Shoaib Akhtar has been making the headlines in recent times with his bold and eye-catching statements. From revealing about him storming into Harbhajan Singh’s hotel room to beat him to his attack on Steve Smith and the ICC, Akhtar has been very vocal. And keeping up with the trend, the former Pakistan pace express has now said that was left very disappointed after dismissing Sachin Tendulkar for 98 during the India vs Pakistan 2003 World Cup encounter. Tendulkar’s knock in that group match still ranks as one of the great World Cup innings ever played with his six off Akhtar a part of cricketing folklore. Shoaib Akhtar Says Playing Cricket in Empty Stadium Like Marriage Without Bride.

Tendulkar’s innings of 98 from 75 deliveries is regarded as one of the best ODI knocks played by any batsman. His innings, which consisted of 12 boundaries and a six, helped India chase down 274 with four overs and two deliveries to spare. But with just two runs short of a memorable century – then battling with cramps and with a runner – Tendulkar top-edged a bouncer off Akhtar to Younis Khan to be dismissed for 98 runs. Akhtar eventually finished the match with 10 overs for 72 runs with a sole wicket as India were victorious by six wickets. Shoaib Akhtar Recalls Moment When He Stormed Into Harbhajan Singh’s Hotel Room After Altercation During IND vs PAK Asia Cup Match.

“I was very sad because Sachin got out for 98. It was a special inning; he should have touched the century mark. I wanted him to slam the ton. For that bouncer, I may have loved to see him hit a six, as he did it before,” Akhtar recalled the match 17 years later during a live session on Helo App. The Rawalpindi Express also opined on the Sachin-Kohli comparisons and said: “Tendulkar batted in the toughest era of cricket. If he had to get the chance now, he may hit more than 1.30 lakh runs. So it’s not good to make a comparison between Sachin and Kohli.

Earlier in a video on his YouTube channel, Akhtar had revealed how his poor fitness and wayward captaincy by skipper Waqar Younis was the primary reason for Pakistan’s loss. “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.

“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,” he had said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 19, 2020 08:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).