Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani cricketer, commentator, cricket analyst, and YouTuber. He was the first bowler to bowl at 100 miles per hour and was one of the most feared bowlers of his era.

Shoaib, also known as “The Rawalpindi Express,” is recognized as the fastest bowler in Cricket, as he bowled at 161.3 km/h on February 22 in the 2003 World Cup against England to the batsman Nick Knight.

Likewise, he made his test debut on November 29, 1997, against West Indies, and on March 28, 1998, his ODI (One-Day International) against Zimbabwe.

Besides Tests and ODI’s, he also participated and performed in the T20 game for Pakistan.

Furthermore, he also played in three English County Cricket Clubs, Somerset(2001), Durham(2003), and Worcestershire(2005). Also, he made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut on May 13, 2008.

This world’s fastest bowler also has been a part of several controversies throughout his professional career.

Currently, he is heavily invested in his commentary and YouTube career. He posted a video on YouTube after Pakistan’s defeat in the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final.

Let’s get to know more about it in depth, but first quick facts table;

Shoaib Akhtar | Quick Facts

Shoaib Akhtar | Early Life & Struggle 

Tiger Aka Akhtar was born on August 13, 1975, in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan. His nationality is Pakistani, and he follows Islam. Likewise, his zodiac sign is Leo. 

He is the son of his father, Mohammad Akhtar, and his mother, Hameeda Awam. His siblings are Obaid, Shahid, Tahir, and Shumaila (sister)

A good student from the beginning, he attended Asghar Mall College. Besides his academics, he is also very good at sports. 

Despite his retirement, Shoaib is still considered one of the fastest bowlers in the world. However, he struggled a lot through the initial phase of his career. 

Akhtar was undoubtedly good in academics, but his studies disturbed him as he gave the PIA team trials. He has no money for the bus tickets.

Not to mention, he waited for the bus and traveled through a roof. After a lot of hard work, eventually, he was selected for list A matches in 1993/94 and started his first-class cricket career in 1994/95.

He made his One-Day international debut in 1999. He also captained the national cricket team from 2007 to 2009.

Career Succession & Professional Career of The World’s Fastest Bowler

Shoaib Akhtar’s Debut In The International Cricket

Regarded as one of the fastest bowlers, his international debut came against the West Indies. Meanwhile, when West Indies came to play with Pakistan in 1997/1998.

He took two wickets in the first innings of his debut test game. However, he didn’t get much more chances to show his excellence in the second innings. 

Rise To Fame

In just a few years since his debut, he showed high-class bowling against India in 1999. Furthermore, Shoaib played well against Australia in 2002.

Besides playing with Australia, he had a significant game at Asian Test Championship. Apart from this, the Pakistani player bagged success in the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

In 2005, this magnificent player performed exceptionally well in a three-test match home series against England.

His slower deliveries and striking pace were unplayable by the English batters; he was not only good, but he also took 17 total wickets in the series.

Poor Performance of Shoaib Akhtar

There is no doubt that he has got both strength and speed. However, ups and downs come in everybody’s life.

In short, Akhtar failed to perform well in the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa. As a result, he dropped from the team. 

Career Stats, Wickets, And Records

Talking about his records, Akhtar took 178 wickets with a bowling average of 25.69 in test matches. In ODI games, Shoaib took 247 wickets with a bowling average of 24.97. 

In the T20 format, he played 15 matches and bowled 318 balls while taking 19 wickets with an economy rate of 8.15.

While playing with Pakistan, he won several awards, including “Man of the Match” and “Man of the Tournament.”

Club Career & Retirement

The Sultan of Cricket has played for three English cricket clubs, Somerset in 2001, Durham in 2003, and Worcestershire in 2004 & 2005.

While playing with Durham, Akhtar had the maximum number of wickets with fabulous performances. 

Apart from this, Akhtar made his IPL debut on May 13, 2008, playing with the Kolkata Knight Riders. In his debut match, Akhtar took four wickets against the Delhi Daredevils.

In IPL, he played 3 matches, bowled 7 overs, and took 5 wickets with an economy rate of 7.71.

The Pakistani-born retired from International Cricket after the 2011 Cricket World Cup. His last match was against New Zealand, where the Kiwis won by 110 runs.

Speed Star Akhtar | Cricket Controversies, Injuries & Drug Scandal

The mercurial and fearsome fastest bowler has also been part of controversies during his professional career.

After Pakistan’s pathetic performance in the 2003 World cup, he had a verbal conflict with the former Pakistani captain and fast bowler Waqar Younis. 

In the 2003 series against Sri Lanka, he was banned for two one-day internationals for ball-tampering and was fined 75% of his match fee. The same year, Shoaib was again banned for some matches for abusing South-African player Paul Adams.

In August 2007, he used some disgusting words against Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). As a result, PCB imposed a fine of $3.5k for his indiscipline and bad behavior in a cricket camp in Karachi.

Besides, he was also banned for five years in 2008 for violating the code of conduct. Furthermore, in the 2009 ICC World Cup T20, he was dropped from the Team for genital viral warts. 

The ICC again suspended him over ball tampering charges as he was caught on camera meddling with the ball in an ODI match against England in 2010. To which, he claimed that tampering was standard practice.

Injuries

In 2004, he suffered a back and wrist injury while playing against India. Again in 2005, he suffered from a hamstrings problem and was sent back to Pakistan.

Apart from this, he also underwent knee and ankle injuries, which forced him to undergo surgery in Feb 2006.  

Drug Scandal

Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were both suspended in 2006 by PCB. The reason being they both tested positive for using nandrolone.

Later in 2007, the case was dropped, and they both were allowed to play. 

Shoaib Akhtar | Age, Height & Physical Status

As of 2023, Shoaib’s age is 48 years old.

The former athlete intakes a lot of protein and limits his fat to maintain a balanced diet. Also, his billed weight is 80 kg (176 lb.), and his height is 6 feet (1.81 m).

Similarly, Akhtar has an athletic body with body sizes: chest of 42 inches, waist of 32 inches, and biceps of 16 inches, conversely. Moreover, he has fair skin with black eyes and black hair.

Besides his physical status, he wore jersey number #14 for the Pakistan team. And also the same jersey number for the IPL team.

Shoaib Akhtar | Personal Life, Wife, Married & Kids

The legendary figure, Shoaib Akhtar, is a married man. He celebrated his marriage with Rubab Khan on June 25, 2014. They together have a son, Muhammad Mikaeel Ali. 

Currently, they both are enjoying their married life. So it seems there is no separation issue between the lovely couple at the moment. 

Besides Cricket, he loves traveling with his family, wife, and children. The Pakistani-born loves football. He is an avid fan of the greatest soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Who Is Shoaib Akhtar’s Wife? 

Rubab Khan was born on June 23, 1994. Her place of birth was Khyber, Haripur District. Currently, she is 29 years old.  

Talking about her more, Khan completed her intermediate from Abbottabad. Further, she has not enrolled in any University for further studies.

The Pakistani pacer’s wife works as a homemaker now. However, she belongs to a wealthy family. Her father, Mushtaq khan, is a prominent business personality in Pakistan. 

The former Pakistani cricketer’s wife has an average height of 5 feet 6 inches (1.65 m). The color of her hair is black, and so are her eyes. 

Other Endeavors of Shoaib Akhtar

After his Cricket career, he started working as a commentator, cricket expert, and YouTuber. He appeared as a Hindi commentator in several important matches, including IPL, Pakistan Domestic & National Game, Pakistan T20 Super League, and many more.

Pakistani speed-star also has a YouTube channel entitled “Shoaib Akhtar aka the Rawalpindi Express.” He has a massive number of subscribers on his YouTube channel. 

He interviewed Ravi Shastri and talked about the future of Cricket. He has also released his autobiography, Controversially Yours, after retirement from his International Cricket. 

In his book, he mentioned that the legendary Indian batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, was scared to face his pace, to which Tendulkar fans bashed Akhtar and demanded an apology from him. The Pakistani bowler did not apologize, though.

How Rich Is Rawalpindi Express?- Net Worth And Income 

Shoaib Akhtar is one of the richest players among Pakistani and Asian cricketers. His earnings were garnered from various sources, including professional cricket, commentary, cricket expert, and a YouTube channel.

Apart from this, he bagged several cash prizes and endorsement deals during his professional career. His total career income boosted his net worth.

Looking at the number of views he gets on his YouTube channel, we can assume that he gets paid around $77.6k to $466k annually, depending on views and sponsorship deals.

Pakistani fastest bowler, Akhtar, has an estimated net worth of $23 million.

He is also fond of luxurious cars and bikes. His bike and car collection include White Parado, Honda, Land Cruiser, Silver Turf, Mercedez Benz, Ducati Heavy Bike, and Honda CBR Fireblade. 

Besides his cars and bike collections, he has a world-class mansion in Islamabad with all modern facilities. 

Shoaib Akhtar | Social Media Presence

Without a doubt, he is the fastest bowler in the history of international Cricket. There are several of his fans and followers around the world who want to meet him.

It is not feasible to meet this player. However, one can virtually meet him by following him on social media platforms. 

Besides commentary, he is available for his admirers on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Instagram: 1.2m followers

Twitter: 5.7m followers

Facebook: 3.8m followers

YouTube: 3.43m subscribers

Shoaib Akhtar | Popularity

Shoaib is popular as one of the fastest and most feared bowlers of all time. He continuously makes headlines as he speaks about recent cricket matches and criticizes/applauds the players.

The above graph gives brief information about the popularity of Shoaib based on Google searches in the United States over a year.

Shoaib Akhtar | FAQs

Who threw the fastest ball in Cricket?

Shoaib Akhtar bowled at 161.3 kph in a World cup match against England.

What is Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling speed?

The cricketer was a fast bowler and recorded an all-time high speed 161.3 kph. Moreover, he is referred to as the fastest bowler in international cricket history. 

Has Shoaib Akhtar written a book?

Back in September 2011, Shoaib Akhtar had written his autobiography — Controversially Yours.

In the book, the Pakistan speedster has confessed to having tampered with the ball and also questioned the class and temperament of India’s batting icons, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Indeed, this did cause a controversial ground for him. 

Does Shoaib Akhtar have a daughter?

No, the former cricketer is the father to his only son, Muhammaed Mikaeel Ali. 

What is Shoaib Akhtar’s hairstyle like?

Shoaib Akhtar used to have long hair back in the days; however, he now has medium-trimmed hair. As much as he is known for his games, he is also well-known for his humorous side. 

He did joke to say that he was envious of Afridi’s voluminous hair back in the days. 

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