Background and career
Shoaib Akhtar (born 13 August 1975) is a Pakistani former international cricketer and commentator. Nicknamed the "Rawalpindi Express", he is the fastest bowler in cricketing history. Akhtar made his Test match debut in November 1997 as an opening fast bowler and played his first One Day International three months later. Post-retirement, he began a YouTube career by starting his own channel, where he gives reviews on International and league matches and Pakistani cricket.
Akhtar was born into a Punjabi family, with his paternal side belonging to the Gujjar community, and his maternal side to the Awan community, in the small town of Morgah in Rawalpindi, Punjab. His father, Mohammad Akhtar, whom Shoaib describes as very religious and "from a hardworking, economically unprivileged family of the Gujjar community", worked as a night watchman at a petrol station belonging to the Attock oil refinery, and married his mother, Hameeda Awan, when she was a teenager, and they had five children: four sons, Shoaib being the fourth, followed by a daughter, while his name, which in Arabic means both "the one who brings people together" and "the one who separates", was chosen by his mother. He married Rubab Khan on 11 November 2014. In November 2016, they welcomed their first child, a son named Mohammad Mikaeel Ali, and in July 2019 they became parents a second time to another baby boy, Mujaddid. In March 2024, they welcomed a baby girl, Nooreh Ali.
A good student, Akhtar was admitted to the Asghar Mall College, but he disrupted his studies to attend trials for the PIA team's Karachi division to be held in Lahore. Lacking the money for a bus ticket, he waited for the bus to start and got onto the roof. After some struggle, starting his List A career during the 1993/1994 season and his first-class career in 1994/1995, he caught the eye of Majid Khan, then the chief executive of the PCB, and after a good performance for the Pakistan A team's tour of England, in 1996, he was rewarded with his maiden Test cap against the West Indies in 1997.
Considering his subsequent high profile in cricket, Akhtar's Test career started rather modestly. He was first picked to play on his home ground in Rawalpindi during the 2nd Test of the West Indies 1997/98 tour of Pakistan. He was subsequently included in the tour of South Africa during the winter of 1998, where he played in all three Tests. He was notably the spearhead of a depleted Pakistani bowling attack in the Peshawar Test against the visiting Australians later in 1998, where Mark Taylor scored his famous unbeaten 334 in Australia's first innings. Subsequently, after 8 Tests and 16 innings, Akhtar had accumulated only 18 wickets. Akhtar's run of impressive performances started in 1999, during a pre-World Cup series against India. It was followed by outstanding bowling performances in Sharjah and later in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Writing in the context of the 1999 World Cup, former West Indies fast bowler Colin Croft, who compared his bowling style to that of Waqar Younis "in approach and delivery", also wrote that "Shoaib could very well be the first bowler to pass the official 100 miles per hour mark." His most significant performance was in India in 1999 when he captured eight wickets in the Asian Test championship match at Calcutta – including the wickets of Indian batsmen Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar when he bowled both batsmen off successive deliveries. It was the first ball he ever bowled to Tendulkar. He was also involved in Tendulkar's wicket in the 2nd innings of that same Test, when he was perceived as obstructing him from reaching the crease before he was run out by a long throw from substitute fielder Nadeem Khan, leading to rioting in the stands. In 2002, he was selected for the Pakistan team against Australia and achieved a small amount of success. However, the team performed poorly during the 2003 Cricket World Cup and after the tournament he was dropped from the Pakistan squad. He was selected back into the Pakistan squad as they had no choice in the 2003 Test match series against New Zealand but struggled in a losing Test series against India in 2004. The series ended with a controversy when he left the field citing an injury leading to suspicions by former Pakistan captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, about his commitment to the team. As a result, his relationship with Inzamam-ul-Haq and former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer deteriorated. A medical panel was set up by the Pakistan Cricket Board to investigate the nature of his injury, however Pakistan officials dispelled all suspicions. In 2005, Akhtar regained his reputation as a fast bowler for his team. Playing in a three-Test home series against England, he made a series of impressive bowling performances. His effective use of slower deliveries proved to be unplayable by the English batsmen. Akhtar emerged as the highest wicket taker of the series with seventeen wickets. His comeback was also remarkable as prior to his return, he had been criticized from all corners, such as by the Worcestershire chairman John Elliot for his celebrity attitude and lack of commitment to the team. 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". Throughout his career, he was regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the history of international cricket. He achieved the record of the fastest recorded bowl to date at 161.3 km/h since 1998 when the bowling speed guns were introduced to international cricket with the new speed measuring method. He is also known as one of only three bowlers to have ever broken the 100 mph barrier in cricket history, with a delivery of 100.2 mph, during a one-day international against England at the 2003 World Cup.
On 29 October 2007, Akhtar made his return to cricket after his 13-match ban and performed very well, taking 4 wickets for 43 runs against South Africa in the fifth and deciding match of the One Day International series in Lahore in Pakistan. Subsequently, he was included in the 16-man Pakistan squad for the 2007 tour of India.
Akhtar made a return to international cricket albeit in the shorter format of the game. In May 2010, PCB named him in a list of 35 probable's for the Asia Cup. On 15 June 2010, Akhtar made his return, taking 3 wickets for 28 runs in the first match of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka. He narrowly missed out a spot in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in place of the injured Umar Gul. In July 2010, he was selected for the Twenty20 series against Australia but the selectors decided not to play him in the Test squad so that he would not get injured. He was subsequently selected for the ODI and Twenty20 series against England in September 2010. Akhtar returned to the national team representing the country against England in the Twenty20 International. He bowled an impressive spell and returned with figures of 2 wickets for 23 runs. He continued to bowl well in the ODI series in the absence of regular fast-bowlers, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, who were suspended by the International Cricket Council amid allegations of Spot-fixing. Despite his relatively good bowling form, Pakistani coach Waqar Younis insisted that the bowling attack must not become reliant on Akhtar, as he was 35 years of age and fitness troubles continued to affect him. Akhtar was selected for the tour of New Zealand and started his campaign off well with 3 wickets on Boxing Day in the first of two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand. Akhtar was selected in Pakistan's 15-man squad to play in the 2011 World Cup hosted by Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka in February to March. During the tournament, he announced that he would retire from international cricket at the end of the World Cup. He was dropped from the squad after group matches and was not included in the quarter final either.
