Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar made quite an interesting revelation regarding his knee and the constant need for going under the knife back since 1996-97.
“I bowled with no knees, lost my knees in 1996-97. Like I have lost my cartilage and lost the meniscus. My cartilage broke and got finished. So, every time you run, it would hit the bone and damage. And every time you jump and land on the knee, it is going to hurt,” Shoaib Akhtar told on ‘Wake Up with Sorabh’ (YouTube Channel).
“I would have gone on to become the greatest fast bowler in the history of cricket if my knee had supported me and my physical fitness was just like I was in agony. I just had my knee in the place just last year, had to go through 12 operations on my knee. I was working on knee replacement, imagine I’m still struggling,” he added.
The former pacer further reflected on his discussions with former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, who had advised Shoaib to shorten his run up so as to lessen the pain.
“If I have to die, I’ll die hard. If I shorten my run up, I just won’t look impressive. People won’t get scared. Let me do it because it is very enjoyable,” said Shoaib.