Former Pakistani pacer Mohammad Sami slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) saying that he would hold the record for bowling the fastest ball, had there been no prejudices. As the first bowler to register a hat-trick in all formats, Sami added that his coming from Karachi had a lot to do with his denied accolades.

As quoted by Pakistani journalist Shoaib Jatt, Sami’s statement was put up on Twitter. “I bowled 100 mph twice in international cricket but they didn’t recognise it because I’m Karachite, I took three wickets in four overs but they changed my spell because I’m Karachite,” Shoaib Jatt’s Tweet read.

The record for bowling the fastest ball in the game’s history sits on Rawalpindi Express, Shoaib Akhtar’s shoulders. Akhtar’s bowled at 161.3 kmph in a World Cup match against England in 2003.

However, it was only 2004 when Sami managed a 162.3 kmph ball against India. The ball was driven through the covers for a boundary by then skipper Sourav Ganguly. Another ball bowled by Sami which was recorded at 164/kmh had been ruled out due to “faulty speed measurements on the speed meter”.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said that ‘the equipment used to measure the ball’s speed varies at different grounds’, hence speeds from different matches cannot be compared.