Shoaib Akhtar laughs off Harbhajan Singh's bashing claims

Karachi: Pakistan’s former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has laughed off claims by Harbhajan Singh that he and Yuvraj Singh were once beaten by the pacer in a hotel room in Pakistan.

"I think he has made a big deal of it. Yes, it did happen during 2004 when we were playing a Test in Rawalpindi. But it was nothing serious and all fun," Akhtar clarified.

"Basically we were doing some arm wrestling and that is all," Akhtar said. Harbhajan narrated the incident during a show on an Indian television channel and his claims were highlighted by Pakistani media.

Harbhajan said  in an Indian Tv show that former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was a player with whom he often had spat with though they were friends off the field.

“Shoaib abused me a lot. He used to sit with us, ate with us. Since he was too close to us, maybe he used to take us for granted. He challenged me once to hit a six and when I hit a six, he was shocked. He then bowled two consecutive bouncers which I evaded. He then abused me and I replied back. But after the game, we sat together as if nothing happened.

“Shoaib once threatened me he would come to my room and beat me. I told him come, let’s see who beats whom. I was really scared. He is a great hulk. He once bashed me and Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) inside a room. Since he was heavy, it was difficult to catch him,” Harbhajan said.