Shoaib Akhtar regrets purposely bowling a beamer to MS Dhoni

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar says he regrets bowling a beamer to former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on purpose, during the second Test of the 2006 series against India in Faisalabad. In the first innings, Dhoni scored his maiden Test century, a phenomenal knock of 148 runs, that included 19 fours and four sixes.

Dhoni had hit Akhtar for three fours in an over. Frustrated, the pacer bowled a beamer, that went for five wides.

Akhtar has now admitted that he bowled the beamer, deliberately out of frustration. “I think I had bowled an 8-9 over spell in Faisalabad. It was a quick spell and Dhoni scored a hundred. I purposely bowled a beamer to Dhoni and then apologised to him,” Akhtar told former Indian opener and commentator Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.

Akhtar said it was the first time in his life that he bowled a beamer purposely. 

“I shouldn’t have done it. I regretted it a lot. He was playing so well and the wickets were so slow. However fast I was bowling, he kept on hitting. I think I got frustrated,” Akhtar said.

The former fast bowler revealed that he was battling leg injuries at that time. He said his knees had given up in 1997 itself, but he still carried on for another ten years with the help of injections.

“The deer type jump gets almost finished after 2-3 years. My knees brought me to my knees. My knees had become useless in 1997. Still I kept fighting and playing, after taking injections regularly,” he said.

“I remember when India had come to Pakistan, my left fibula was broken, my landing leg. MS Dhoni had scored a century at Faisalabad. What sort of wickets they had prepared, you know,” he added.