|| Desk Report ||

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhter made a sensational claim that he turned down a couple of big deals including a staggering 175,000-pound county contract with Nottinghamshire to fight the war in Kargil in 1999.

“People hardly know about this story. I had an astounding amount of 175,000-pound contract with Nottingham. Then in 2002, I had another big contract. I left both when Kargil happened,” claimed Shoaib Akhter, who was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in the history of cricket.

“I stood on the outskirts of Lahore. A general asked me what I’m doing there. I said war is about to start and we’ll die together. I left county [cricket] twice like this and the counties were shocked. I wasn’t concerned about that. I called up my friends in Kashmir and told them I’m ready to fight,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by ARY News.

 “When the planes (from India) came and downed some of our trees that were a big loss for us. They dropped 6-7 trees and we’re really putting a lot of focus on trees now. I was very hurt about this. I was feeling dizzy when I woke up that day and my wife told me to calm down. But until the next day when I saw the news, that continued. I know the inside story of what happened on the next day, I’m from Rawalpindi and I know GHQ,” he added.

The Kargil Conflict took place between Indian and Pakistan forces in between May and July 1999, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of soldiers on both sides.