KARACHI, April 29: Pakistan on Monday discovered a new fast bowling sensation when Abbottabad’s Ahmed Jamal bagged the PCB-Ufone ‘King of Speed’ competition by delivering a 143-kilometre delivery at the National Stadium which made the 24-year-old a deserving recipient of the Rs 1 million offered by the sponsor.

Ahmed, a gangling figure of six feet, four inches who also played for first-class debutants Port Qasim Authority in the inaugural edition of the President’s Trophy Grade-I event this season, was the only bowler to clock more than 140 kilometres among the final four contestants and did it on four successive balls after the first two were clocked at 139. On the remaining four of the six deliveries, Ahmed racked up speeds of 141, 143, 141 and 141.

His rivals Faisal Yasin of Sialkot and the Karachi duo of left-armer Abdul Ameer an Mohammad Imran fell well behind the winner. Faisal’s fastest delivery was measured at 135 with two of them declared no-balls; Ameer’s quickest was 134 while Imran best effort was 136.

The main interest of the last day of the 10-day camp was finding the quickest bowler who could hurl a delivery at a speed of 145 or more outside the main crop of bowlers who had been attending the special programme under the vigilant eyes of the legendary Wasim Akram and the Pakistan team bowling coach Mohammad Akram.

The organisers announced that condition to reach or top the 145-kilometre per hour landmark was being set aside and any bowler who would clock the highest speed would win the competition. Hence, Ahmed was crowned as the ‘king of speed’.

Ahmed, who has captured 129 wickets in 34 first-class matches since making his debut in 2009-10, was naturally over the moon at scooping the biggest prize of his life while disclosing that it was former Test fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar who proved an inspiration for him.

“What can I say? I’m very happy to have won this competition and thrilled about my achievement. This is the biggest [thus far] moment of my life,” said Ahmed while talking to reporters afterwards. “I want to make a name for myself and prove that this feat is no fluke.”

Ahmed, who was picked for the final after trials held in 10 cities, including his hometown Abbottabad, said that he drew inspiration from ex-Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar.

“Shoaib was the one who inspired me the most. I have tried to model his bowling action as much as I can because my dream is to become a genuine fast bowler like him and hopefully play for Pakistan in the near future,” Ahmed remarked.

Meanwhile, Wasim expressed his delight at being asked to supervise the camp, while hoping that the exercise won’t end here.

“It was a pleasure for me personally to be involved with the boys and although the duration [of the camp] was short, I was very impressed with the kind of talent we worked with,” said the former all-rounder — regarded as the finest left-arm fast bowler of all time — while addressing a brief media conference at the conclusion of the camp.

“I’m grateful to both the PCB and the sponsor for undertaking such an initiative. This is probably beginning of a bright future in Pakistan cricket because the enthusiasm shown by the participants was extraordinary. They are a passionate bunch of cricketers who want to learn.

“I can safely say that in the coming five to six years, Pakistan would have a rich crop of fast bowlers to choose from. It was not just bowling fast, The boys were taught how they should get themselves accustomed to the different playing surfaces, the length to bowl and how to more before skillful in conditions which are totally alien.

“Moreover, we together worked in other key areas, including improving the mental strength side. Moin-ul-Atiq [cricket board’s motivational speaker and sports psychologist] has done wonders with the boys. I’m sure they would have benefitted a lot from Moin’s guidance and pep talk.”

Wasim praised Ahmed Jamal and rated him as a very talented bowler. “This fellow has the ability to work hard and add more pace to his armoury. I think he has got a very bright future and could be a potential asset for Pakistan cricket.”

Intikhab Alam, the PCB’s director of academies and international cricket who was present on the occasion, said that the board aims to hold specialized clinics for spinners and wicket-keepers in the future.