Shoaib Akhtar (pronunciation (help·info); born 13 August 1975) is a Pakistani cricket commentator, YouTuber, and former cricketer who played all formats of the game over a fourteen year career. He is recognized as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket, delivering a world record top speed of 161.3 km/h (100.23 mph) in a pool match against England during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.[2] Akhtar was nicknamed "Rawalpindi Express" and "Tiger" as a tribute to his hometown and fast bowling.[3][4] He is also the first bowler to break the 100 mph barrier, doing so twice in his career.
Akhtar made his Test debut in November 1997 as an opening fast bowler and played his first One Day International three months later. Akhtar has been involved in several controversies during his career, often accused of unsportsmanlike conduct, despite his commendations for significantly impacting games in Pakistan's favour. Akhtar was sent home during a Test match series in Australia in 2005 for alleged poor attitude. A year later, he was embroiled in a drug scandal after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance nandrolone. However, the ban imposed on him was lifted on appeal. To add to his controversies, in 2004-2005 he was wrongfully accused of rape. [5]
In September 2007, he received a ban.[6] On 1 April 2008, Akhtar was banned for five years for publicly criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board.[7] In October 2008, the Lahore High Court in Pakistan suspended the five-year ban and Akhtar was selected in the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 Quadrangular Tournament in Canada.[8] Pakistani judge Rana Bhagwandas once stated that Akhtar is a legend of Pakistan cricket.[9] Akhtar retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup.
Personal life
Akhtar was born in a small town in Morgah near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. His father, Mohammad Akhtar, "from a hardworking economically unprivileged family of the Gujjar (kasana gotra or clan) community", who worked as a night watchman at a petrol station belonging to the Attock oil refinery, married his mother, Hameeda Awan, when she was still a teenager, and they had five children: four sons, Shoaib being the fourth after Shahid, Tahir and Obaid, followed by a daughter, Shumaila.[10]
He married Rubab Khan on 11 November 2014.[11][12]
Early career
A good student, Akhtar was admitted to the Asghar Mall College, but 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.[13] After some struggle, starting his List A career during the 1993/1994 season and his First-class career during the 1994/1995 one, 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 his maiden Test cap against the West Indies, in 1997.[14]
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