Shoaib Akhtar vs Brian Lara | Only Encounter | Lara Injured by Raw Pace

Shoaib Akhtar made his international debut in 1997. Brian Lara, already a modern batting giant, played his last international match in 2007. Two of the biggest cricketing names of their era were active for almost ten years together. In between these ten years Pakistan and West Indies faced each other 37 times ( 27 times in ODIS and 10 times in tests) Yet unbelievably, Shoaib Akhtar and Brian Lara came face to face only once. That moment came in the 2004 Champions Trophy, Pakistan vs West Indies. Lara walked in to bat, and the whole stadium buzzed. The world was ready to witness a dream battle: The Rawalpindi Express vs The Prince of Trinidad. But that dream lasted only five balls. Shoaib steamed in, bowling with serious pace and aggression. One delivery rose sharply, climbing into Lara and striking him painfully on the back of Lara head. Lara immediately dropped his bat, clearly hurt. The physio rushed in, but the injury was bad enough that Lara had to leave the field, retired hurt. Shoaib, despite being a fierce competitor, showed pure sportsmanship by saying sorry after the game. I'm sorry I hit him but it was honest bowling," said Shoaib, who along with the rest of the Pakistan side rushed straight to Lara the moment the ball hit him. "He is one of my favourite batsmen. I've played four series against West Indies but I've not had the chance to bowl to him since the start of my Test career." #ShoaibAkhtar #BrianLara #CricketStory #CricketFacts #CricketHistory #PakistanCricket #WestIndiesCricket #RawalpindiExpress #LegendVsLegend #CricketShorts #CricketReels #CricketFans #ChampionsTrophy #FastBowling #CricketLife #SportsStories #InstaCricket #CricketLove #CricketAddict #VintageCricket