taken him to the cleaners in a test match in Pakistan in 2006. He gave the impression it slipped but the ball was 150 kph something and was precisely directed at MSD's head, who ducked just in time to avoid a fatal blow. I rememeber Wasim Akram once admitting to bowling a beamer on air, i thought Akhtar did it as well with MSD. Pretty classless stuff.
 
This one

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PkEhOJ9gTYY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
^ He didnt give a mock apology or anything as most bowlers do.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
regarding hitting people, one thing i will never forget about akhtar and i still pretty much hold him guilty for it. He bowled probably the ugliest beamer ever to msd when msd had taken him to the cleaners in a test match in pakistan in 2006. He gave the impression it slipped but the ball was 150 kph something and was precisely directed at msd's head, who ducked just in time to avoid a fatal blow. I rememeber wasim akram once admitting to bowling a beamer on air, i thought akhtar did it as well with msd. Pretty classless stuff.
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qed.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
Regarding hitting people, one thing i will never forget about Akhtar and i still pretty much hold him guilty for it. He bowled probably the ugliest beamer ever to MSD when MSD had taken him to the cleaners in a test match in Pakistan in 2006. He gave the impression it slipped but the ball was 150 kph something and was precisely directed at MSD's head, who ducked just in time to avoid a fatal blow. I rememeber Wasim Akram once admitting to bowling a beamer on air, i thought Akhtar did it as well with MSD. Pretty classless stuff.
Click to expand...

I have always thought that beamers ought to be penalized with runs. Whether intentional or not, award 20 runs (as extras) to the batting side for a head high beamer (due to the grave risks it posed to the batsman) and also take the bowler out of action for the rest of the innings. No bowler would dare to bowl an intentional beamer under these rules. Accidental beamers do happen, but I think most of them are intentional and usually happens when the bowler is being tonked.
 
Akthar is always me, I, myself...even after retirement...This is why not many neutral fans like him like Wasim or Waqar.
 
srh said:
that definitely was not intentional
Click to expand...


That was intentional. Before that ball he was smashed by dhoni all over the park in that over. When Shoaib went to his run up, he threw the ball on the ground towards the boundary and picked it from there just to make his run up longer. He aimed it at dhoni's body and he missed it. Also, note that Shoaib didn't apologized to dhoni for the beamer which shows it was intentional.
 
I remember that incident really well. Well, I never had any respect for Akthar but after that incident I just....
 
people need to read the whole interview. the title is JUST MISLEADING....
 
Hit a lot of nerves here , and I bet 90 percent of you commenting didn't even read the whole interview.
 
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