You Look Like Tarzan, But Bowl Like Jane: Andrew Flintoff to Shoaib Akhtar

Andrew Flintoff recalled an incident that occurred during a Test match in 2005, where he engaged in a verbal banter Shoaib Akhtar

Photo: AFP

New Delhi: Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff recalled a game where he engaged in a verbal banter with Pakistan former pace bowling sensation Shoaib Akhtar during a Test match in 2005. "Listen to this, I got feelings. He (Shoaib) kept having a go at me. He kept calling me ‘fat'. Fat this, fat that. I am not having this, I am thinking I am going to nip this in the b***. So, as I walked in, I said, Shoaib, it's all right, you look like Tarzan, but you bowl like Jane," Flintoff said. "It haunted me straight away. I walked out to bat, I think 1st or 2nd ball, my off-stump was cart-wheeling back as he knocked it over. Then, as I walked off, he gave me a big ‘OOOHHHH'." A few days back, Shoaib Akhtar took to his YouTube channel to suggest a series between India and Pakistan to raise funds to fight the pandemic. "I want India and Pakistan to play a series. I want it to happen without crowds, just broadcasting unit should be there and the matches should be televised, three ODIs or T20Is should be played. I cannot understand why this is a bad idea," Akhtar said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. "Players can play after undergoing testing, if the series happens, just think how many people will watch the matches on television, think about the funds the series can generate. For the first time, there will be no loser, there is everything to gain, imagine Indian team winning the match, and the funds going to Pakistan as well and vis-a-vis," the Rawalpindi Express said.