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'He Picked Up Knife, I picked Up Fork' - Shoaib Akhtar Recalls Spat Matthew Hayden

image-lmda7elbShoaib Akhtar was renowned for his aggression 

Former Pakistan pacer, Shoaib Akhtar recently expressed his concern over what he perceives as a softening attitude in the modern game of cricket. He suggested that the passion and aggression that once defined the game are now dissipating, in part due to the increasing stringency of regulations.


Akhtar opened up on tense standoff with Hayden & altercation with McCullum

While praising Pakistan's frontline pacer, Shaheen Afridi, Akhtar mentioned that the young player's only shortcoming might be his lack of aggressive behaviour on the field, which, for him, was a crucial part of the sport.

Drawing on his experiences on the Wake up with Sorabh YouTube channel, the 48-year-old veteran reminisced about an intense encounter with former Australian opener, Matthew Hayden. According to Akhtar, a day before a match, tensions rose to such an extent between the two that they found themselves at odds, with Hayden allegedly using a knife and Akhtar countering with a fork.

Akhtar recalled their confrontation, saying that if it hadn't been for the intervention of his trainer, the situation could have escalated dangerously. He humorously noted that Hayden might have made "chutney" out of him if it had come to blows.

"I don’t like it, me and Matthew Hayden, one day before our match, he picked up a knife, I picked up a fork. Both of us were ready to hit each other. Thank god my trainer came and he stopped us or else he would have hit me a lot. He would have made a chutney out of me, Matthew Hayden,” said Akhtar.



In addition to the Hayden incident, Akhtar also brought up a past face-off with former New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter, Brendon McCullum. As per Akhtar, McCullum had audaciously advanced down the pitch to counteract one of Akhtar's deliveries.

The legendary speedster added that he felt challenged which is why he confronted the Kiwi batsman, warning him against such moves in the future. He asked McCullum about his audacity to face him that way, comparing himself to his teammate Shoaib Malik, in jest. Akhtar emphatically conveyed to McCullum that any future such approach might be met with a hostile delivery or even personal repercussions.

"He was walking down on me, so I went up to him and said - Is your eyesight good? Do I look like Shoaib Malik to you? You can’t walk down on me. If you try to walk down on me again I will throw a beamer on you or I will kill you. If not here, definitely in the hotel I will kill you," concluded Akhtar.