• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

The Shoaib Akthar Discussion/Appreciation Thread

Teja.

Global Moderator
I think we need this thread because it's sad to see he's almost forgotten when we're discussing the great impact players like Tyson, Thomson, Snow etc. who are considered more a part of cricketing folklore because perhaps his indiscretions and injuries while not being decidedly worse per se than others are more in our recent memory.

He, was for me, the undisputed most exciting player in the world when he was playing and he could really bring it bowling a ridiculous pace despite being a overweight, semi-injured wreck even at the end of his career. Despite having a disaster first three years in test cricket and missing a load of matches due to injuries and off-field ****, he played 46 tests and took 178 wickets @ 25.6 which is a ****ing cool career for someone who didn't achieve anything close to his potential.

Would also love people like TC/Goughy etc. with a good understanding of fast bowling to tell us about just what they think made Shoaib operate like he did with an insane slower ball, best short ball I've seen and being perhaps the fastest bowler ever with a **** work ethic and cbf fitness pattern. Did he have the ideal fast bowler body, how do you rate his action etc.?

I'm one of those people who rate people on overall value they add to the team over their career and even for me, it was just a privilege watching him bowl. It's one thing appreciating cricketers for being clinical all-accomplishing beasts but Shoaib brought the game alive on a flat pitch in 45 degree heat like no other batsman or bowler. He was all that is bad with cricket and when he was bowling, he was cricket. He is one of those people who I reckon would have benefited a lot more from playing 50+ years ago wherein the cold analysis of the internet generation of current players would be replaced by a more fond look at his best ever moments. Much as I'd think I'd hate a guy with several obvious personality issues, man did he have charisma. Can't help but love/respect the man.
 
Last edited:

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
yeah was raving about him here the other day. respectable record but what he brought to the team in terms of intangibles was brilliant. his aggression, intimidation, excitment and speed(though this can be measured lol) are legendary


i have a vivid memory in early 2000 of my under 9's cricket team(all cricket mad) climbing up the same tree and chanting shoaib's a w-word(rhymes with banker) at the top of our lungs, even though i didnt even know what it meant, i knew it was negative. all but 2 of us were in that tree(the 2 batsmen, we loved cricket but always went walking in the bush or played rugby on the sidelines during 'downtime' lol, we never watched each other bat back then). anyway all the parents thought it was funny. goes to show what a figure shoaib was to us. a total villian, someone we loved to hate and he would have loved it i'm sure
 
Last edited:

OverratedSanity

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Asif/Shoaib was my favourite pairing of all time. More than Walsh/Ambrose or the Ws. Just the fact that two bowlers so completely different (one a 95mph freight train and the other a 120-130kph seamer with the most lovely wrists in the game) could operate together and wreck teams in such an entertaining way made me a huge fan. I cheered them no matter what and took morbid glee even if it was India they were ripping apart.
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
yeah i bloody loved asif. in fact i love all the legendary pakistan quicks of recent times, its strange sri lanka and india couldnt match them in that area. dont they all have similar pitches?
 

smash84

The Tiger King
I think we need this thread because it's sad to see he's almost forgotten when we're discussing the great impact players like Tyson, Thomson, Snow etc. who are considered more a part of cricketing folklore because perhaps his indiscretions and injuries while not being decidedly worse per se than others are more in our recent memory.

He, was for me, the undisputed most exciting player in the world when he was playing and he could really bring it bowling a ridiculous pace despite being a overweight, semi-injured wreck even at the end of his career. Despite having a disaster first three years in test cricket and missing a load of matches due to injuries and off-field ****, he played 46 tests and took 178 wickets @ 25.6 which is a ****ing cool career for someone who didn't achieve anything close to his potential.

Would also love people like TC/Goughy etc. with a good understanding of fast bowling to tell us about just what they think Shoaib operate like he did with an isnane slower ball, best short ball I've seen and being perhaps the fastest bowler ever with a **** work ethic and cbf fitness pattern. Did he have the ideal fast bowler body, how do you rate his action etc.?

I'm one of those people who rate people on overall value they add to the team over their career and even for me, it was just a privilege watching him bowl. It's one thing appreciating cricketers for being clinical all-accomplishing beasts but Shoaib brought the game alive on a flat pitch in 45 degree heat like no other batsman or bowler. He was all that is bad with cricket and when he was bowling, he was cricket. He is one of those people who I reckon would have benefited a lot more from playing 50+ years ago wherein the cold analysis of the internet generation of current players would be replaced by a more fond look at his best ever moments. Much as I'd think I'd hate a guy with several obvious personality issues, man did he have charisma. Can't help but love/respect the man.
This kind of glosses over as to how much of a disaster he was to the team atmosphere. Made it so toxic so many times with fights with every other colleague. Had loads of natural gifts in terms of being a pace bowler but 0 work ethic. Epitomized the fact that without hard concerted work you can't just rely on talent to compete with the best. At times seemed desperate to stay in the news. Probably lived by the mantra that no publicity is bad publicity. To top it all had no respect for other bowlers at the beginning of his career. Was full of ****

Having said that, when on song he was probably one of the greatest sights in cricket EVER. Perhaps top 5 of all time cricketing sights.
 

OverratedSanity

Request Your Custom Title Now!
This kind of glosses over as to how much of a disaster he was to the team atmosphere. Made it so toxic so many times with fights with every other colleague. Had loads of natural gifts in terms of being a pace bowler but 0 work ethic. Epitomized the fact that without hard concerted work you can't just rely on talent to compete with the best. At times seemed desperate to stay in the news. Probably lived by the mantra that no publicity is bad publicity. To top it all had no respect for other bowlers at the beginning of his career. Was full of ****
This only backs up Teja's point. If Shoaib had been born 50 years earlier all that would now be brushed off as him being "a colourful character" or a "confrontation and flawed genius", instead of being called a ****.

Maybe he will be called those things by the majority 50 years from now, who knows?
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
lol i read an interview where he said he slept in his kit for days after first being selected and used to do some obscene amount of stretching and warming up before a match. like hours and hours. either he's exaggerating or once had pakpassion but lost it hard
 

smash84

The Tiger King
This only backs up Teja's point. If Shoaib had been born 50 years earlier all that would now be brushed off as him being "a colourful character" or a "confrontation and flawed genius", instead of being called a ****.

Maybe he will be called those things by the majority 50 years from now, who knows?
No, 25 years down the line he will be seen as another Sarfaraz Nawaz. And nobody looks back fondly at Sarfaraz Nawaz the character.
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
Smali, there are plenty of 'Akthar was an entitled, ****y ****' threads. Can we please keep this one to discussing just how ridiculous his bowling was?
 
Last edited:

OverratedSanity

Request Your Custom Title Now!
No, 25 years down the line he will be seen as another Sarfaraz Nawaz. And nobody looks back fondly at Sarfaraz Nawaz the character.
That's because Sarfraz wasn't anywhere near as good a bowler as Shoaib. If he was as awesome as him, I have no doubt, we'd have people using those adjectives.
 

nightprowler10

Global Moderator
Asif/Shoaib was my favourite pairing of all time. More than Walsh/Ambrose or the Ws. Just the fact that two bowlers so completely different (one a 95mph freight train and the other a 120-130kph seamer with the most lovely wrists in the game) could operate together and wreck teams in such an entertaining way made me a huge fan. I cheered them no matter what and took morbid glee even if it was India they were ripping apart.
Oh god yes. Karachi 2006 and Port Elizabeth 2007 come to mind.
 

ankitj

Hall of Fame Member
He comes across as very wise off the field interestingly. His appearances in studio discussions make it hard to believe that he is the guy who picked up so many fights.
 
Last edited:

Furball

Evil Scotsman
Smali, there are plenty of 'Akthar was an entitled, ****y ****' threads. Can we please keep this one to discussing just how ridiculous his bowling was?
I cbf finding highlights of that World Cup game vs New Zealand in 2011.
 

Top