On this day in 2003: Shoaib Akhtar breaks the 100-mph barrier in World Cup
100.2 mph (161.3 kmph). Well, that was the speed that Shoaib Akhtar managed to clock off the last ball of the 4th over in a World Cup match against England on 22nd February 2003. This delivery is a special one, for this was the first time in the history of the game that a bowler had breached the 100mph mark.
Nick Knight was the man on strike when Akhtar delivered that thunderbolt. The batsman was definitely hurried for pace but managed to flick the delivery to mid-wicket. Now, let us delve a little deep into what happened on the historic day when Akhtar broke the magic barrier of 100mph.
England won the toss and decided to bat first. The England side was rocked early, as they lost both their openers inside the first 10 overs. But then, Michael Vaughan steadied the ship by scoring a sedate 52 off 64 deliveries. He received support from Paul Collingwood, who scored an unbeaten 73 ball 66. England ended their first innings with a competitive total of 246 on the board.
England pummel Pakistan
For Pakistan, Waqar Younis and Saqlain Mushtaq scalped two wickets apiece. In reply, the Pakistan batting line up came a cropper. None of the Pakistan batsmen managed to even put up a fight, as James Anderson ripped through their batting order. In fact, at 80/9, Pakistan was even in danger of getting bowled out for a total of below 100. But then, Shoaib Akhtar stepped up with the bat and smashed a murderous 16-ball 43. Akhtar had just managed to delay the inevitable, as Pakistan was shot out for just 134, as England pummeled them by 112 runs.
Well, apart from breaking the 100-mph barrier, Shoaib was unimpressive with the ball. The right-arm pacer leaked 63 runs in his 9 overs and managed to scalp just a single wicket, that of Michael Vaughan. England pacer James Anderson was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ in the fixture, as he scalped 4 wickets, and gave away just 29 runs from his 10 overs.
Shoaib Akhtar went on to become one of the all-time bowling greats for Pakistan. Akhtar is the 6th highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in the ODI format with 247 wickets. In Test cricket, the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ took 178 wickets. Shoaib Akhtar will easily go down as one of the fastest bowlers that the game has ever seen. The sight of Shoaib running in at full speed was one that many batsmen were not comfortable with.
