Shoaib Akhtar is one of the fastest bowlers to have graced world cricket and was known for his fearsome pace. One of the greats of Pakistan cricket, Akhtar still holds the record for bowling the fastest delivery in international cricket.
Akhtar had a career filled with controversies but always refrained from taking drugs or any other banned substance to enhance his performance. He recently revealed he was told to use drugs to increase his pace but he always refused to do so. The former Pakistan pacer also claimed drugs destroyed the career of a world-class Pakistan cricketer, without naming him.
“When I started paying cricket I was told you can’t bowl fast and to achieve good speed of 100 kmph I will have to use drugs. But I have always refused to do so,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan at the Anti-Narcotics Forces’ (ANF) annual drug burning ceremony.
“Similarly Pakistani pacer Muhammad Amir was also cautioned before the tour of England but he was taken away by bad company,” he added.
Amir was banned as an 18-year-old after being found guilty of match-fixing. He along with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt was handed a five-year ban from international cricket and jail sentences in England. While Amir has managed to make his international comeback for Pakistan, both Asif and Butt’s playing careers are all but over.
