Shoaib Akhtar reveals His sensational autobiography ” Controversially Yours”

The fastest bowler in
the history of cricket,
Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar
has made some
sensational claims in his
autobiography
‘Controversially Yours’.
Exclusive preview of
excerpts of Shoaib
Akhtar, who holds the
record for the fastest
delivery in cricket ever
clocking 161.3 km/h
(100.2 mph), is no less
controversial with the
Rawalpindi Express
admitting to ball
tampering & also
bragging that Sachin
Tendulkar chickened
out during the
Faisalabad Test.
In his book Shoaib has
said, “I bowled (Sachin)
a particularly fast ball
which he, to my
amazement didn’t even
touch. He walked away!
That was the first time I
saw him walk away
from me-that, too, on
the slow track at
Faisalabad.”
Taking a dig at veteran
Indian batsman Rahul
Dravid, the former
Pakistani stump-wrecker
has said that The Wall
and Master Blaster are
not match winners.
“I think players like
Sachin Tendulkar and
Rahul Dravid weren’t
exactly match winners
to start with, nor did
they know the art of
finishing the game,”
Shoaib said.
In his autobiography,
Akhtar has also alleged
that he was cheated by
Shah Rukh Khan and
former IPL Chairman
Lalit Modi.
He states, “Shahrukh
and I talked about my
not being happy with
the money settled on
me. Shahrukh and Modi
got me to agree. I
should have never
listened to Modi and
Shahrukh.”
Akhtar, who retired
from cricket following
the 2011 World Cup,
has also shockingly
revealed that he
tampered with the ball
claiming, “everyone
tampers with the ball. I
did so too. Tampering
should be legalised.”
‘Controversially Yours’
shies away from little in
Akhtar’s life. It maps his
journey from an
economically deprived,
yet happy childhood,
into an adolescence
driven by his quest to
break into Pakistani
cricket. Born flat-
footed, suffering
whooping cough,
Akhtar describes the
blood, sweat and tears
that took him to
breaking the 100 mph
barrier, playing as
Pakistan’s ‘Rawalpindi
Express’.
Comfort stayed elusive.
Akhtar describes the
severe class
discrimination marring
Pakistani cricket, the
arrogance of the
Pakistan Cricket Board
( PCB), his humiliation
and his failures –
including ball-tampering
and even attacking
teammates with a bat.
Alongside, he takes on
Pakistani and
international players,
coaches, selectors and
the media. Taking a dig
at Shoaib Malik, Akhtar
has stated in his book
that the Pakistani all-
rounder was PCB’s
stooge. “Shoaib Malik
doesn’t deserve to be
captain and was made
captain because he was
a stooge of the PCB
Chief Naseem Ashraf,”
states Akhtar.
Not just this, the former
Pakistani pacer also
goes on to claim that
legendary Pakistani
pacer Wasim Akram
attempted to finish him
career. He states,
“Wasim Akram
threatened to walk out
with half the team if I
was included in the
team. General Tauqir
Zia backed Shoaib
against Wasim.”
Akhtar, born Aug 13,
1975, in Rawalpindi, is a
right hand fast bowler,
who has been in the
eye of several
controversies during his
career and has often
been accused of being a
“poor team playerâ
€.
In 2005, he was sent
home during the Test
series in Australia for â
€œunprofessional
attitude”.
A year later, he was
snared in a drug
scandal after testing
positive for stimulants.
Akhtar was banned in
September 2007 for
picking up a fight with
teammate Mohammed
Asif, and in the
following year he was
banned for five years
for criticising the
Pakistan Cricket Board.
In October 2008, the
Lahore High Court
suspended the ban.
Akhtar retired from
international cricket
after the 2011 World
Cup. His impressive run
began in the 1990s.