'Lara fell back, almost unconscious': When Akhtar's lethal bouncer made young Sammy question if he wants to play cricket
Speaking in an interview with The Current as per the Cricket Pakistan website, Sammy recalled the incident which took place at the time when he made his debut for Windies in the Champions Trophy.
Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy recalled the time when a bouncer from Shoaib Akhtar struck Brian Lara on the head, causing him to fall almost unconscious. Sammy, who played 126 ODIs, 38 Tests, and 68 T20Is for West Indies, and also led the team to two T20I World Cup titles, said that Akhtar's blow to Lara made him reconsider if he wants to play cricket again.
Speaking in an interview with The Current as per the Cricket Pakistan website, Sammy recalled the incident which took place when he was fairly new to cricket, during the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy match.
“When I made my debut for the West Indies in the Champions Trophy, I remember Pakistan playing West Indies at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire. They were opening with Mohammad Sami, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar," Sammy recalled.
"I saw Shoaib Akhtar bowling a bouncer to Brian Lara and hit him in the head. Brian Lara fell back, probably almost unconscious. I was sitting, and I was 19 years old next to Dwayne Bravo. I literally questioned whether I wanted to play cricket again. Shoaib Akhtar did that to me,” he further said.
Sammy further recalled speaking to Akhtar about the incident a few days ago in Islamabad.
“I met him four days ago in Islamabad, and I gave him that story. He said, ‘Brian clipped him for four on the first ball,’ and I guess that was his response. It was a joy to watch the Rawalpindi Express coming down with his hair flying," Sammy said.
"Shoaib Akhtar with his pace. In the current day, even though I am not playing, I would pad up easily against any bowler and try to hit them out of the park,” he signed off.
