'Perks of bowling fast': Shoaib Akhtar in great pain, says he needs prayers

He calls it the perks of bowling fast. Former Pakistan tearaway Shoaib Akhtar has undergone surgery on both his knees at a Melbourne hospital to get some relief from the pain that is still troubling him so long after his playing years.

From his hospital bed, Akhtar has posted a video on Instagram telling people that is in pain and that he needs their prayers. "Surgery went well. It will take some time to recover. Need your prayers," he wrote.

Akhtar was one of the fastest bowlers ever to have played the game, was recorded at more than 160 kph twice in his career, and wasn't a welcome sight for even the best of batsmen on any pitch.

In the video he said that the injuries he sustained as a fast bowler troubled him even 11 years after his retirement. Akhtar already underwent a few surgeries on his knees over the past few years, and hoped this would be the last.

"These are the perks of bowling fast. This is what happens: you lose bones and ribs and everything. But, it doesn't matter. Playing for Pakistan was worth it," the Rawalpindi Express said.

Sports doctors would tell you that the human body is not really built for bowling fast, and that too from a side-on action. Even powerful athletes who run in and send the cherry hurtling at speeds in excess of 150 kph risk incurring stress fractures or injuries to their lower back and knees. For someone like Akhtar, who used to gallop in hard and give it a go with all his might, the risks were even higher.

Akhtar said he didn't mind all that. "If I get another chance, I will do it again," he said.