1. Shoaib Akhtar was born into a Punjabi family, with his paternal side belonging to the Gujjar tribe and maternal side to the Awan tribe, in the small town of Morgah in Rawalpindi, Punjab.
43 Facts About Shoaib Akhtar
1. 2.
Shoaib Akhtar was included in the tour of South Africa during the winter of 1998, where he played in all three Tests.
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Shoaib Akhtar was notably the spearhead of a depleted Pakistani bowling attack in the Peshawar Test against the visiting Australians later in 1998, where Mark Taylor scored his famous unbeaten 334 in Australia's first innings.
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Subsequently, after 8 Tests and 16 innings, Shoaib Akhtar had accumulated only 18 wickets.
5.
Shoaib Akhtar's run of impressive performances started in 1999, during a pre-World Cup series against India.
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Shoaib Akhtar was involved in Tendulkar's wicket in the 2nd innings of that same Test, when he was perceived as obstructing him from reaching the crease before he was run out by a long throw from substitute fielder Nadeem Khan, leading to rioting in the stands.
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Shoaib Akhtar was selected back into the Pakistan squad as they had no choice in the 2003 Test match series against New Zealand but struggled in a losing Test series against India in 2004.
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In 2005, Shoaib Akhtar regained his reputation as a fast bowler for his side.
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Shoaib Akhtar emerged as the highest wicket taker of the series with seventeen wickets.
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Shoaib Akhtar's comeback was remarkable as prior to his return, he had been criticized from all corners, such as by the Worcestershire chairman John Elliot for his celebrity attitude and lack of commitment to the team.
11.
Shoaib Akhtar's performance was acknowledged by the English captain Michael Vaughan, who remarked "I thought he was a big difference between the two teams".
12.
On 29 October 2007, Shoaib Akhtar made his return to cricket after his 13-match ban and performed very well, taking 4 wickets for 43 runs against South Africa in the fifth and deciding match of the One Day International series in Lahore in Pakistan.
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Shoaib Akhtar made a return to international cricket albeit in the shorter format of the game.
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On 15 June 2010, Shoaib Akhtar made his return, taking 3 wickets for 28 runs in the first match of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka.
15.
Shoaib Akhtar narrowly missed out a spot in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in place of the injured Umar Gul.
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Shoaib Akhtar was selected for the ODI and Twenty20 series against England in September 2010.
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Shoaib Akhtar returned to the national side representing the country against England in the Twenty20 International.
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Shoaib Akhtar bowled an impressive spell and returned with figures of 2 wickets for 23 runs.
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Shoaib Akhtar continued to bowl well in the ODI series in the absence of regular fast-bowlers, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, who were suspended by the International Cricket Council amid allegations of Spot-fixing.
20.
Shoaib Akhtar was selected for the tour of New Zealand and started his campaign off well with 3 wickets on Boxing Day in the first of two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand.
21.
Shoaib Akhtar was selected in Pakistan's 15-man squad to play in the 2011 World Cup hosted by Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka in February to March.
22.
Shoaib Akhtar was dropped from the squad after group matches and was not included in the quarter final either.
23.
Shoaib Akhtar has played for three English county cricket clubs: Somerset in 2001, Durham in 2003 and 2004 and Worcestershire in 2005.
24.
Shoaib Akhtar did achieve his moments of success, such as taking 5 wickets for 35 runs for Durham against Somerset in the National League in 2003 and claiming 6 wickets for 16 runs in the same competition for Worcestershire against Gloucestershire two years later, but he suffered from fitness problems, as well as a perception that he was less than interested in his task.
25.
Shoaib Akhtar has been no good for any club he's been at.
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Shoaib Akhtar made a successful return to cricket in 2008 in his first game in the Indian Premier League, playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Delhi Daredevils.
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Shoaib Akhtar ended with figures of 4 wickets for 11 runs from three overs, a performance which earned him the player of the match award.
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Shoaib Akhtar's career has been plagued with injuries, controversies and accusations of poor attitude.
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Later on Shoaib Akhtar was sacked along with other players, including Younis.
30.
Shoaib Akhtar was sent back from the 2005 Australia tour with a hamstring injury amid rumours of indiscipline, lack of commitment and attitudinal complaints.
31.
Shoaib Akhtar was fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board for avoiding a late-night curfew.
32.
On 16 October 2006, Shoaib Akhtar was suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board, along with Mohammed Asif after they tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance nandrolone.
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Shoaib Akhtar immediately declared his innocence and he declined knowingly taking any performance-enhancing drugs.
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Shoaib Akhtar had subsequently been added to Pakistan Olympic Association list of doping offenders.
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However, on 5 December 2006 represented by his lawyer Abid Hassan Minto, Shoaib Akhtar was cleared on appeal.
36.
Shoaib Akhtar was banned for 5 matches by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
37.
On 1 April 2008, Shoaib Akhtar was banned for five years for violating the players' code of conduct.
38.
On 4 September 2008, Shoaib Akhtar was sent back home from Heathrow airport by British immigration officials on visa grounds; Shoaib Akhtar only had a visit visa but not a working visa, which is required to play in county cricket.
39.
Shoaib Akhtar subsequently obtained the necessary visa and returned to play with English county club Surrey.
40.
On 21 May 2009, Shoaib Akhtar was dropped from 2009 ICC World Twenty20 Pakistan squad because of genital viral warts.
41.
In July 2012, Shoaib Akhtar accused the PCB stating that there was too much "politics" in the Board and some of its officials did not want Pakistani team to win.
42.
In February 2023, he launched his own The Shoaib Akhtar Show on the OTT platform UrduFlix.
43.
Shoaib Akhtar owns a YouTube channel, in which he shares his opinions, interacts with his fans and talk with some of the current and past sports celebrities.