“Have never seen a magician like him”: Shoaib Akhtar once hailed Mohammad Asif as best Pakistani bowler ever

It is bit of a shame that the most sought after clash between arch rivals India and Pakistan takes place just once in a Blue moon, for reasons known to all.

With similarities more than the differences between players and fans from both the sides, the contest is still a  guaranteed blockbuster as it always has been. Back almost a decade-and-a-half was one such contest between these arch rivals, when the situation was at least normal for the smooth conduction of bilateral series tours.

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The famous India’s tour to Pakistan in 2005/06 was one such, where fans and players from both the teams have so much memories to talk about till date- some worth cherishing, while the other better be forgotten.

The three-match Test series during that tour, is also remembered for Mohammad Asif’s couple of magical deliveries to India’s VVS Laxman which bowled him over twice during the third Test in Karachi.

Shoaib Akhtar once hailed Mohammad Asif as best Pakistani bowler ever

Legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar, who was also part of the aforementioned Karachi Test, became the ultimate Mohammad Asif fan while watching the latter display his craft before the Indian batters.

“The way Asif trapped the Indian team…I have never seen a magician like him. He made me look like a very ordinary fast bowler,” Akhtar had once exclaimed.

What made the dismissals remarkable was Asif’s unparalleled self-confidence. As per Akhtar, after bowling Laxman with an inswinger with the ball nipping sharply back in during the first innings, he was quite certain to dismiss him exactly the same manner during the second innings as well.

Come the second innings, while the delivery did not swing to a great degree this time around, it again nipped back into Laxman sharply, and uprooted his middle stump to leave Akhtar absolutely slack-jawed.

Later during an interaction with PTV Sports, Akhtar would again sing Asif’s praises and exclaim, “The best fast bowler Pakistan has ever produced. Yaar he was a magician. Ab usko batsman ko aage bhi lana hai, usko expose bhi karna hai, usko ganda bhi karna hai, aur uske dande pe bhi ball marna hai (The best fast bowler Pakistan has ever produced. He was a magician. He would bring the batsman forward, expose him, would make him look ugly, and finally will look to dismantle him stumps as well.)

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