Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistani former cricketer who is considered by many as one of the most feared and greatest fast bowlers of modern cricket, was born on 13 August 1975 in Rawalpindi (Pakistan). Nicknamed the "Rawalpindi Express" for his speed, the Pakistani former cricketer made his Test debut on 29 November 1997 v West Indies and played his first one day international on 28 March 1998 against Zimbabwe.
Shoaib Akhtar grabbed limelight when he clean bowled Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, two legendary Indian batsmen, off successive deliveries at Eden Gardens in India in 1999. In this test match, he captured eight wickets in the Asian Test championship match at Calcutta. His relationship with Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer deteriorated due to his commitment to the team. Shoaib regained his reputation as a fast bowler in 2005 when he emerged as the highest wicket taker of the series with seventeen wickets in a three Test home series against England.
Shoaib is regarded as the fastest bowler ever in the history of cricket and has bowled at speeds of 161.3kph, 160kph, 159kph, and 158.4kph. The now-retired bowler is the first bowler in the history of cricket to have been recorded to bowl over 100 mph. He was banned for 13 matches by the Pakistan Cricket Board that imposed a fine of approximately US$57,000 on him. This was after the speedster was found guilty of a number of breaches, including his spat with teammate Mohammad Asif in South Africa. Shoaib Akhtar was also found guilty of playing a charity match without the consent of PCB and was also reprimanded for holding an unauthorized press conference in his home country about his duel with Asif and making statements to the press about his doping case.
In 2006, Shoaib tested positive for Nandrolone during a Test match series in Australia in 2005 but the ban was later lifted on appeal. Shoaib Akhtar announced his retirement after the 2011 World Cup and his last test match was against India on 8 December 2007 and his last one day international was against New Zealand on 8 March 2011.
Shoaib Akhtar grabbed limelight when he clean bowled Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, two legendary Indian batsmen, off successive deliveries at Eden Gardens in India in 1999. In this test match, he captured eight wickets in the Asian Test championship match at Calcutta. His relationship with Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer deteriorated due to his commitment to the team. Shoaib regained his reputation as a fast bowler in 2005 when he emerged as the highest wicket taker of the series with seventeen wickets in a three Test home series against England.
Shoaib is regarded as the fastest bowler ever in the history of cricket and has bowled at speeds of 161.3kph, 160kph, 159kph, and 158.4kph. The now-retired bowler is the first bowler in the history of cricket to have been recorded to bowl over 100 mph. He was banned for 13 matches by the Pakistan Cricket Board that imposed a fine of approximately US$57,000 on him. This was after the speedster was found guilty of a number of breaches, including his spat with teammate Mohammad Asif in South Africa. Shoaib Akhtar was also found guilty of playing a charity match without the consent of PCB and was also reprimanded for holding an unauthorized press conference in his home country about his duel with Asif and making statements to the press about his doping case.
In 2006, Shoaib tested positive for Nandrolone during a Test match series in Australia in 2005 but the ban was later lifted on appeal. Shoaib Akhtar announced his retirement after the 2011 World Cup and his last test match was against India on 8 December 2007 and his last one day international was against New Zealand on 8 March 2011.
Tags: Shoaib Akhtar, Rawalpindi Express, Sachin Tendulkar, history of cricket, Nandrolone