Akhtar hilariously reveals why he stole Yousuf's socks during 1999 World Cup

Legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar hilariously recalls the incident when he stole Mohammad Yousuf's socks during the 1999 World Cup.

The incident took place in the fifth match of the 1999 World Cup when Pakistan took on West Indies. Batting first, Pakistan put up 229 runs on the board and later restricted the opposition to 202 runs and won the match by 27 runs.

Recalling the incident, Akhtar revealed amid the excitement of featuring in his first World Cup, he forgot his socks and ended up sneakingly stealing Mohammad Yousuf's.

"It was my first World Cup and I was keen to make an impression. I was extremely excited as the crowd had come to see me. Both Pakistanis and Indians had gathered at the stadium. I was all pumped up ahead of the game but then suddenly I realized that I had forgotten my socks," revealed Akhtar while speaking to SK Tales.

"I secretly went back to the dressing room and wore the socks that I found in Mohammad Yousuf’s bag. Later, Yousuf came in and was wondering where his socks had disappeared. As the match was about to begin, Yousuf started checking everyone’s socks. When he came towards me, I ran towards my run-up," Akhtar said while building on to the story.

Akhtar said that he asked Yousuf to make a compromise as they were facing a tough opposition.

"I explained to him, 'We are facing the West Indies and this is a World Cup game, so please adjust.' So, eventually, I went in wearing Yousuf’s socks and someone else's spikes," Akhtar concluded.

The speedster ended up picking up 2-54 from 9.5 overs and he also claimed the last wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul - who looked solid as he struck 77 runs in the match.