PERTH, Oct 11: Firebrand Shoaib Akhtar has a long way to go to achieve his ambition of being remembered as cricket’s greatest fast bowler, legendary Australian pace champion Dennis Lillee said Friday.

Lillee described as “cocksure stuff” Shoaib’s desire to be remembered as the game’s fastest and greatest speed exponent, expressed after his withering performance in the first Test in Colombo.

Lillee pointed out that Shoaib had so far played in a mere 22 Tests, capturing 77 wickets at an average of 27.69.

“I think it’s terrific he feels that way (confident), but you would think that would be an inner thought rather than one you would blab to the newspapers,” Lillee wrote in The West Australian.

“Once you have played 50 or 60 Tests, and are still going great guns, would perhaps be a more appropriate time to say that sort of thing out loud.

“There are a lot of bowlers who have done much better than he has, so he’s got a long way to go,” said Lillee, who took 355 Test wickets at an average of 23.92 from 70 games between 1970 and 1984.—AFP