Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen went down the memory lane and recalled his first-ever tour to Pakistan back in 2005. Recalling the tough tour, the former English skipper revealed the shock and awe he was in seeing Shoaib Akhtar bowling at an unimaginable pace in that particular Test series.

Pietersen mentions how he went to Pakistan after a solid performance at the 2005 Ashes. Beaming with confidence, Pietersen was confident of performing well in the subcontinent, However, he managed to score a single hundred and only 201 runs during the test tour.

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In 2005, England toured Pakistan for playing the three-match Test series. The Englishmen were torn apart by Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar, who grabbed 17 wickets in his three matches. Banking on Akhar’s performance, Pakistan unsurprisingly won the series by 2-0.

Speaking with  Cricket Pakistan Pietersen recalled how he was simply frightened by Shoaib Akhtar’s pace. He said, “My first proper Test tour abroad was Pakistan. It was straight off the 2005 Ashes. That was frightening. The speed at which Shoaib Akhtar bowled in that series, my goodness!”

Pietersen recalled how Flintoff sledged Akhtar. The former English all-rounder called Akhtar a Tarzan look-alike. Pietersen adds,  “I remember it was quite funny. Shoaib was struggling with his knee and he wasn’t bowling as quick and Freddie [Andrew Flintoff] turned to him and said ‘Shoaib, it’s no use looking like Tarzan and bowling like Jane buddy’,”

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However, Flintoff’s plan backfired as Akhtar came out all guns blazing and bowled quicker than he was bowling in the morning, “You could see that Shoaib took this to heart. My goodness! The speed at which Shoaib Akhtar bowled in that Test series, oh my word! Crazy, he was bowling faster at five in the afternoon than he was in the morning. It was crazy, crazy,” former England skipper asserted.