I was offered captaincy in 2002 - Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar is renowned for his intimidating bowling and is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in cricket history. 

During his playing days, he earned the nickname "Rawalpindi Express," and he still holds the record for the fastest delivery in the history of cricket, clocking in at 161kph against New Zealand in 2002.

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Recently, Akhtar disclosed that he had the chance to become Pakistan's national team captain in 2002, but he refused to take on the responsibility because he did not feel he was fit enough to perform at his best in both the captaincy and bowling roles. 

Akhtar had played under various captains for the national team throughout his career due to frequent captaincy changes in Pakistan cricket, starting with Wasim Akram in 1997 and playing under several others in various formats.

Akhtar stated that he supported his teammates at the time but declined the captaincy due to the instability in the board and the country's mismanagement.

“I wasn't fit enough,” Akhtar told a local media channel. “I could play three matches out of five. I was offered captaincy in 2002, but then I would've played only 1.5-2 years (if I played all matches),” said Akhtar.

“I supported my teammates, but the board was very unstable. There was mismanagement all over the board. Pakistan itself had faced mismanagement at that time.”

During his career, Akhtar played in only 46 Tests and 163 ODIs due to frequent injuries. Nonetheless, he was a fierce competitor against some of the game's best batters, including Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid of India, Brian Lara of the West Indies, and former Australian captain Ricky Ponting.