New Delhi: Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar revealed that during the initial days of his cricket career, he was asked to take drugs to achieve a bowling speed of 100kph.
Claiming that he had never used drugs, the cricketer said that a world-class Pakistani cricketer’s career was destroyed just because of drugs.
Speaking at the annual drug burning ceremony by the Anti-Narcotics Force of Pakistan (ANF), he said that the organization is leaving no stone unturned to make Pakistan drug-free.
Internal dope test
It may be mentioned that ahead of the 2006 Champions Trophy, the cricketer who is also known as “the Rawalpindi Express” for his express pace was tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid Nandrolone during an internal dope test conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Republic World reported.
The drug tribunal had also imposed a ban on Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif for two and half years. However, they were acquitted on appeal later.
Shoaib Akhtar, one of the best fast bowlers of his time holds the record of bowling the fastest delivery in international cricket. In the 2003 World Cup, the speed of his delivery to Nick Knight was 161.3 kph.