Shoaib Akhtar to retire after World Cup
 

Full name Shoaib Akhtar
Born August 13, 1975, Rawalpindi, Punjab
Current age 35 years 216 days
Major teams Pakistan, Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan, Asia XI, Chittagong Division, Durham, ICC World XI, Islamabad Leopards, Khan Research Labs, Kolkata Knight Riders, Pakistan International Airlines, Rawalpindi, Somerset, Surrey, Worcestershire
Playing role Bowler
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast


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Shoaib Akhtar will retire from the international game at the end of Pakistan's World Cup, bringing to an end one of cricket's most compelling and mercurial careers. He told his Pakistan team-mates of the decision at the Premadasa Stadium on Thursday morning, during an emotional gathering in which he delivered a farewell speech and was embraced by fellow players and support staff.
Privately, over the last few months, Shoaib had been looking at the World Cup as a final hurrah for a body increasingly unable to cope with the rigours of the international game. The tournament itself has been a mixed one for him: he was outstanding through ten overs in Pakistan's win over Sri Lanka. But after an impressive opening spell against New Zealand he was taken for 28 runs in his final over, bowling a succession of waist high full tosses at Ross Taylor as New Zealand changed the game.
He was dropped for the subsequent Zimbabwe game - having earlier been rested in the game against Canada - and it was as much for his performance as continuing concerns over his ability to be at optimum operation in his second and third spells.
Shoaib made his first international appearance in December 1997, against West Indies. He shot to fame in 1999, when he bowled Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in 1999 in the Asian Test Championship game against India, and continued that form into the World Cup where he was one of Pakistan's most effective bowlers.
But since then, issues pertaining to his action, discipline and injuries severely curtailed his career. In a little more than 13 years in international cricket, Shoaib managed just 46 Tests, but performed impressively, picking up 178 wickets at 25.69. He was a more regular feature in ODIs as Pakistan's spearhead, and picked up 247 wickets at 24.97


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Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	46	67	13	544	47	10.07	1313	41.43	0	0	53	22	12	0
ODIs	163	84	40	394	43	8.95	538	73.23	0	0	27	12	20	0
T20Is	15	6	3	21	8*	7.00	16	131.25	0	0	2	1	2	0
First-class	133	186	50	1670	59*	12.27			0	1			41	0
List A	221	123	45	877	56	11.24			0	1			35	0
Twenty20	38	19	5	75	14	5.35	76	98.68	0	0	4	5	7	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	46	82	8143	4574	178	6/11	11/78	25.69	3.37	45.7	10	12	2
ODIs	163	162	7764	6169	247	6/16	6/16	24.97	4.76	31.4	6	4	0
T20Is	15	15	318	432	19	3/38	3/38	22.73	8.15	16.7	0	0	0
First-class	133		20460	12265	467	6/11		26.26	3.59	43.8		28	2
List A	221		10627	8522	338	6/16	6/16	25.21	4.81	31.4	13	7	0
Twenty20	38	38	804	978	44	5/23	5/23	22.22	7.29	18.2	2	1	0