Over the course of history there have been a handful of significant personalities which have shaped the way in which we live in today’s world. Personalities such as former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, King Abdul Aziz and perhaps even Henry VIII (to name just a few) have all really had an impact on today’s world. The game of cricket in Pakistan has also had a very fair share of personalities. These personalities have both been tainted and good. But in taking the holistic picture in view, most of these personalities have given the entire nation a bunch of undying memories. One personality which really stands out from the list of impeccable players to represent Pakistan (or should I say wear the ever prideful green jacket) is Shoaib Akhtar. Shoaib Akhtar had everything that was required to be a fast bowler. He had a reasonable height, was well built and had a hunger for taking wickets. More importantly, it was the attitude which fast bowlers possess that made him all too lethal The earliest memories I have of Shoaib Akhtar is during the 1999 Asian Test Championship where he bowled India’s favourite son first ball to silence an almost 100,000 strong capacity crowd at Eden Gardens, Calcutta. This ferocious delivery of a speeding in swinger which collapsed Sachin Tendulkar’s middle stump left a mark in the cricketing world that a fast bowler of immense speed and accuracy had arrived. Later on in that year Pakistan toured Australia and Shoaib Akhtar impressed the entire world once again with his high pace and ability to bowl accurate line and length with such great speed. During the third test at Perth which is regarded to be a fast bowler’s paradise, Australia’s gutsy opening batsmen Justin Langer was in complete awe of the speedster’s lethal pace. Standing at the non-strikers end on one particular over Langer said he knew Jeff Thompson was quick but admitted that this particular over was the fastest ever bowled in the history of test cricket as Shoaib Akhtar plundered one ball after another to the great Ricky Ponting. Shoaib Akhtar had everything that was required to be a fast bowler. He had a reasonable height, was well built and had a hunger for taking wickets. More importantly, it was the attitude which fast bowlers possess that made him all too lethal. Such an example is of him being hit to the boundary by a batsman. After such an instance, Shoaib would want to bowl even more fast and perhaps even knock off the batsmen’s head. Ask Brian Lara, as he has some scary memories of being struck by Shoaib during the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trpohy played in England during 2004. Coming back to the subject of personality; a fast bowler is known to have an exuberant lifestyle and have a knack for adventure. Shoaib Akthar possessed a very colourful lifestyle and seemed to have a knack for being adventurous during his playing days. To a certain extent, he was known to be a ‘wild child.’ Although cricket is a team game, Shoaib seemed to be aloof from the rest of the team and was regarded more of an individualist rather than a team player. He was not part of any grouping and tried his best to stay away from politics in the team. However, such players with immense talent in sport or perhaps even life in general have a tendency of being aloof. The reason could be because of Shoaib’s difficult upbringing as a child and then later on during his adolescence where he faced many difficulties in pursuing the dream to represent Pakistan. One such difficulty was walking from his home in Karachi to a long distance National Stadium. It were these difficulties which made Shoaib to possess a very strong personality and a never die attitude. As mentioned a few lines back, Shoaib was considered to be a ‘wild child’ and faced many disciplinary issues. Perhaps being the fastest and flamboyant bowler in the world took it’s toll on his ego. However, many talented players in the past faced disciplinary problems. When such issues arise it is the role of the captain to either sort the player out or more importantly provide guidance under a very capable mentorship. Perhaps if maybe Shoaib was playing under the extraordinary leadership of Imran Khan, he could have controlled his emotions and excelled to great heights in his cricketing career. All in all Shoaib Akhtar will be considered as a match winner in Pakistan’s cricketing history. A history which has seen triumph, hardships and even isolation. But slowly and steadily, this isolation is wandering off and welcoming foreign teams back to Pakistan. A very big standing ovation and round of applause to all those involved in doing so. Mohsin Ali Syed is apologising to Shoaib Akhtar and the cricketing fraternity at large if anything has been written out of context Published in Daily Times, September 17th 2017.