Shoaib Akhtar picks Mitchell Starc as the greatest fast bowler of the modern era

Shoaib Akhtar was a bowler who was dreaded across the cricketing world during the 1990s and the 2000s. Akhtar could terrorize the greatest batsmen of his era with a raw and vicious pace. And, when he was at his lethal best, there were very few batsmen who could get on top of him.

In his fifteen-year career, Akhtar picked up close to 450 international wickets for his side. While Akhtar picked up 178 wickets in Test cricket, he is the sixth-highest wicket-taker for the ‘Men in Green’ in the ODI format of the game, having scalped 247 batsmen. And of course, his battles with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and Rahul Dravid are ones that will be etched in cricketing folklore.

But then, who according to Akhtar is the greatest pacer of the modern era? In fact, a Twitter user had asked the same question to Akhtar and the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ from Pakistan responded that it was Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc.

This is Akhtar’s reply on Twitter

Mitchell Starc on his way to everlasting greatness

As far as Mitchell Starc is concerned, he is currently the lynchpin of the Australian pace attack and is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the all-time greats for the Aussies with the cherry in hand. Starc has already taken 252 wickets in the whites for his country at an average of just 26.75, and is currently the ninth highest wicket-taker for the Aussies in Test cricket. His performances in the colored clothing too, have been equally impressive. The tall pacer has picked up 184 wickets in ODI cricket, while he is the second-highest wicket-taker for the kangaroos in the T20I format, picking up 47 wickets.

Starc also won the coveted ‘Man of The Tournament’ award in the 2015 World Cup and was the catalyst behind Australia’s victory with the ball. He picked up 22 wickets in the tournament and announced with his performances that he is a name to watch out for.

Starc is only 30 years old and has plenty of cricket left in him. And, just like Akhtar did in his prime, Starc will continue to terrorize batsmen with his lethal pace and the bounce that he generates off the deck. The left-arm seamer will next be seen in action in the New Year’s Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), from January 7th, 2021.