Pic: Twitter
Srinagar, May 26: Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif Tuesday said that Indian veteran Sachin Tendulkar closed his eyes while facing Shoaib Akhtar’s bouncers.
Akhtar, who is still known for his alarming pace, struggled one and all during his prime days. Recalling his encounters with Sachin Tendulkar, Asif said the Indian batsman really had a hard time facing Akhtar.
Talking about a specific Test macth between the arch-rivals in 2006, Asif said,
“When the match started, Irfan Pathan claimed a hat-trick in the first over itself. Our morale was down. Kamran Akmal scored a century lower down the order. We scored around 240 runs.
“When we started bowling, Shoaib Akhtar bowled at express pace in that match. I was standing at square leg near the umpire and I myself saw that Tendulkar closed his eyes while facing one or two bouncers bowled by Shoaib.
The Indians were playing on the back foot and we didn’t allow them to score even 240 in the first innings. We snatched victory from jaws of defeat,”
Asif, another promising Pakistan pacer, was banned from all-forms of cricket following his involvement in spot-fixing in 2010.