Shoaib Akhtar reveals an interesting incident with Mohammad Yousuf from 1999 World Cup

KARACHI: Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed an interesting and hilarious incident involving him and legendary Pakistan batter, Mohammad Yousuf during the Green Shirts match against West Indies in the 1999 World Cup.

Shoaib Akhtar reflected on his excitement at playing in his first World Cup. However, in the midst of all the excitement, he forgot his socks.

"It was my first World Cup, and I was keen to make an impression", Akhtar told SK Tales. "I was extremely excited as the crowd had come to see me. Both Pakistanis and Indians had gathered at the stadium. I was all pumped up ahead of the game, but then suddenly I realized that I had forgotten my socks."

Akhtar made his international debut in 1997 and competed in his first World Cup in England in 1999.

"I secretly went back to the dressing room and wore the socks that I found in Mohammad Yousuf’s bag. Later, Yousuf came in and was wondering where his socks had disappeared.

"As the match was about to begin, Yousuf started checking everyone’s socks. When he came towards me, I ran towards my run-up.

"I explained to him, 'We are facing the West Indies and this is a World Cup game, so please adjust.' So, eventually, I went in wearing Yousuf’s socks and someone else's spikes," he narrated.

During the 1999 World Cup, Pakistan faced the West Indies and batted first, scoring 229 before restricting the West Indies to 202.