During England's tour of Pakistan in October to December 2005, a memorable sledging exchange took place between Andrew Flintoff and Shoaib Akhtar. The incident occurred during the second Test in Faisalabad, where tensions between the two players escalated into a verbal confrontation that would have immediate consequences on the field. England lost the three-match Test series 2-0 and the five-match ODI series 3-2 during the tour, captained by Michael Vaughan in the Test format.
Flintoff had been targeted verbally by Akhtar before the dismissal, with the Pakistan fast bowler repeatedly calling him fat during the match. The England all-rounder decided to respond with his own remark as he walked out to bat. According to Flintoff's account, he attempted to shut down the sledging with a comment about Akhtar's appearance and bowling style.
"He kept having a go at me for being fat; he kept calling me fat this, fat that," Flintoff said as quoted by The Cricket News.
Flintoff revealed that his famous remark was a response to Shoaib Akhtar’s repeated jokes about his weight, which he eventually decided to put an end to.
“He kept having a go at me for being fat; he kept calling me fat this, fat that,” said Flintoff.
Determined to respond, Flintoff decided to give Akhtar a taste of his own medicine. He explained, 'I'm not having this, I'm going to nip this in the bud. So, as I walked out, I called him'. The exchange became a memorable moment between the two cricketers.
Flintoff then recalled his direct remark to the Pakistan fast bowler, saying, 'I said, ‘Shoaib, it's all right, you look like Tarzan but you bowl like Jane.’ Which haunted me straight away'. However, the England all-rounder soon realised that his words had backfired.
Flintoff revealed that Akhtar responded almost immediately on the field. He recalled, 'I walked out to bat, I think first, or second ball, me off stump was cart-wheeling back as he knocked it over'. Flintoff added, 'And then, as I walked off, he gave it the big hooahhhoah'.
During the Kathmandu Podcast, Niroula brought up the famous exchange with Shoaib Akhtar, asking, 'You look like Tarzan, but bowl like Jane, and then that triggered you, right?' Akhtar responded by explaining the circumstances surrounding the incident, which took place during a tournament in Australia.
Akhtar admitted that he was not particularly optimistic about his team’s chances, given Australia’s dominance at the time. He said, 'It was a very stupid idea, because Australia was at his best time and no matter who you play against, Australia play against, they are just gonna win it'.
He also revealed that financial incentives influenced his decision to participate despite his reservations. Akhtar explained, 'There is a World Championship happening, I wasn't that keen to play that, but they are paying so much money'. He added, “So, I was like, ‘Okay, might as well just play a couple of games and that's it’ because I was injured'.
The Pakistan fast bowler further disclosed that his knee injury affected his preparations and limited his plans for the tournament. Recalling the situation, he said, 'I had my knee injury, and I had to take a couple of injections to get fit on'. He continued, 'So, I thought, ‘You know, let's go out there and play a few games and take money, and probably, say, rest me'.
Akhtar revealed that he was eventually dropped from the team, which may have contributed to Flintoff’s perception of him. He said, 'Anyways, they dropped me anyways'. Reflecting on how his attitude might have appeared to the England all-rounder, Akhtar added, 'So, he had that kind of impression from me that he is not being serious about this whole cricket thing'.
