Pakistan vs. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kenya-c752 - Can Shoaib Akhtar rise to glory one last time in ICC World Cup?
Pakistan vs. Kenya, Shoaib Akhtar: With the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, 2011 underway it is time for the Rawalpindi Express, Shoaib Akhtar, to rise to the occasion for the last time in the mega event for his national team.
According to Akhtar this is his last World Cup, and the last time for him to help his team bring the “Cup” back home after 1992.
Akhtar, who made his debut in One Day Internationals (ODIs) on 28 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045, made his mark in international cricket in the ICC World Cup, 1999, where he was the fastest bowler of the tournament.
The young Akhtar was unplayable and the finest batsmen around the world just didn’t have any answer against his pure pace. Well it’s not 1999 and Akhar isn’t that young any more. In fact after 99, the 35-year old has been marred by career ending injuries
but like any other fighter he has always managed to climb back to his spot in the national team.
Perhaps if Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir would not have been banned from international cricket owing to their involvement in spot-fixing last year, Akhtar would not have been Pakistan’s first choice to lead the bowling attack.
But in the absence of Amir and Asif, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had no other option but to give their veteran bowler one last chance to shine in glory before taking the final bow.
Akhar has a history of impressing everyone in the mega events such as the World Cup. Who could forget his pace show in the 2003 World Cup where he finally ended the fastest pacer row between him and Australia’s Brett http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lee-c72382 by bowling the fastest delivery in
the history of international cricket?
This year he knows that the country and his teammates are counting on him to lead the bowling battery. He is aware of the fact that it is going to be hard for genuine pacers to bowl on the flat tracks of the Subcontinent but he has done it before and knows
how to take wickets even when the pitches aren’t helping him.
If Akhtar manages to bowl with full pace and maintains his fitness he is bound to give the opposition a run for their money. However, there are some concerns regarding his fitness status.
According to some details slipping out of the Pakistani camp, Akhat isn’t one hundred percent fit, nevertheless, he is adamant on playing for the team.
His old pal, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482, the skipper of Pakistan is fully supporting him and in fact it was on Afridi’s behest that Akhtar was recalled for national duty after being ignored by the selection committee.
Since his return he has played sixteen of Pakistan’s nineteen ODIs, which is a clear indication that Afridi wants his veteran bowler to play as much as possible to regain his match fitness.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 coach, Waqar Younis, has also expressed complete confidence in Akhtar and team manager Intikhab Alam has also insisted that even a half fit Akhtar is going to cause trouble for the rest of the world.
This World Cup will be a treat to watch as the fastest pacers of the world, Lee and Akhtar are playing for the last time in the mega event and both are coming back from prolonged and career threatening injuries.
Can Akhtar live up to the expectations of his peers? Pakistan’s chances of winning the ICC World Cup 2011 are closely linked with Akhtar’s performance.
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