Looks like Tarzan, bowls like Jane: Flintoff recalls incident involving Akhtar

England’s legendary former all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, in an interview with Talk Sport, recalled an incident with Pakistan’s former pacer Shoaib Akhtar in which the latter had the last laugh during their encounter in a Test match in 2005.

The 42-year-old revealed that the Rawalpindi Express kept calling him fat during the match which prompted him to sledge back.

“I tell you what I have feelings and he kept having a go at me. He kept having a go at me calling me fat. He said fat this fat that. So I am not having this and I try to nip this in the bud,” Flintoff said.

However, the all-rounder quickly realised that it was not a smart move to sledge one of the fastest bowlers in the history of the sport.

“So as I walked out, I called him and said ‘Shoaib it’s all right. You look like Tarzan but bowl like Jane’, which haunted me straight away. First or second ball, my stump was cartwheeling backwards and as I walked off he gave me that big ‘ooahhhhh’ (Tarzan scream),” he concluded.

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Akhtar has the record of bowling the fastest delivery in cricket history, 161.3 km/hr against England in 2003, and was considered as one of the most lethal bowlers during his playing days.

In a career of 163 ODIs, the right-arm fast bowler bagged 247 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 4.76. He was equally good in Test cricket as well as he claimed 178 wickets in 46 matches, which included 10 four-wicket hauls and 12 five-wicket hauls.