Shoaib Akhtar Controversies and Injuries

Shoaib's career has been plagued with injuries, controversies, and accusations of bad attitude. After shooting to stardom at a young age due to his devastating pace, he became more interested in speed and glamour rather than cementing his career. Although he eventually crossed the 100mph barrier, his attitude took its toll on his reputation as well as his fitness. After a poor showing in the 2003 World Cup, he got involved in a verbal spat with then captain Waqar Younis. Later he was axed along with other players, including Younis. In a triangular series in 2003 in Sri Lanka, he was caught tampering with the ball, making him the second player ever to be banned on ball tampering charges.

The same year he was banned for one Test and two ODIs for abusing Paul Adams in a match against South Africa. In the 2004 home series with India, he struggled with wrist and back injuries, which raised questions about their authenticity. During the final Test he cited injury and chose not to bowl halfway through but was met with raised eyebrows when he later turned up to bat, apparently enjoying himself. Although his injuries were not proved to be fake, his reputation suffered, especially after Haq's outburst in a post match press conference. His relationship with the captain and the coach deteriorated further partially due to his manipulative nature and partially due to politics.

He was sent back from the 2005 Australia tour with a hamstring injury amid rumors of indiscipline, lack of commitment, and attitudinal complaints. He was subsequently fined by the PCB for avoiding a late night curfew. At this point, once loved Shoaib was reviled alike by teammates, opponents and cricket fans. The rest of his career was riddled with ankle and knee injuries which forced him to undergo a surgery in February 2006, until finally he was banned for two years for using performance enhancing drugs.

In November 2006, the liaison officer assigned to the Pakistani team in India, Anil Kaul, alleged that Shoaib had slapped coach Bob Woolmer following a fight over the music to be played in the team bus on the eve of ICC Champions Trophy. Both Shoaib and Woolmer have, however, strongly denied the allegations.