Shoaib Akhtar says he could have reached 400 Test wickets under Imran Khan
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar said on a Geo TV show on 2026-08-14 that he believed he could have taken 400 Test wickets had he played under Imran Khan.
Akhtar finished his Test career with 178 wickets in 46 matches and pointed to a first-class record that included more than 400 wickets when explaining his view. He described Imran Khan as his dream captain and noted that Imran had already retired from international cricket by the time Akhtar made his Test debut against the West Indies in Rawalpindi, his hometown.
"If I had played earlier under the fiery leadership of Imran Khan I would have learnt a lot and I would have taken 400 wickets in Test cricket," said the 51-year-old.
Akhtar said his international career unfolded under a succession of Pakistan captains and that his relationships with some skippers were complicated. He retired from international cricket during the 2011 World Cup in India amid reported differences with then-captain Shahid Afridi.
He also recalled the early overlap with Wasim Akram's captaincy, saying Akram had expressed reservations about giving him a Test debut and that their relationship contained both admiration and friction. Akhtar and Akram were part of Pakistan sides that toured India in 1999 and reached the 1999 World Cup final in England, where Pakistan finished runners-up to Australia at Lord's.
On the physical cost of bowling at extreme pace, Akhtar said: "I had to wake up three hours before everyone else. I had to cycle first, then go to the gym. My knees would get jammed and lock up. "I would have fluid drained from them, apply medication, and ice them," adding later: "Then I would go somewhere and bowl in a match, and after that, it would take me another five hours to recover. That was my life." He finished his limited-overs career with 247 wickets in 163 ODIs and 21 wickets in 15 T20Is.
Akhtar’s remarks were framed around the missed opportunity to play under Imran Khan and the physical demands he described, with his retirement during the 2011 World Cup in India remaining the final chapter of his international career as noted in his comments.
