Cricket matches have been the scene of numerous altercations both on and off the pitch. There have been numerous instances over the years where players have been spotted arguing angrily or even fighting. The same has, however, appeared to wane with time because of the sport’s ever-stricter rules that have been put in place over the years.
Shoaib Akhtar, a former pacer for Pakistan, spoke up on the subject and claimed that cricket has become too easy. Akhtar began by praising Pakistan’s star pacer Shaheen Afridi and asserted that the only trait he lacks is misbehaviour.
The 48-year-old also mentioned an encounter he had with Matthew Hayden. Akhtar noted the distinction between modern cricket and his era by saying that both Hayden and he were prepared to strike.
“I don’t like it, me and Matthew Hayden picked up forks and knives the day before our match. We both intended to strike out at one another. He would have hit me a lot if he hadn’t stopped us when my trainer arrived. In a video posted to the Wake up with Sorabh YouTube channel, Shoaib Akhtar claimed, “He would have made chutney out of me, Matthew Hayden.
“Do you think I resemble Shoaib Malik?” Shoaib Akhtar recalled an altercation with Brendon McCullum.
Also mentioned by Akhtar was a verbal altercation with former New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum. He described how McCullum once rode one of Akhtar’s deliveries down the pitch. The former pacer claimed that he threatened McCullum with a beamer if he walked down again.
“As he passed by Akhtar, he approached him and inquired about his eye health. Would you say that I resemble Shoaib Malik? How are you able to come down on me like that? I’ll toss a beamer at you or shoot you if you try to approach me from below again. If not here, then for sure in the hotel, Akhtar vowed to kill the man.