Ex-Pakistan pacer claims clocking 100-115 mph often in 60s, Shoaib Akhtar not the fastest

Pakistan cricket is renowned for producing top-notch pacers. Over the years, Pakistan has given world-cricket quality speedsters like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Imran Khan, Shoaib Akhtar among others who gave batsmen nightmares with their speed and swing. However, amongst all of them and across the world, Shoaib Akhtar is considered as the fastest bowler of all-time. The Shoaib Akhtar fastest ball was clocked at 161.3 km/h (100.2mph) back in 2003.

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Former Pakistan pacer Farooq Hamid claims to have consistently bowled faster than Shoaib Akhtar fastest ball

However, recently, a former Pakistan pacer named Farooq Hamid, who featured for his country in only one Test in 1964 against Australia, where he took the wicket of Ian Chappell, has claimed that he has bowled the fastest delivery in world cricket which is even quicker than the Shoaib Akhtar fastest ball. Hamid believes that he consistently bowled at a speed of 110/115 miles (177-185 kmph) per hour.

In an interview with Dawn, Farooq Hamid stated that due to dirty politics in Pakistan cricket and the 'Mohammad Brothers', he could only play one Test and retired from cricket at a tender age of 25. He added that all his colleagues know what sort of treatment he was meted out from his captains. Taking a shot at the Mohammad brothers, Hamid said that it was because of the widely considered 'great' Hanif Mohammad and his brother Wazir Mohammad that he never played international cricket after the tour of Australia.

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Recalling an incident from the 1969 final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Hamid said that Hanif Mohammad was bowled by an out-swinging yorker on the very third ball he faced which was bowled by him. He opined that many international cricket personalities such as Sir Don Bradman, Imtiaz Ahmed, Zaheer Abbas and others considered him as the fastest bowler, even faster than Charlie Griffith of the West Indies.

Farooq Hamid further said that many leading cricketers were scared of his bouncers. He claimed that the legendary West Indian batsman Rohan Kanhai was floored by his lethal bouncer. Hamid went on say that after later, the commentators said that he was much quicker than Griffith and added that according to him, he must have been bowling at around 110-115 miles per hour. Hamid also claimed that even Sir Don Bradman praised him as a pacer when he met him during the Australian tour in Adelaide.

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Blaming the team management for not handling his aggressive attitude, Hamid said every fast bowler should be aggressive and it is the job of the team management to handle fast bowlers carefully. He further pointed out the politics in Pakistan cricket saying that it is politics that is harming the country's cricket. However, Hamid said that Pakistan cricket is lucky now as they have legendary all-rounder Imran Khan at the helm and he was hopeful that cricket will improve under him. Farooq Hamid even reckoned that if Imran Khan fails to correct the cricketing system in Pakistan, then only God can save it.

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SOURCE: SHOAIB AKHTAR INSTAGRAM