Ihsanullah says 'nobody' can break Shoaib Akhtar's record

LAHORE: Ihsanullah, Pakistan's rising speedster, said Saturday that he does not seek to break the record of legendary cricketer Shoaib Akhtar's fastest ball.

The 20-year-old bowler, who constantly bowls over 140km per hour, told reporters that he tries to bowl faster but doesn't aim to break the record of Akhtar.

"Shoaib Akhtar is our legend and nobody can break his record. I love to bowl first and I will try to increase my pace alongside working on good line and length," he said.

Ihsanullah has been retained in the T20I squad after his lethal performance against Afghanistan.

He remained the highest wicket-taker in the three-match T20I series with six scalps. He has also got his maiden ODI call-up following his impressive performance in domestic cricket.

"I try to grab every given opportunity. I aim to perform according to my strength and win matches for my team," he highlighted.

"I am working with Umar Gul and trying to learn from him as much as I can," he said.

Former Test fast bowler Umar has got an extension as bowling coach of the national team.

Ihsanullah caught the limelight during Afghanistan series after he hit the ball into the jaws of Najibullah Zadran.

"I went to him and said sorry in Pushto," shared Ihsanullah.

It must be noted here that Ihsanullah rose to fame in PSL 8. The right-pacer led runners-up Multan Sultans' bowling line from the front. He took 22 wickets and displayed an impactful performance to get his hands on two awards.

Ihsanullah became the first-ever emerging player in the history of PSL to bag the Best Player of the Tournament award. Before Ihsanullah, no bowler could win the player-of-the-tournament award.

The previous seven winners of this award are: Ravi Bopara (2016, Karachi Kings), Kamran Akmal (2017, Peshawar Zalmi), Luke Ronchi (2018, Islamabad United), Shane Watson (2019, Quetta Gladiators), Babar Azam (2020, Karachi Kings), Sohaib Maqsood (2021, Multan Sultans) and Mohammad Rizwan (2022, Multan Sultans).