'I bowled two balls at more than 160kmph': Former Pakistan fast bowler makes massive claim

Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Sami has claimed that he had bowled two deliveries over the 160 kmph mark but they were not recorded.

In a recent interview, Sami said that there were two occasions when his balls clocked 162 kmph and 164 kmph but as they were not recorded, the current record belongs to compatriot Shoaib Akhtar who achieved it against New Zealand in 2002.

"I bowled two balls at more than 160kmph in a match, one was 162 and the other was 164. After that, it was said that the bowling machine (speed gun) was not working. So, the balls were not counted," Sami told Paktv.tv.

Also read | 'Hope it doesn't...": Former India cricketer has his say on Ravindra Jadeja leaving CSK captaincy

According to an IANS report, Sami’s personal best is 156.4 kmph during against Zimbabwe in 2003.

Sami explained that bowlers who have breached the 160 kmph were able to do it a couple of times in their career and as a result, they cannot be expected to replicate that kind of pace more often.

"Even if you look at bowling history overall, the bowlers who have crossed the 160 kph-limited have done it only once or twice. It`s not like they kept doing it continuously" he said in the interview.

Also read | Former Pakistan cricketer picks two stars who can replace Rohit Sharma as India's white-ball skipper

Indian fast bowler Umran Malik has been making headlines in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with his express pace and a lot of experts are backing him to bowl over the 150 kmph mark.

The other bowler who has shown brilliant speeds in the recent past is New Zealand cricketer Lockie Ferguson.

(With inputs from agencies)