Shoaib makes people wait

He boasted of the three deliveries that he bowled to Lara, one that forced the batsmen to go off the field injured.

Anticipation builds as Shoaib Akhtar races to the crease; hair flopping, chest pumping and legs working overtime. All this despite the age, the fitness level and the burden of mischief that he carries along with the ball he delivers.

His farewell speech was no different. Expectant journalists waited for almost an hour for him to show up, but Shoaib took his time, knowing full well that, as always, he was the main attraction, and that the crowd would only increase with time.

Prepared statements and planned speeches tend to lack emotion but Shoaib, so often a master of hogging the spotlight with his swinging yorkers or from balls that were not part of any sport, had come prepared.

He read out a statement — that he confirmed he wrote himself — with toothpaste advert smiles, long pauses between phrases (perhaps allowing for photographers to get their best shots) and oozing patriotism that even Jinnah yearned to reach.

Shoaib’s statement and his replies to the questions that were thrown at him — personal, professional and the ones he would have normally replied to, creating further controversy — created a scene unprecedented. He spoke more of the country that he represented than the sport he played. He kept reverting back to his patriotism — the dream that was playing for Pakistan — instead of his speed, an act imaginable from the Shoaib that once was.

His antics off the field often overshadowed his actions on it. But Shoaib mentioned how he strived to stay clear of controversies, especially match-fixing, and chose the “right path always”. History would speak the truth on the matter, of his career that saw doping offences, hitting teammates (as recent as Pakistan’s World Cup match against New Zealand), breaking team curfew, ball-tampering allegations, as well as hitting out against the board, which he referred to as “my dearest Pakistan Cricket Board”. But Shoaib remained adamant that he was a saint.

Shoaib had the smile of a champion, not a fading star. He boasted of the three deliveries that he bowled to Brian Lara, one that forced the batsmen to go off the field injured. He repeatedly mentioned Eden Gardens in 1999, when he silenced the 100,000-strong crowd in the space of two searing deliveries. He, however, forgot to mention the 1998 series in South Africa, the 1999 World Cup and his head-on battle against Australia in Colombo.

The fact that he made the effort to get a haircut, shave and dress up for his retirement speech confirmed that Shoaib wants to be talked of even after his final stride, of the pain and trouble he went through, not just for Pakistan, but for the sport that stands at losing a phenomenon come Pakistan’s World Cup exit.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2011.