Shoaib Akhtar Pakistan
Personal Information
BornAug 13, 1975 (40 years)Birth Place Rawalpindi, Punjab Nickname Akhtar Height6 ft 0 in Role Bowler... Batting Style Right Handed Bat... Bowling Style Right-arm fast.
Career Information
Test debutNov 29, 1997, vs West Indies, Rawalpindi Cricket StadiumLast Test Dec 08, 2007, vs India, M.Chinnaswamy StadiumODI debutMar 28, 1998, vs Zimbabwe, Harare Sports ClubLast ODIMar 08, 2011, vs New Zealand, Pallekele International Cricket StadiumT20 debutAug 28, 2006, vs England, County GroundLast T20vs New Zealand, Dec 28, 2010, Seddon ParkIPL debutvs Delhi Daredevils, May 13, 2008, Eden GardensLast IPLvs Delhi Daredevils, May 22, 2008, Feroz Shah KotlaProfile
Shoaib Akhtar lived by the sword and often died by it. A maverick performer on the field, he was controversy's favorite child off it. His life was a roller-coaster ride with highs and lows on a regular basis. However, when it came to bowling, and in the aspect of speed, there was no better sight than Akhtar.
His debut was to have come against India in the 1996 Sahara Cup played in Toronto. However, he was sent home due to indiscipline and poor attitude. Due to this, his international debut was delayed for a year. After making a quiet debut, he gave a full view of his raw pace during Pakistan's tour to South Africa in 1998. Having come into the match with a knee injury, he bowled at pace to take 5/43 and help Pakistan win in South Africa for the first time.
If there is one one moment that would best describe Akhtar, then it has to be his spell in the Asian Test Championship match against India at a jam packed Eden Gardens at Kolkata in 1999. He removed Rahul Dravid with a peach of an in-swinging yorker and won his first battle with Sachin Tendulkar, bowling him for a golden duck to silence the capacity crowd.
From that moment in time, Shoaib Akhtar was known as the Speed Demon. His pace had every nation gasping for breath. His 6/11 against New Zealand at Lahore had the Kiwis begging for mercy. His sublime spell of 5/21 against Australia at Colombo almost set up a win, but the batsmen blew it. However, in between all these mesmerizing spells, injury and controversy always knocked on his door.
He was in the news for repeated altercations with his team mates. In 2006, he and Mohammad Asif were suspended by the PCB after they tested positive for taking Nandrolone. Akhtar was cleared on appeal but he was forced to miss the 2007 World Cup. Akhtar was also involved in an ugly fight in the 2007 T20 World Cup with Asif, but he apologized for the incident. In the midst of all this, injuries continued to take a toll on his body and he decided to quit the game after the 2011 World Cup.
He will always be remembered as the man who broke the 100 mile mark not once, but twice. Unfortunately, he will also be remembered as the man who liked to court controversy on a frequent basis
Batting Career Summary:
M Inn NO Runs HS Avg BF SR 100 200 50 4s 6s St
Tests 46 67 13 544 47 10.07 1313 41.43 0 0 0 53 22 0
ODI 163 84 40 394 43 8.95 538 73.23 0 0 0 27 12 0
T20I 15 6 3 21 8 7 16 131.25 0 0 0 2 1 0
IPL 3 1 0 2 2 2 7 28.57 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bowling Career Summary:
M Inn B Runs Wkts BBI BBM Econ Avg SR 5W 10W
Tests 46 82 8143 4574 178 11/6 78/11 3.37 25.7 45.75 12 2
ODI 163 162 7764 6169 247 16/6 16/6 4.77 24.98 31.43 4 0
T20I 15 15 318 432 19 38/3 38/3 8.15 22.74 16.74 0 0
IPL 3 3 42 54 5 11/4 11/4 7.71 10.8 8.4 0 0
