Shoaib, a man public loves to hate

One of the most feared fast bowlers in the history of world cricket, Shoaib Akhtar, seems to enjoy flirting with controversies, unmindful of meeting a disgraceful end to his glorious International career with the latest doping incident, along with his new ball partner Mohammad Asif, during the on-going Champions Trophy in India.

There is little doubt about the fast bowler's talent in both versions of the game but as far as his attitude is concerned, there has always been a big question mark. He is probably one cricketer the public would love to hate for his "I don't care attitude" even though a large section of his fans in Asia love to ape him from his hairstyle to his bowling action.

Probably the man's inner feeling can be summed up with his own comments to this reporter a couple of years ago when he was in Mumbai for a commercial shot along with Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

Shoaib had just come out of a controversial series against India, after feigning injury in a Test match when asked to bowl, and was banned from giving interviews to the press by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

However, the Rawalpindi Express, promptly agreed to talk to the Indian press and when asked why he loved to flirt with danger (controversies) despite having a bright future ahead of him, Shoaib, replied with a tired smile "I think controversies seem to shadow me all the time. I don't care about it because whatever has to happen will happen and nobody can change my destiny."

How true he was because you make your own destiny and nobody else is responsible for it.

In fact his trouble started with the umpires questioning his bowling action soon after he broke on the international scene and started taking wickets at regular intervals. However, he was lucky to be cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on more than one occasion.

His habit of going to the press for personal reasons, even after failing to deliver the goods on more than one occasion prompted his senior colleagues like Wasim Akram, now a TV commentator and Waqar Younis, his bowling coach, to advise him to prove himself first before opening his loud mouth.

Even though it looked like Shoaib had mellowed down with age and was concentrating on his bowling after breaking down on several occasions during major overseas tours, that was not to be, as the recent drug related issue has shocked not only his admirers but the cricket loving public in the world.

If he is proved guilty and banned from playing, the cricket crazy public in India, may never see the express bowler in action ever again which certainly is a big loss to cricket in general and to Pakistan in particular.

One thought he had turned a corner in his career after battling successfully with career threatening shoulder and back injuries and personal problems with his skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq and his team's recent Oval fiasco. But sadly nothing seems to have changed and Shoaib seems to have slipped and fallen into a quick-sand with no hopes of survival.