Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Personal information
Nickname	Rawalpindi Express
Source: Cricinfo, 7 January 2008

Shoaib Akhtar (Urdu: شعیب اختر) (born 13 August 1975 in Rawalpindi, Punjab) is a Pakistani cricketer, widely recognized as the fastest bowler in the world, earning him the name Rawalpindi Express. He set a world record by clocking 100mph twice. His ability to bowl fast yorkers, well disguised slow balls, swinging deliveries, and sharp bouncers made him lethal even on dead pitches.

However, he has never been far from controversy, often accused of not being a team player, Shoaib was sent back home from a tour in Australia in 2005. A year later he was embroiled in a drug scandal after testing positive for a banned substance. However, the ban imposed on him was lifted on appeal. In September 2007, Shoaib was banned by the PCB for an indefinite period for the alleged brawl with his team-mate Mohammad Asif. On 1 April 2008 Shoaib was banned for five years for publically criticizing the policies of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Early Years

Shoaib was born at Morgah, a small town near Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan. His father was a worker in Attock Oil Refinery, Morgah. Shoaib started his studies at Malangi High School, Morgah and then took admission in the Asghar Mall College, Rawalpindi. There he was given the chance to show off his talent and consequently come into the limelight.

Performances

Shoaib's run of impressive performances started in 1999 in a pre-World Cup series against India when he shot to prominence. It was followed by outstanding bowling displays in Sharjah and later in 1999 Cricket World Cup. His memorable performance came in India in 1999 when, as a newcomer to the Pakistan team, he took eight wickets in the Asian Test championship match at Calcutta – including the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid off successive deliveries. This was Shoaib's first encounter with Sachin Tendulkar in which Shoaib bowled him for the first ball he delivered to Sachin.

In 2002-03 he played leading roles in Pakistan's wins over South Africa and New Zealand in home and away series. Later in 2005 he fared a spirited bowling attack against Australia. The 2003 World Cup was a huge disappointment especially given the hype, after which he was dropped from the team. He came back in the team with a bang in the 2004 series against New Zealand, but struggled in a lost series against India in 2004. The series ended with a controversy when he left the field citing an injury leading to suspicions by the captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, about his commitment. As a result, his relationship with Inzamam-ul-Haq and the coach Bob Woolmer deteriorated. A medical panel set up by PCB to investigate the nature of his injury, however, dispelled all suspicions.

In 2005, Shoaib regained his reputation as a potent bowler for his side. Playing in a three-Test home series against England, he made a series of impressive bowling efforts on lifeless pitches. His effective use of slower ball proved to be unplayable by English batsmen. He emerged as the highest wicket taker of the series with seventeen wickets. His performance was also acknowledged by the English captain Michael Vaughan, who remarked "I thought he (Shoaib) was a big difference between the two teams". He is also known as the bowler who broke the 100 mph barrier in cricket bowling history.100.2 mph. Shoaib's delivery at 161.4 km/h (100.2mph) stands as the fastest recorded to date.

On October 29 2007, Akhtar made his comeback from his 13-match ban and performed well, taking 4-43 against South Africa in the fifth and deciding ODI in Lahore. Subsequently, he was included in the 16-man Pakistan squad for the 2007 tour of India, which he completed successfully without further incident.

County cricket

Shoaib has played for three counties in English county cricket: Somerset (2001), Durham (2003 and 2004) and Worcestershire (2005). He did have his moments of success (for example, taking 5-35 for Durham against Somerset in the National League in 2003, and claiming 6-16 in the same competition for Worcestershire against Glamorgan two years later) but he also suffered from fitness problems, as well as a perception that he was less than interested in his task. This was particularly the case at Worcestershire: chairman John Elliott said "Players like that are no good to our club. In fact, Shoaib has been no good for any club he's been at. He's a superstar and just does what he wants."

Indian Premier League

Shoaib made a strong comeback in his first game in the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Delhi Daredevils. Defending a low score of 133, Shoaib took four top order wickets which ultimately led to the Daredevils being restricted to 110. He ended with figures of 3-0-11-4, a performance which earned him the player of the match award. Shoaib denied that he had any point to prove with his performance, stating, "I just wanted to win the game." Knight Riders' captain Sourav Ganguly also acknowledged Shoaib's performance, "He came to the country with lots [of things] happening behind him...But he showed a lot of character."

Controversies and Injuries

Shoaib's career has been plagued with injuries, controversies, and accusations of bad attitude. After shooting to stardom at a young age due to his devastating pace, he became more interested in glamour rather than cementing his career. Although he eventually crossed the 100mph barrier, his attitude took its toll on his reputation as well as his fitness. After a poor showing in the 2003 World Cup, he got involved in a verbal spat with then captain Waqar Younis. Later he was axed along with other players, including Younis. In a triangular series in 2003 in Sri Lanka, he was caught tampering with the ball, making him the second player ever to be banned on ball tampering charges. The same year he was banned for one Test and two ODIs for abusing Paul Adams in a match against South Africa. In the 2004 home series with India, he struggled with wrist and back injuries, which raised questions about their authenticity. During the final Test he cited injury and chose not to bowl halfway through but was met with raised eyebrows when he later turned up to bat, apparently enjoying himself. Although his injuries were not proved to be fake, his reputation suffered, especially after Haq's outburst in a post match press conference. His relationship with the captain and the coach deteriorated further partially due to his manipulative nature and partially due to politics.

He was sent back from the 2005 Australia tour with a hamstring injury amid rumors of indiscipline, lack of commitment, and attitudinal complaints. He was subsequently fined by the PCB for avoiding a late night curfew. At this point, once loved Shoaib was reviled alike by teammates, opponents and cricket fans. The rest of his career was riddled with ankle and knee injuries which forced him to undergo a surgery in February 2006, until finally he was banned for two years for using performance enhancing drugs.

In November 2006, the liaison officer assigned to the Pakistani team in India, Anil Kaul, alleged that Shoaib had slapped coach Bob Woolmer following a fight over the music to be played in the team bus on the eve of ICC Champions Trophy. Both Shoaib and Woolmer have, however, strongly denied the allegations.

Drug Scandal

On October 16, 2006, Shoaib was suspended by the PCB, along with Mohammed Asif after the pair were tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance nandrolone. They were consequently pulled from the ICC Champions Trophy 2006.

Shoaib immediately declared his innocence and he declined knowingly taking any performance enhancing drugs. In a statement issued to the press, he claimed that he could never cheat team-mates or opponents. During a hearing with the PCB Anti-Doping Committee (ADC), he along with Asif maintained taking non-steroidal dietary supplements. He, however, failed to convince the committee of his innocence. In its report submitted to PCB, ADC recommended a two year ban.

On November 1, 2006, PCB handed down a two-year suspension to Shoaib and a one-year suspension to Mohammad Asif, banning them from professional cricket during the period. Shoaib had subsequently been added to Pakistan Olympic Association list of doping offenders. However, on December 5, 2006, he was cleared on appeal.

Acquittal

Later it was made clear that he and Shoaib Akhtar only had as much Nandralone in his blood as the body naturally produces. Therefore, the ban imposed on him was overturned on appeal. On December 5 2006 Shoaib and Mohammad Asif were acquitted by the tribunal appointed to review their appeals against the drugs ban imposed on them by an earlier committee. The three-man committee, headed by Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim, voted two to one in favour of the acquittal. Haseeb Ahsan, former Test cricketer, and Ebrahim were in favour of the acquittal while the third member, Danish Zaheer, dissented. “Exceptional circumstances” were cited including discrepancies between the instantaneous offence charges of doping that were laid and the quick delivery of a very harsh verdict. The complete drug testing procedure was concluded to have been technically flawed as it did not follow standard procedures. Other established facts by the committee included that the duo were not aware of the banned drug to be present in their supplements because PCB itself had not informed them of the dangers of contaminated supplements.

Both Shoaib and Mohammed Asif were thankful to the PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf for giving them a fair trial and their team mates, captain, and coach for the moral support. They did not however play in the 2006 Nov-Dec West Indies vs. Pakistan series held in Pakistan because the PCB has recommended that they play domestic games first to recover form and fitness.[1]

However, WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency was to challenge Pakistan's decision to lift bans on fast bowlers Shoaib and Mohammad Asif by taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.[2] The ICC, cricket's world governing body, has supported the WADA appeal adding that it was committed to a dope free game.[3]

On March 1 2007, Shoaib and Asif were ruled out of the Pakistani squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup by team officials, minutes before the squad was to depart for the West Indies. The team management along with the PCB said their injuries were too severe to risk taking them to the Caribbean. Since neither of the two had been declared fit they had not undergone official doping tests.

However, on July 2 2007, the Court of Arbitration for Sport later dropped the case, ruling it had no jurisdiction to challenge the decision made by PCB.

Other controversies

In August 2007, Shoaib is reported to have used foul language against PCB protesting the imposing of fine of Rs. 300,000 for indiscipline during the national camp in Karachi.

In the week before the inaugral World Twenty20, held in South Africa, Shoaib was rumoured to have hit fellow Pakistani teammate Mohammad Asif with a bat, leaving a bruise on his left thigh. According to sources, the two were involved in a dressing room spat which resulted in Asif being struck by a bat on his left thigh. Sources said the fight between the two started after Asif and Shahid Afridi disagreed with Shoaib that he shared the same stature as Imran Khan in Pakistan cricket and even ridiculed him for making such a comparison. The injury was not thought to be anything more serious than a bruise but a team investigation into the matter was pending. After the initial inquiry, it would found that Shoaib was at fault and he was subsequently recalled from the Twenty20 World Cup squad and was sent home. He was also banned for 5 matches by the PCB and a lifetime ban may also seem imminent. Shoaib later claimed that Afridi was responsible for the fight, saying "He made some ill remarks about my family. And I could not tolerate them." Afridi however, denied these allegations adding that Asif would have suffered more injuries but for his intervention. Even Asif chipped in saying that Shoaib was lying and that "Shahid Afridi had nothing to do with the fight." saying that "he has not apologised to me." Shoaib later patched up with his team mates including Shahid Afridi & Mohammad Asif

On April 1, 2008 Akhtar was banned for five years for violating the players' code of conduct. The ban extended to all cricket for and in Pakistan. Despite the ban not preventing him from playing in the Indian Premier League, the IPL governing council decided not to allow Shoaib to play in the tournament until the end of the ban or unless it is lifted. IS Bindra, a member of the council, was quoted as saying, "Even though they [the PCB] have cleared him to play for IPL, we felt that international discipline needs to be respected." Meanwhile, Shoaib vowed to go to great lengths to fight the ban, "I will appeal, as is my right. If that fails I will go to court, if that fails then I will go to the Supreme Court." On April 3, PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf served a legal notice on Shoaib, calling on him to retract statements he made to a news channel, alleging the ban was punishment in return for refusing to give the chairman a share of his earnings from the Indian Premier League, Ashraf also sought damages of Rs100 million (approximately US$1.6 million) for "defaming him personally" and an additional Rs100 million to the PCB for "sullying the name of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan Cricket team." A three-man appellate tribunal announced on April 30 that they had temporarily upheld Shoaib's five-year ban, deciding to revist the appeal hearing in June. Despite Shoaib later retracting his claims and also issuing an unconditional apology for "any grief or embarrassment that may have been caused to the nation, particularly to the PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf", Ashraf's legal counsel filed a Rs22 crore (approx US$3.37 million) defamation suit against Shoaib in a civil court in Lahore on May 2. On May 4, the PCB's appellate tribunal suspended the five-year ban for one month, until they reconvene on June 4, allowing Shoaib to take part in the ongoing IPL. A day later, the PCB announced that they will no longer pursue the defamation suit following a reconciliation between Shoaib and chairman Nasim Ashraf at the house of Rehman Malik, a key political official, in Islamabad. "My honour has been vindicated and now the defamation lawsuit will not be pursued," Ashraf was quoted as saying.

See also

• Pakistan national cricket team

External links

• Shoaib Akthar Confirms his Gujjar Caste in an Interview to Urdu Jang Magazine
• Shoaib Akhtar to be sued by PCB over deflammatory comments over his ban