Shoaib Akhtar reveals what made him enjoy bowling bouncers to batters the most

Shoaib Akhtar was the most lethal speedster in cricket to date. Meanwhile, he has revealed why he bowled bouncers to the batters and what made him enjoy it the most.

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Legendary former Pakistani speedster Shoab Akhtar remains the most deadly pacer to have bowled in the sport of cricket to date. Known for his rocket-speed pace, he used to terrorise batters across the globe with the same, while his lethal bouncers made life worse for them. Notably, he has bowled the fastest ball in international cricket, clocking a speed of more than 161 km/h against England in 2003, with opener Nick Knight being on the receiving end. Meanwhile, some wondered what made him bowl so many bouncers throughout his career, regardless of the format he played. On the same note, he has explained the very reason.

Talking to Sportskeeda, Akhtar revealed, "I bowled bouncers because watching batters jump like monkeys were heartening to see. I'm not going to lie. I wanted to hit batters on the head, as I had the pace. It is the perk of being a fast bowler. It simply has to happen."

"The adrenaline rush is there. The hair is flying. The heartbeat is 185+. You would surely not bowl fuller. It should hit the body, aalu dikhe jism pe [swelling should appear on it]. Whenever the batter sees himself in the mirror, he should remember me. This is true love," added Akhtar.

Akhtar has had a phenomenal career in the sport, bagging 178 wickets in 46 Tests at an average of 25, including 12 fifers and a couple of ten-for. In ODIs, he has scalped 247 in 163 at an economy of 4.77, with four fifers, while in T20Is, he managed 19 from 15 at 8.15.