Shoaib Akhtar: Imran Khan captaincy could have earned me 400 Test wickets

Shoaib Akhtar has said he could have taken 400 Test wickets had he played under Imran Khan. The former Pakistan fast bowler, speaking on a Geo TV show, pointed to his tally of more than 400 first-class wickets and said Imran's leadership would have taught him a lot. “If I had played earlier under the fiery leadership of Imran Khan I would have learnt a lot and I would have taken 400 wickets in Test cricket,” he said. Sportstar and ABP Live both reported the comments.

Akhtar made his Test debut against the West Indies in Rawalpindi under captain Wasim Akram. The two had a complicated relationship, marked by admiration and friction, but produced memorable spells during Pakistan's 1999 tour of India and the 1999 World Cup, where Pakistan lost to Australia in the final at Lord's. Akhtar finished with 178 Test, 247 ODI and 21 T20I wickets before retiring during the 2011 World Cup in India amid reported differences with then captain Shahid Afridi.

The 51-year-old also described the physical toll of his career from 1997 to 2011. He said he woke three hours before others, cycled, and endured knees that jammed and locked. Fluid was drained from them, then medication and ice followed, and recovery after bowling took five hours. “That was my life,” he said.