ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has dismissed Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh’s claim that he pummeled Singh along with Indian middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh.

“I am friends with both Harbhajhan and Yuvraj and whatever happened in Islamabad hotel room was a joke,” Akhtar told Geo News.

The 40-year-old fast bowler said that Harbhajan and Yuvraj were years younger than him and used to come to him during their stay in Pakistan to seek travel advice.

“Harbhajan exaggerated the whole story as despite being an aggressive player, it is not in my nature to beat my juniors.

“It was an incident of arm-wrestling,” Shoaib said.

Singh in an interview with Indian show “Aap ki Adalat” had claimed that Akhtar pummeled him along with Yuvraj.

“Shoaib once threatened me that he’d barge my room to hit me. I told him ‘we will see who hits who’. Nonetheless, I was scared because of his bulky physique.

“Once, he hit Yuvraj and me. Because of his heavy build, it was difficult to overpower him,” the off-spinner told the show host.

Commenting on England captain Alastair Cook’s warning that Mohammad Amir may face a sort of “reaction” from fans at Lord’s, the Rawalpindi Express said that Amir should take utmost care and use all his aggression in bowling.