Israel eyeing strike on Iran, Turkiye warns of wider Middle East fallout
Protests, Threats, carrier strike group: How US–Iran tensions escalated again
Nicolas Maduro's cabinet given 15-minute ultimatum by US, claims Venezuela's acting President
77th Republic Day 2026 Parade & Flag Hoisting: When and where to watch; check timings
Highs, heartbreaks and history: Team India's T20 World Cup journey from 2007 to 2024
IndiGo surrenders 717 slots amid DGCA's 10% winter flight cut, here's all you need to know
Out-of-favour Mohammed Shami sends strong reminder to selectors with Ranji Trophy fifer
Will US withdraw additional 25% tariffs from Indian products? What will be its impact?
CRICKET
In the match, MS Dhoni was ripping through Pakistan's bowling attack but Akhtar tried to fight back by bowling a beamer to the wicketkeeper-batsman which was kind of uncalled for.
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that he now regrets purposely bowling a beamer to India's MS Dhoni during the 2nd Test match of the series against Team India in Faisalabad back in 2006.
During the above-mentioned match, Dhoni had smashed his maiden Test century (148) in the first innings - which included 19 boundaries and four maximums.
The fearless 'Mahi' ripping through Pakistan's bowling attack but Akhtar tried to fight back by bowling a beamer to the wicketkeeper-batsman which was kind of uncalled for.
14 years have passed since that incident happened and now the former Pak pacer has expressed his thoughts on that particular moment of the match!
"I think I had bowled a 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 Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.
"It was the first time in my life I had 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," he added.
Shoaib then went on to reveal that he was battling with injury issues throughout that Test series and was a key reason why he managed to bag only four wickets in three matches.
Throughout his playing career, Akhtar always suffered from multiple knee injuries that caused a lot of disruptions to his game.
"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," the former pacer 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.