Hit Wicket

With the IPL chairman Lalit Modi’s statement that Shoaib Akhtar will not be allowed to play in the Indian Premier League despite being cleared by the Pakistan Cricket board, all hopes for the fast bowler displaying magic with the red cherry in the near future is all but out.
The Rawalpindi Express had been banned by PCB for five years on charges of indiscipline, but a PCB panel confirmed he was free to play outside the country after the bowler tendered an unqualified apology.
The fiery pacer is a case study on how sports can make and break a person. He has seen the highs and lows of his career in a period cut short by aggression, arguments, brawn, brawls and controversies.
The Morgah-born lad of Pakistan had never thought that his sporting career would be filled with such full tosses, yorkers and bouncers of destiny as the deliveries he is so famous for. His run of impressive performances started in 1999 in a pre-World Cup series against India. Nobody would have thought that the novice bowler would scalp eight wickets in the Asian Test championship match against India at Kolkatta in 1999, including the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid off successive deliveries. He took the wicket of Master Blaster in the very first ball of his first encounter. Shoaib's delivery at 161.4km/h (100.2mph) stands as the fastest recorded to date.
His career has been plagued with injuries, controversies, and accusations of bad attitude. After shooting to stardom at a young age due to his devastating pace, he became more interested in glamour rather than cementing his career. His attitude took its toll on his reputation as well as his fitness. He got involved in a verbal spat with Waqar Younis, caught tampering with the ball, abused South Africa’s Paul Adams, and used performance-enhancing drugs. He even claimed of getting match-fixing offers.
Youngsters who want to take up career in sports or any other field should imbibe his good qualities — aggression and zeal — and shun the traits that he is ‘infamous’ for. Shoaib’s sporting career is a best example of how energy if not channelised properly can ruin a person.