Asia Cup 2018: Shoaib Akhtar seen bowling to Sunil Gavaskar ahead of Indo-Pak clash

The former Pakistan cricketer and one of the quickest bowlers witnessed by the cricketing world, Shoaib Akhtar was seen bowling to legendary Sunil Gavaskar at Dubai International Stadium ahead of the India, Pakistan clash on Wednesday. The match was easily won by India, owing to Pakistan’s batting failure. However, there was a contest before the match that fans may have missed.

In a video released on social media, Shoaib Akhtar and Sunil Gavaskar were captured enjoying a few-ball session while covering the pre-match show of much-awaited high-voltage encounter of Asia Cup. It was the fifth time two arch-rivals were meeting in the Asia Cup and before the match, both had won five each, while one was abandoned.

Both Gavaskar and Akhtar have served their respective countries for a healthy amount of time and are currently part of the commentary panel for the tournament.

Gavaskar-Akhtar clash

Widely known as “Rawalpindi Express” & “Tiger”, Akhtar has 178 Test and 247 ODI scalps to his name and holds the record for quickest-delivery bowled in cricket. The 43-year-old went on to click 161.3 km/h in a pool match against England during the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup. He is also the first bowler to break the 100 mph barrier, doing so twice in his career.

Former Indian skipper, Sunil Gavaskar though never played with Akhter on the field, got the chance to face few of his balls. With over 10000 Test and 3000 ODI runs, Gavaskar is considered as one of the finest batsmen India has ever produced

Both record-holding legends are often seen analyzing the various artefacts from the commentary box, helping the audience know the game more effectively. Had they been met on the ground during their days, we might have seen some cracking contest between the bat and ball. Who knows, the cricket fans might have witnessed some intense rivalry like it was between Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib.

Here’s the video:

~Written by Mohsin Kamal