World Cup 2011 Photos

Journey of the Rawalpindi Express

August 13, 2011 14:14

Some hate him and some admire him. But there are really no half-measures when it comes to Shoaib Akhtar - the maverick pacer who will retire from international cricket after this edition of the World Cup.

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Shoaib Akhtar now has an autobiography. And he has fired verbal salvos against Sachin Tendulkar saying the batsman was always scared of him and is an incapable finisher of the game. Then again, Shoaib has never been out of the controversial books for too long. A look:
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Some hate him and some admire him. But there are really no half-measures when it comes to Shoaib Akhtar - the maverick pacer who has retired from international cricket after his side's exit at the hands of India.

After he announced his retirement mid-way during the World Cup, Shoaib did not get a chance to feature in the Pakistan side due to his debated exclusion from the remaining matches. (Getty Images)
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If aggression and controversy come naturally to pacers, Shoaib Akhtar has perhaps been the most natural since his ODI debut in 1997. (Getty Images)
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Born in Morgah in Rawalpindi, Akhtar's early claim to fame was his pace and the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar on the first delivery he bowled to the master-blaster in the Asian Test Championship match at Calcutta in 1999. He finished with eight wickets. (Getty Images)
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Akhtar's fastest delivery was clocked at a sizzling 161.3 km/h against England during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. It is the fastest delivery overall, to have been recorded officially. (Getty Images)
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Pace requires strength but to keep it up and be consistent was a problem that haunted Akhtar on a number of occasion. A drop in form owing mainly to fitness issues kept him out of international cricket for long durations. (Getty Images)
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Wrist, knee and back injuries plagued the Rawalpindi Express with nagging consistancy but it was his alleged controversial acts and opinions expressed publicly that landed him in serious trouble on more than one occasion. (Getty Images)
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In 2003, Akhtar was found guilty of tampering with the ball in his teams match against Sri Lanka. He was banned but he landed himself with another ban when he was accused of abusing South Africa's Paul Adams. (Getty Images)
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Temper and Shoaib Akhtar went hand in hand for most parts of his career. The latest example was his verbal altercation with Harbhajan Singh during a 2010 Asia Cup match. (Getty Images)
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In 2006, Akhtar with fellow pacer Mohammad Asif was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board for testing positive to a performance-enhancing substance nandrolone. Though banned for two years, the charges were dropped later and the duo, acquitted. (Getty Images)
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The following year however saw Akhtar getting slapped with a Rs 300,000 due to indiscipline during a national camp. He allegedly criticised PCB using foul language for the fine. (Getty Images)
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It was not just with opponents and PCB. Akhtar had his fair share of tiff's with fellow players as well. He allegedly hit Asif with a bat in 2007 for disagreeing with his view that Akhtar and Imran Khan shared the same stature in Pakistan!(Getty Images)
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A year earlier, an Indian official assigned to Pakistan team - Anil Kaul - alleged that Akhtar had slapped coach Bob Woolmer following a fight over the music to be played in the team bus. Both Akhtar and Woolmer however denied it. (Getty Images)
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Even with these controversies doing the round, Akhtar made his Indian Premier League debut for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural edition. He took four for eleven in the first match against Delhi Daredevils. The glitzy event seemed to suit his style. (Getty Images)
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Akhtar has also played for three English cricket county clubs - Somerset, Durham and Worcestershire. Fitness and attitude issues however plagued him here as well. "Players like that are no good to our club," Worcestershire chairman John Elliott had said. (Getty Images)
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There is no denying however that Shoaib Akhtar has left a deep impact on cricket through his unconventional ways. In this World Cup, he is yet to explode to his full form. With retirement round the corner, expect him to leave with a bang as well. (Getty Images)

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