Shoaib Akhtar's debut in International Cricket

Shoaib Akhtar made his debut as a 22 year old who had raw pace as his key weapon. Regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the world, Shoaib Akhtar was really aggressive with his approach. With genuine pace, he also had that Punjabi attitude to complement which made him competitive on the field. A long and a fast run up and then beating the best of the batsmen with pace was the real signature Shoaib. But his career was full of controversies and ups and downs. His career was also injury hit and he always struggled to maintain his fitness.

He was banned for ball tampering, he was sent back home along with Mohammad Asif for being tested positive of doping prior to the Champions Trophy and was again sent back home after he hit fellow pacer Mohammad Asif in a training session before the 2007 World Cup. He also wrote his autobiography ‘Controversially Yours’. In an interview to an Indian TV channel he mentioned that his rebellious nature made him play for Pakistan and that is the reason he had no intentions to change himself.

He was a rcognized for his pace from an early age and was seleted to represent Pakistan in 1996, but his indiscipline saw him getting dropped from the team before he could made his debut. But finally he made the cut and played for Pakistan in a Test match against The West Indies on Nov. 29, 1997, in which he took 2 wickets in the first innings but did not get much of a chance to bowl in the second innings. He was not giving much time to batsmen with his speed, but it was in the next series that his pace yielded some fine performances. He took a five wicket haul against South Africa which established him in the team.

He later made his ODI debut in 1998 and soon became a sensation and well known name in world cricket. But after 2003, a series of controversies and injuries caused a slump in his career, though he made a come back after come back. Finally he retired from international cricket post the 2011 World Cup with an overall career haul of close to 450 wickets. He also holds the record for bowling the fastest delivery in an ODI when he touched that mark in the World Cup game against England in 2003.