"Sachin, Dravid used to tire me all day"- Shoaib Akhtar reveals one of the main reasons for his retirement
Former Pakistan speedster and cricket expert Shoaib Akhtar was arguably one of the most dangerous bowlers of his generation. He used to send shivers down the spine of a number of batters over the years and was more often than not a menace to the opposition.
However, the 46-year-old has always admired Indian greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Akhtar recently revealed that the duo had the ability to wear the speedster down and that used to frustrate him.
While previewing the IPL 2022 encounter between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on 'SK Match ki Baat', he revealed one of the main reasons he called it quits from the game. Akhtar said:
"One of the main reasons for my retirement was that I am not able to wake up early anymore. I have been waking up at 6 am for the past 25 years. And then to bowl to the likes of Sachin and Dravid, they used to tire me all day. So this was one of the main reasons for my retirement - that I can't wake up early."
How did Shoaib Akhtar fare against Tendulkar and Dravid?
Naturally, when a world-class batter faces a gun bowler in his prime, the battle between the bat and ball was worth watching. Shoaib Akhtar had the ability to rush the great Sachin Tendulkar for pace and showed what he is capable of on numerous occasions against the Little Master.
In six Tests, Akhtar has dismissed Tendulkar twice and the latter was able to score at a strike rate of just 56.40 against the Pakistan pacer. Tendulkar had a bit of success against Akhtar in ODIs, scoring off him more freely, but the speedster still had the better of the right-hander four times.
On This Day in 1999 - Shoaib Akhtar’s two fiery yorkers to Dravid and Tendulkar 🔥🔥 https://t.co/FqmM3JAV7E
Akhtar also had success against Tendulkar in the IPL, dismissing the Little Master in the one game that they both faced off in. Rahul Dravid, on the other hand, had the upper hand over the speedster as he was dismissed just thrice by Akhtar across both Tests and ODIs.