Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Shoaib Akhtar: 400 Test wickets possible under Imran Khan
Shoaib Akhtar was a very fast bowler from Pakistan.
He said that if he had played under the leadership of Imran Khan, he could have taken 400 wickets in Test cricket.
Test cricket is the longest kind of cricket match.
Shoaib took 178 wickets in Test matches.
He played international cricket from 1997 to 2011.
He retired during the 2011 World Cup in India.
Shoaib said his body hurt a lot because of his tough career.
He had to wake up three hours before everyone else and work out.
After a match, it took him five hours to recover.
He also said his knees would jam up and lock.
Shoaib Akhtar said he could have taken 400 Test wickets had he played under Imran Khan's leadership.
The 51-year-old made the claim on a Geo TV show, noting he had taken more than 400 first-class wickets.
Akhtar took 178 wickets in 46 Tests during a career that lasted from 1997 to 2011.
He retired during the 2011 World Cup in India amid reported differences with then captain Shahid Afridi.
Akhtar recalled his punishing fitness routine, waking three hours before others and needing five hours to recover after matches.
- Who
- Shoaib Akhtar, the 51-year-old former Pakistan fast bowler
- What
- Claimed he could have taken 400 Test wickets if he had played under Imran Khan's leadership
- When
- August 14, during an appearance on a Geo TV show
- Where
- Karachi, Pakistan, where the report was filed; remarks made on Geo TV
- Why
- Because he believes Imran Khan's fiery leadership would have helped him learn and take more wickets
- Age
- 51 years
- Test wickets
- 178 in 46 Tests
- ODI wickets
- 247 in 163 ODIs
- T20I wickets
- 21 in 15 T20Is
- Career span
- 1997-2011
- Test debut
- Against West Indies in Rawalpindi
- First-class wickets
- More than 400
- Retirement
- During the 2011 World Cup in India