This Pakistani Speed Star, known as Rawalpindi express, was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on 13 August, 1975. He is thought to be the first bowler in the history to exceed the 100 miles. Shoaib Akhtar could bowl in both ODI and Test cricket over 100 miles/hour (160 kmh). He has the ability to turn the match any stage which made him an influential bowler of Pakistan. He is skilled in swing both side and also in reverseswing. Swing is the movement of the ball after pitching with the help of wind. His test bowling average is 25.69 whereas his ODI average is 23.54. He can not be regular in the field because of his injury from the earli8er of his career.
Shoaib Akhtar burst onto the big stage in the 1999 World Cup with a long, hurtling run-up and blistering speed. His star status was sealed by a great flop of hair, a talent for show-boating and a vivid nickname - the Rawalpindi Express. But it was too much, too young. A huge ego and his blind aim to break the 100mph barrier seemed to matter more to him than cementing his place in the Pakistan side, and in November 2006, he copped a two-year ban for using the banned substance, Nandrolone, but he was reprieved on appeal to the undisguised disgust of international drugs agencies.he channelled his massive resources far better in 2002, turning in two of the most blistering bowling efforts of the year, both against Australia. First, he blitzed them with a spell of 5 for 25 in a one-dayer at Brisbane, and then returned 5 for 21 in a impressive performance in Colombo that all but won the Test. The 2003 World Cup was far more unacceptable, though.
He promised much, but came a cropper, particularly in the needle encounter against Sachin Tendulkar. Dropped after the World Cup, Shoaib roared back to form on the tour to New Zealand, but soon after came a forgettable - and controversial - series against India.Shoaib was not picked to represent Pakistan in the Abu Dhabi series against Sri Lanka and was dropped from the Asian squad for the Afro-Asia Cup after being initially selected. He, however, was named in Pakistan's squad for a brief tour of Scotland as well as the squad for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in September 2007. However, a dressing room bust-up with fellow paceman Mohammad Asif resulted in Shoaib being sent back home before the tournament even started, and he was banned the following April for five years. After a brief stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, his ban was reduced to 18 months, though accompanied by a hefty fine. Shoaib appealed to the Lahore High Court, who suspended the ban pending a final decision, and he was picked in Pakistan's squads for the Champions Trophy, which was later postponed, and the Twenty20 tournament in Canada.
