Shoaib Akhtar

Bishan Singh Bedi: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Bishan Singh Bedi Is Five Degrees Or Less

What he said (via IBNLive):

“I believe in clean action. I belong to traditional cricket. I don’t believe in 15 degrees of all such nonsense.”

Bishan Singh Bedi is still not convinced of the validity of Shoaib Akhtar’s and Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling actions.

The left-armer famously termed them “javelin throwers”.

Bedi currently manages the Jammu & Kashmir Ranji team.

What he really meant:

“Either you’re chucking or you’re not.Hyperextension—what’s that?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’d love to coach javelin throwers. They’d make great bowlers; the right bio-mechanics are already in place. And the doosra is right up their alley.”

David Gower: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

David Gower Pricks Shoaib Akhtar’s Hot Air Balloon

What he said:

"Its all talk, hot air. Wouldn’t want to get stuck in the argument.”

Former England skipper and commentator David Gower is dismissive of Shoaib Akhtar’s remarks concerning Sachin Tendulkar in his autobiography, “Controversially Yours”.

Gower said:

Shoaib had the talent. He was one of the quicks in his generation. He had the pace to trouble the best. Even (Vivian) Richards was troubled by pace. There was nothing new about that. But look at Sachin’s record, his thousands of runs in Test and one-day cricket…Its all hot air, irrelevant!

The left-hander with the sublime skills at the crease was equally critical of Akhtar’s suggestion that ball-tampering be sanctioned:

I understand what they are saying but there has to be a line somewhere. Its like legalising good ivory. It will increase poaching anyway. If you say its okay to do tampering, you will get a lot of tamperers. It will encourage cheating.

What he really meant:

“Shoaib’s  blowing hot and then cold on Tendulkar makes this a non-starter. Do we really need to take this topic further?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m a batsman. Do you seriously expect me to take a bowler’s side—on this? I can still recall quaking in my boots when we had the West Indian quartet of fast bowlers at our throats in the 80s. It’s the stuff of nightmares.”

Shoaib Akhtar: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Shoaib Akhtar ‘Rats Out’ An Australian Elephant

What he said:

“If one could make up one’s body with steroids, I would turn a rat into an elephant. But I’d advise Hayden to take some steroid that could make him look better. Good answer? Give him this answer.”

Pakistan cricket’s enfant terrible, Shoaib Akhtar, reacts to Australian Matthew Hayden’s allegation that he built up his body with steroids.

The speedster was in the spotlight following the release of his autobiography, “Controversially Yours”.

What he really meant:

“Now, if Hayden were following his former teammate Shane Warne, he’d discover that Estee Lauder facials and creams are more efficacious than drugs.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“You can call me ‘Red Bull’ Akhtar.”

Kapil Dev: What He Said, Really Meant and Definitely Did Not

Kapil Dev Is In A Funk

What he said:

“Spin bowling is an art and so is fast bowling. All artists are crazy and similarly whoever wrote the book for Shoaib is also crazy between his ears.”

Former Indian skipper, Kapil Dev, is “artistic” in his denouncement of Shoaib Akhtar’s remarks concerning Sachin Tendulkar in his autobiography, “Controversially Yours.”

The all-rounder was delivering the 3rd Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai on September 29, 2011.

What he really meant:

“The co-author (Anshu Dogra) of Shoaib’s biography is simply nuts—by association.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“What a load of spin on a fast bowler’s life story.”

Shahid Afridi: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Shahid Afridi Has The Shivers For Sachin Tendulkar

What he said:

“I saw Tendulkar’s legs shivering while facing his bowling.”

Shahid Afridi backs up Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar’s claims in his autobiography, “Controversially Yours”, that Sachin Tendulkar was intimidated by Akhtar’s raw pace.

Afridi added that this was normal for most batsmen. Every batsman feared one bowler or another.

“There are times when every batsman feels the pressure, it happens against [Pakistani off-spinner] Saeed Ajmal even,” said Afridi.

What he really meant:

“My teeth were chattering so much standing so close to Tendulkar’s blade that everything else appeared to shimmer.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“More ice-cream for us in the lunch break. That’s the solution.”