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Ya gotta love him...............Shoaib Akhtar Appreciation Thread

Top_Cat

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http://www-aus.cricket.org/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2002/OCT/073464_CI_09OCT2002.html

Shoaib Akhtar's comments are just awesomely arrogant in this article but not in a bad way at all. He's just ultra confident at the moment, bowling well and super-quick; who WOULDN'T be arrogant? I sure would! :D

And good on him. He's rapidly becoming the player I most love to watch in world cricket. He was already up there but I feel myself quite drawn to watch him now. He reminds me of just how I'd love to be able to bowl; just run in there and put in 110% and scare the daylights out of the batsmen. I LOVE his attitude. Plus he's actually bowling very well to complement his pace.

Here's a little Shoaib story to relate why I think he's one of cricket's great people:

When Pakistan were here last, Shoaib had almost been rubbed out of the game for throwing up until around an hour before the game started in Brisbane. He was cleared and played and after his first over, he went to fine-leg and the crowd was applauding the fact he was there. See, although Aussie crowds can be pigs, as a general rule, we respect wholehearted performers like Shoaib and the WI of the 80's. The Aussie crowds warmed to someone like Shoaib in the Test series and were justifiably upset to see him almost missing from the team for throwing. So as he trotted up the fine-leg after that over, it was great to see the crowd cheering him, an opposition player, just because of who he was and what he'd been through. And he acknowledged it by sort-of praying in their direction as if to say "Thankyou for your support." It was one of cricket's priceless moments and how beautiful of Shoaib to do what he did.

So here's to Shoaib; likeably arrogant and a full-on, balls-to-the-wall competitor. You may not like to face him but you just can't help but love him.
 

aussie_beater

State Vice-Captain
Couldn't agree more....this guy has breathed new life into the art of "fast" bowling.

Its a treat to watch him race in to bowl with that slingshot action....he's just awesome !!

[Edited on 10/10/2002 by aussie_beater]
 

Blewy

Cricketer Of The Year
I met the guy when he was playing the stint with Mosman in Sydney and he is one of the friendliest blokes i have met, i spoke to him for ages and not once did he rush me and was always happy to answer my questions...

Top Bloke...
:D:D:D:D:D

Here's to Shoaib!!!!
 

royGilchrist

State 12th Man
Yeah Shoaib really seems to be converting me from being a big critic to a big supporter. He still has a long way to go to make it as an all time great though.

I guess he is a good bloke, but he has a strange english accent, he did an interview with Tony Grieg (Ithink it was the asian test championship match against India) and at the end of it Tony (and all the viewers) had no idea what he had said. I remeber reading a story about him in a Pakistani newspaper, and he said if he did not become a professional he would become a neighborhood goon :)

See, although Aussie crowds can be pigs, as a general rule, we respect wholehearted performers like Shoaib and the WI of the 80's
Ian Botham? He was a whole hearted performer too ;)

But I still think Shoaib cannot have the success Waqar did in his career, for a long time Waqar was just blowing teams away day in and day out. For example Ambrose an excellent bowler in 176 matches took 6 4wkt hauls and 4 5wkt hauls, while Waqar by 176 matches had taken 11 4wkt hauls and 9 5 wkt hauls!! almost double that of Ambrose!! I compare Waqar and Shoaib becasue they are similar in my opinion, both very fast consistently (not like Akram who could bowl very fast deliveries but was rarely consistently very fast), and both with big swinging yorkers.

Shoaib BTW, in 70 ODI has taken 1 4wkt haul and 3 5wkt hauls. And till now he has done much better in ODI than tests.
 

basil

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Well i have been a big critic of Akhter, he never impressed me in test matches ,though i last saw him atleast a year back, then he was fast but wayward and was hardly swinging the ball.Wonder what happened to him suddenly.From what i have heard, his spell in the last test match is said to be among the best ever, this is something i never expected from Akhter.I think i gonna buy the video of the match.
 

Gotchya

State Vice-Captain
After having seen him initially, my immediate thought was that with such a volatile action, he was bound to be injury prone, consequently a short career.
But i have to admit, i have been Akthar's fan ever since he stepped onto the field.

He is one of those players, who instead of being identified by the game set out to redefine what the game is all about. They tend to leave ever lasting impressions on the minds of that era, perhaps his fearsome 'thunderbolts' will be remembered for a long time to come, no matter how his career goes on from here. But the truth of the matter is, that after quite some time, the world of cricket has had a genuinely fast and fearsome bowler, who can wreck havoc when he sets out to. This single handed demolition is rarely seen, and I believe thats the magic of Shoaib Akhtar.

I have heard people criticise Shoaib relentlessly, his attitude, his technique as a bowler, lack of this and lack of that. I think that most criticisms that i heard found roots in..well..outright jealousy. Sure he was wayward when he started out, looked down and out after that throwing fiasco, but it takes will power to rise from that pit, especially when you are a fast bowler. Since then he's grown a repute to envy. All i can hope is that he has a long and succesfule career, that would be feastful.
 

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