Shoaib Akhtar! You will be missed

With the ouster of Pakistan cricket team from the ICC World Cup 2011 after losing to old rivals India in the semi-final in Mohali, the cricket world has seen the end of the fastest bowler to have dawned the sport in its history.

Yes, the man under consideration is none other than Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar, the only fast bowler in the history of the game to have been clocked in at 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph). The pacer who rose to prominence because of his express deliveries was nicked
the Rawalpindi Express.

While the world enjoyed the pace sensation Waqar Younis in the 80s and the mid 90s, it was Akhtar who took on the role of carrying the pace attack of Pakistan during the last playing days of Waqar and Wasim Akram. When those two were about to call it quits,
Akhtar was the new poster boy for the world of cricket when it came to express bowling.

However, like all good things must come to an end, so has the career of this sensational king of express bowling. Akhtar who was charged with the responsibility of carrying the pace attack of the Pakistan team in the World Cup in the absence of Mohammad
Amir and Mohammad Asif, broke down mid way due to an alleged injury.

While Pakistan still had three more games left in the group stage, Akhtar made a shocking announcement of hanging his boots after the World Cup in an emotional press conference. Akhtar reiterated that he had an illustrious career spanning for about 14-years,
where he enjoyed playing for his national team.

This was a shock for his fans all over the world including Australia, who even having their own world class pace bowlers, hold Akhtar in great esteem. Akhtar’s retirement was always on the cards but whenever he would have made the announcement it would have
been a shocker.

There is no doubt that with the retirement of Akhtar the era of genuine fast bowling has come to an abrupt end. With Brett Lee the second fastest bowler in the world almost playing his few last games, there is not anyone in the cricketing world right now
who would be able to replace Akhtar or Lee.

Akhtar’s last international game was against New Zealand in the World Cup, where wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal dropped two catches of Ross Taylor in his over and then in the death overs the Rawalpindi Express got clobbered for 28 runs by Taylor in a disastrous
over. These will be the last memories that he will carry with him for the rest of his life because he was then dropped from the squad for the remaining games. He was not even recalled for the much hyped semi-final against India, which Pakistan eventually lost.

However, there is one school of thought, which believes that the speedster should have been given one final chance to shine with all his glory on the pitch. Akhtar is perhaps the only cricketer in modern day cricket who had a rollercoaster career, marred
by career ending injuries, recovering from the injuries and fighting for his spot back in the national team throughout his career.

The story of Akhtar is not just about cricket. It is about constant hard work, learning to face your inner demons, rising to the top, falling and then rising back. This was what Shoaib Akhtar all about. When everyone thought he had played his last, he always
managed to climb back. Whenever people will talk about pace bowling, Akhtar’s name is sure to pop up. Akhtar, you have achieved immortality in the hearts of many around the world.