Shoaib Akhtar Biography
Towards late-90s, ever since the speedometer grew in prominence, tracking bowing speeds shifted from being another statistical feature to an obsession that added marvel to a seamer’s repute. It tempted a generation of pacemen to topple what was long believed to be Jeff Thomson’s standing record of a 99.9 Mph delivery. Only two candidates emerged from that rat race, Thompson’s Australian compatriot Brett Lee, and before Lee a Pakistani, later dubbed as ‘The Rawalpindi Express,’ Shoaib Akhtar.
Running in like a sprinter, freckles protruding focused eyes that sought a solitary purpose of hitting the deck hard as possible to shock his batting nemesis by sheer speed and dismantle the erect stumps he guards into multiple pieces. It successfully startled many, as few had experienced ball movement that rapid. It either unsettled batsmen or even a fortuitous knick had enough to sneak a boundary. Old school swing was very much second-fiddle. Here was cricket’s rebel. It kept audiences glued and Shoaib had carved himself a novelty in cricketainment.
That novelty’s zenith came earlier than many realize, at the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England. Then, a mere year into his International career, Shoaib accompanied captain Wasim Akram to lead Pakistan’s bowling attack, succeeding a retired Waqar Younis. Many were still coping to comprehend an enigma as Shoaib gained enough leverage to be among the tournament’s top wicket-takers. The novelty slowly wore off, though. It also took its toll, with Shoaib’s bones and ligaments undergoing severe wear and tear. It directly affected his speeds. Brett Lee’s emergence no longer made Shoaib’s style one of-a-kind, as neither could dominate world cricket, only constantly rehash their fear-factors from time to time by honing variation skills (for Shoaib, his slower one), getting bulk wickets over odd matches. Batsmen soon became cultured sloggers, in a game which itself transitioned more in their favour.
Large layoffs owing to injuries rebuffed efforts to rebuild his career, increasing frustration. Companionship was sought with controversies, from performance-enhancing & recreational drugs, to a run-in with teammate Mohammad Asif. Under-the-hood, WADA suspicions grew which the PCB did best to protect Akhtar from. Bans were dished, appealed against and overturned. Successful returns in the IPL and Limited Over Internationals reinvigorated fanfare. A larger picture, beyond speed (wickets), always felt needful. Akhtar did go onto break Thompson’s record. At what price, few would know.
Fast Facts
In April, 2002, Shoaib broke the record for bowling the fastest ball ever recorded at 160.9344kph breaking Jeff Thomson’s 160.45kph in 1975.
It made Shoaib the only bowler in cricketing history to have a delivery recorded at over 100 Mph.
Among the inning best bowling stats in ODIs, Shoaib’s career best 0of 6/16 against New Zealand at Karachi in 2002ranks the 14th highest.
The 6/16 is also the fourth highest for ODIs for Pakistan behind Waqar Younis’ 7/36, Aaqib Javed’s 7/37 and Imran Khan’s 6/14.
With over 10+ instances of 4 or more wickets in ODIs, Shoaib ranks joint-10th in ODI history among players to have attained the feat.
He is also among the 5 Pakistanis in the said feat, behind Waqar, Wasim, Saqlain, and Razzaq.
As a tailender, Shoaib took 77 ODIs to reach a 100 runs, the 9th slowest in limited over history.
He also ranks 15th among batsmen who have taken longest to score 500 Test runs, taking him 42 matches in all.
Shoaib went 16 ODI matches without taking a wicket, joint-10 in the standings among regular bowlers. West Indian Ian Bishop tops the list with 25 wicketless ODIs.
In 2008, when Shoaib bowled South African captain Greame Smith for a duck, it was the 37th instance in an ODI that he sent a batsman packing for naught, moving him into the top 10.
Towards late-90s, ever since the speedometer grew in prominence, tracking bowing speeds shifted from being another statistical feature to an obsession that added marvel to a seamer’s repute. It tempted a generation of pacemen to topple what was long believed to be Jeff Thomson’s standing record of a 99.9 Mph delivery. Only two candidates emerged from that rat race, Thompson’s Australian compatriot Brett Lee, and before Lee a Pakistani, later dubbed as ‘The Rawalpindi Express,’ Shoaib Akhtar.
Running in like a sprinter, freckles protruding focused eyes that sought a solitary purpose of hitting the deck hard as possible to shock his batting nemesis by sheer speed and dismantle the erect stumps he guards into multiple pieces. It successfully startled many, as few had experienced ball movement that rapid. It either unsettled batsmen or even a fortuitous knick had enough to sneak a boundary. Old school swing was very much second-fiddle. Here was cricket’s rebel. It kept audiences glued and Shoaib had carved himself a novelty in cricketainment.
That novelty’s zenith came earlier than many realize, at the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England. Then, a mere year into his International career, Shoaib accompanied captain Wasim Akram to lead Pakistan’s bowling attack, succeeding a retired Waqar Younis. Many were still coping to comprehend an enigma as Shoaib gained enough leverage to be among the tournament’s top wicket-takers. The novelty slowly wore off, though. It also took its toll, with Shoaib’s bones and ligaments undergoing severe wear and tear. It directly affected his speeds. Brett Lee’s emergence no longer made Shoaib’s style one of-a-kind, as neither could dominate world cricket, only constantly rehash their fear-factors from time to time by honing variation skills (for Shoaib, his slower one), getting bulk wickets over odd matches. Batsmen soon became cultured sloggers, in a game which itself transitioned more in their favour.
Large layoffs owing to injuries rebuffed efforts to rebuild his career, increasing frustration. Companionship was sought with controversies, from performance-enhancing & recreational drugs, to a run-in with teammate Mohammad Asif. Under-the-hood, WADA suspicions grew which the PCB did best to protect Akhtar from. Bans were dished, appealed against and overturned. Successful returns in the IPL and Limited Over Internationals reinvigorated fanfare. A larger picture, beyond speed (wickets), always felt needful. Akhtar did go onto break Thompson’s record. At what price, few would know.
Fast Facts
In April, 2002, Shoaib broke the record for bowling the fastest ball ever recorded at 160.9344kph breaking Jeff Thomson’s 160.45kph in 1975.
It made Shoaib the only bowler in cricketing history to have a delivery recorded at over 100 Mph.
Among the inning best bowling stats in ODIs, Shoaib’s career best 0of 6/16 against New Zealand at Karachi in 2002ranks the 14th highest.
The 6/16 is also the fourth highest for ODIs for Pakistan behind Waqar Younis’ 7/36, Aaqib Javed’s 7/37 and Imran Khan’s 6/14.
With over 10+ instances of 4 or more wickets in ODIs, Shoaib ranks joint-10th in ODI history among players to have attained the feat.
He is also among the 5 Pakistanis in the said feat, behind Waqar, Wasim, Saqlain, and Razzaq.
As a tailender, Shoaib took 77 ODIs to reach a 100 runs, the 9th slowest in limited over history.
He also ranks 15th among batsmen who have taken longest to score 500 Test runs, taking him 42 matches in all.
Shoaib went 16 ODI matches without taking a wicket, joint-10 in the standings among regular bowlers. West Indian Ian Bishop tops the list with 25 wicketless ODIs.
In 2008, when Shoaib bowled South African captain Greame Smith for a duck, it was the 37th instance in an ODI that he sent a batsman packing for naught, moving him into the top 10.
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
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