Shoaib Akhtar was one of the fastest bowlers in the world and his constant quest to push the pace beyond 100 mph defined his cricketing career.
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He was a sight to behold on the cricket field. The massive run-up from the sightscreen to the popping crease. The hyperextension of the bowling arm. The spread-eagle like celebrations when he took a wicket. Forever outspoken, forever in the news for all kinds of reasons. Shoaib Akhtar was one of the fastest bowlers in the history of cricket, regularly trying to break the 100-mph barrier.
It was this need for speed benchmark that forever propelled Shoaib Akhtar. No wonder, his Twitter account has 100mph as the profile name. But, the need for speed is one factor that defined Shoaib Akhtar. The fact that he could just 46 Tests and 163 ODIs in a career that spanned 13 years was an indication that injuries and lack of team spirit played a big role in his career development.
When he came to the Pakistan side, there was Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram who were carrying the tradition of pace, swing and reverse swing in a big way. With the addition of Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan’s bowling achieved the ultimate X-factor. Wasim, Waqar, Akhtar plus the genius of Saqlain and Mushtaq made the Pakistan team potent.
Shoaib Akhtar burst onto the scene with his raw pace in the 1997 series against the West Indies. Pakistan achieved a 3-0 whitewash, with Shoaib impressing with his pace. His big contribution, though, came in the Durban Test against South Africa in which he picked up a five-wicket haul. The pace, reverse swing, and the ability to nail the yorkers made Shoaib a lethal component.
But, if it was one moment that ensured Shoaib made a mark on world cricket, it was against India and Australia. In the 1999 Asian Test Championship match, Shoaib Akhtar forever etched himself in the minds of billions with two balls which made the best in the business absolutely clueless.
His first yorker to Rahul Dravid considered one of the best players in the world as far as technique and defense was considered, had his off-stump uprooted with a brilliant yorker. But, it was the ball to Sachin Tendulkar that silenced the cricketing world. Shoaib bowled a reverse swinging yorker and Tendulkar was cleaned up for a golden duck. Those two balls, much like those two magic balls that Wasim Akram bowled in the 1992 World Cup final, summed up the brilliance of Pakistan.
There would be brilliant spells that would bamboozle every opponent. New Zealand faced the brunt of Shoaib’s bowling when he took 6/11 in the 2002 Test at Karachi. But, it was his spell against Australia in Colombo in the same year that enhanced Shoaib’s brilliance. His yorkers to Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, and Adam Gilchrist saw Pakistan come close to upsetting Australia.
His spell of 5/21 was considered as one of the greatest spells in Test cricket at that time. Shoaib always reserved his best against Australia. In 2002, his spell to the Australians in an ODI series was scary and intimidating. It was his haul that ensured Pakistan won a series in Australia for the first time in a 20-year period.
It was in 2003 that Shoaib stepped up the need for speed. In one 2003 World Cup match against England, he clocked a speed of 161.3 mph which was over 100mph. For many years, the authenticity of the record was in doubt. But, Shoaib had no doubt that he had breached the mark.
Whenever Shoaib was in form, opponents would be intimidated. His spell at the WACA in 2004 in Perth rekindled the horror that Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson had on opponents in the 70s when they smashed batsmen’s techniques in a big way.
March 1, 2003. Four years after Akhtar had dismissed Tendulkar for a golden duck in Kolkata, India and Pakistan squared off in a high-voltage encounter in Centurion. The drama and the tension were palpable after Pakistan notched up 273 thanks to Saeed Anwar’s 101. The first ball that Shoaib bowled was a crescendo of all the tension since Tendulkar’s dismissal first ball in Kolkata.
Shoaib bowls a short and wide ball. Tendulkar upper-cuts the ball for a six. That one shot proved that Tendulkar had overcome the demons of Kolkata. Three boundaries and 18 runs in the first over, Tendulkar had deflated Pakistan. His knock of 98 off 75 balls was a masterclass. Although if one has to state who won the battle, it was Shoaib. His fierce short ball hurried up to Tendulkar who could fend it to point. The master missed out on his century and Shoaib had won yet another battle. But, the war was won by India.
There would be sporadic spells of brilliance and controversy from Shoaib in his later years. His need for speed never waned. Shoaib touched close to 100 mph quite a few times. But, off the field, there were some problems.
His altercation with his team-mate Mohammad Asif in the 2007 World T20 did not make for good viewing. In the later years, Shoaib molded into a perfect leader of the attack, giving support to the likes of Umar Gul, Abdul Razzaq, and Mohammad Asif.
But, continued injuries meant his opportunities were limited. His final match in the 2011 World Cup was not someone who would like to remember the ace pacer. He was hit for 28 runs by Ross Taylor as he conceded 73 runs in his full quota of overs as Pakistan was blown away by New Zealand. It was a sad way for Pakistan’s ace bowler to depart the international stage. To make matters worse, he never got to play the semi-final against India in Mohali. Perhaps, one last time, he could have made an impact.
After retirement, Shoaib became an outspoken critic on his Youtube channel. Calling a spade a spade, Shoaib’s views have been popular. But, the pace revolution that Shoaib created was simply sensational. With his presence, Pakistan and world cricket were greatly enhanced. Bowling fast became fashionable and viable, thanks to Shoaib Akhtar.
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