Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn recently honored Pakistani cricket legend Shoaib Akhtar, declaring his delivery in the 1999 Cricket World Cup as the best yorker in cricket history.
This tribute was given in response to a query from Iceland Cricket on X (formerly Twitter), which asked, “Which bowler has had the best yorker in history?” Steyn promptly replied, citing “99 World Cup, Shoaib Akhtar.”
Iceland Cricket concurred with Steyn’s choice, recalling Akhtar’s unforgettable yorker to New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming during the 1999 World Cup.
In that tournament, held in England, Akhtar was in exceptional form, claiming 16 wickets in 10 matches. Although Pakistan was defeated by Australia in the final, Akhtar’s performance was among the highlights.
Shoaib Akhtar, famed for his extreme speed, had a distinguished career spanning over 14 years with Pakistan. His impressive career statistics include 46 Test matches with 178 wickets, 163 One Day Internationals (ODIs) with 247 wickets, and 15 T20 Internationals with 19 wickets. Akhtar’s influence on cricket, especially his lethal yorkers, has cemented his legacy in the sport.
The speedster also recorded the fastest delivery in cricket history clocking up to 161.3 kmph against England in 2003 which is still an unbeaten record to date.
