Cricket: Akhtar's mission to break 160km/h

By RICHARD BOOCK

The 160km/h barrier still beckons for star Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.

Out of action for the past nine months through injury, the 25-year-old tearaway has arrived in New Zealand brimming with confidence. He says he is ready to return to his best form in the coming series and resume his quest to become the fastest bowler of the modern era.

Australian speedster Jeff Thomson once clocked 160km/h an hour in a fast bowling competition, but Akhtar is hell-bent on bettering that mark. Last summer, Akhtar attracted some criticism from the Australians for trying to bowl too fast.

"I always like to bowl quick and I will be quick, don't worry about that," he said yesterday at Eden Park, where the tourists had their first training session of the series.

"It feels very good to be injury-free and I have lots of power now, so I feel sure I'm going to do well."

Akhtar, who suffered rib, shoulder and knee problems after the Down Under tour last summer, missed the home series against England. He may be nursed through the one-day internationals against New Zealand to ensure that he does not worsen any of the complaints.

Temporarily banned from the game after New Zealand match referee John Reid questioned the legality of his action in a report last season, he has since been cleared although he said he had not changed his action.

"I haven't changed it at all. Why should I? It is a good action. Everyone watched the World Cup," he said. "All the cricket legends were there, and not one of them ever saw a problem. There is a natural twist in my arm, there is a hyper-extension."

He acknowledged the criticism he received in Australia for putting too much emphasis on pace, but believed it was his duty to bowl as fast as anyone had before, rather than bowl within himself in the interests of longevity.

Akhtar often bowled above 150km/h an hour in Australia and talked openly about his desire to break the "100mp/h" mark. The comments prompted Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath to suggest that Akhtar was trying too hard to bowl fast, rather than just being a good bowler.

In an interview just before being named in the current Pakistan side, Akhtar refused to accept that he should temper his pace. He said his job was to bowl as quickly as possible, without worrying about how long his career might last.

"God made me a supreme athlete and I cannot compromise that. I have a mission to cross the 100mp/h barrier. God gave me that mission and I will break it.

"If I can burn brightly for a short time, perhaps 10 years, that will be enough. I don't want to save myself for an extra five years of being ordinary."

For all that, he said he was being ultra-careful on his comeback tour. He was maintaining a fitness programme to make sure that he remained free of injury in New Zealand, and beyond.

"I'm naturally very concerned about my fitness and determined to take care of myself, certainly so that I don't make the same mistakes that I made last time.

"The injuries are gone, the body feels fine, and I've got no problem at all with my bowling. I just can't wait, really."