'Rawalpindi Express Reloaded': Video Of Seamer's Shoaib Akhtar-esque Action Goes Viral

With his lethal pace and sheer consistency, legendary Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has gone on to influence a young bunch of talents over the years. Akhtar has certainly been idolised by many but it has been next to impossible to replicate his incredible series of achievements. While Akhtar remains a towering figure in cricket history, there have been many trying to imitate the Rawalpindi Express’ on-field antics. A video has now gone viral on X (formerly Twitter) where a bowler, named Imran Muhammad, can be seen pulling off an action quite similar to that of Akhtar. From his run-up to releasing the delivery, Imran’s bowling action was eerily to similar that of the ex-Pakistan cricketer. Despite his pace and power-packed run-up, Imran can be seen producing a wide delivery in the video.

The now-viral X post also talked about the uncanny similarity between the two cricketers. “He’s more Shoaib Akhtar than Shoaib Akhtar himself,” read the post.

In the video, Muhammad was seen representing IAS Invincibles against Yalla Shabab Giants in the Oman D10 League 2024. Imran picked up one wicket in one over conceding 10 runs against Yalla Shabab Giants. The 35-year-old had claimed the wicket of Mujibur Imran Ali for 13. Batting first, IAS Invincibles scored 85 runs losing three wickets. Yalla Shabab Giants clinched a win by four wickets. As seen in the video, Imran has 21 wickets under his belt in 14 matches in the competition.

As for Shoaib Akhtar, the legendary pacer has represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20Is. In Tests and ODIs, Akhtar scripted impressive economic rates of 3.37 and 4.76. In red-ball cricket, Akhtar has 178 wickets to his name. He picked up 247 scalps in the 50-over format. In the shortest format of the game, Akhtar bagged 19 wickets. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he featured in three games and has five wickets to his name in the competition.

In 2002, Akhtar became the first player to bowl a delivery at a pace of 100 miles per hour. He achieved this feat during an ODI match between Pakistan and New Zealand played in Lahore.