OTD| Pakistan’s ace pacer Shoaib Akhtar was born in 1975

On 13 August 1975, one of the best pacers of world cricket was born in Rawalpindi in the Punjab provinces of Pakistan. For hailing from Rawalpindi and for possessing a destructive pace, he earned the nickname of ‘Rawalpindi Express’. The man in question is none other than Shoaib Akhtar, who celebrates his 48th birthday today. Akhtar is renowned for bowling the fastest delivery in cricket history clocked at 161.3 km/h, bowled during the group stage game between Pakistan and England in the 2003 ODI World Cup. 

Born to Mohammed Akhtar and Hameeda Awan, Shoaib Akhtar was always a hard-working child. He disrupted his studies to attend various trials and training camps. He finally caught the eyes of Majid Khan, the chief executive of Pakistan Cricket Board, and allowed him a chance in 1996’s Pakistan A’s tour of England. Following an impressive performance, he received his maiden Test cap against West Indies in 1997. However, before his Test debut, he had already made his senior debut for Pakistan in the 1996 Sahara Cup against India in Toronto. However, his stay was cut short due to indiscipline and poor behaviour. 

Shoaib Akhtar is the first bowler to break the 100-mph barrier  

Akhtar’s rise to glory truly took place in the 1999 pre-World Cup series against India. He had one key performance where he scalped eight wickets in the Asian Test Championship match at Calcutta. This was the perfect prelude to his success in the 1999 ODI World Cup and the 2002 series against Australia. At the club level, he played for three county clubs – Somerset (2001), Durham (2003-04), and Worcestershire (2005). He also played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. 

Akhtar’s career remained laden with controversies including ball-tampering, doping, poor behaviour, etc. Conversely, he also enjoyed several great records, including being the first bowler to break the 100-mph barrier. He has two ten-wickets haul to his name. In 2011, he announced his retirement from the game. In the same year, he also released his autobiography named ‘Controversially Yours’. Currently, he works as a cricket expert and commentator and has a blossoming career in the same field on YouTube.