Forget about my action, get on with the game, says Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar is confident that all the hullabaloo over his action is a thing of the past, and now that he has passed the scrutiny of international umpires, especially the Aussie Darrell Hair, in Bangladesh and here in Sharjah, there is no further need to talk about it.

Shoaib Akhtar Photo © CricInfo

"Forget about my action, let us get on with the game," Shoaib said, feeling supremely confident that he had left the controversy behind him. "I've been through three examinations by the University of Western Australia's department of Human Movement, and in each of their reports they've said that it is the overextension of the arms and joints which creates the illusion. And the ICC's circulation of that report has helped my case," he added, displaying the overextension in both his arms for the benefit of the journalists present at the briefing.

He felt reassured because his manager [Yawar Saeed] had spoken to Hair after the second Test against the West Indies, and there was no report against his action. As for Michael Holding helping him, he said he didn't go through the modification programme because there was nothing to modify.

"I've never modified my action... It cannot be modified," Shoaib said. Talking about Holding's suggestions to him on the nets here, he said that the former West Indian pace ace had pointed out that his left arm was falling away. Holding's advice was to keep it straight and close to his body, which Holding thought would add to his pace and momentum.

"Mr Holding is a very senior cricketer and when he says something, one has to listen to him", Shoaib said.

That was routine stuff compared to the shocking statement that he had never tried to cross the 100-mile barrier. Having captured the imagination of cricketing aficionados all over the world with his express pace in the 1999 World Cup, at around 97 mph, Shoaib had bowled the second fastest recorded delivery after Jeff Thomson's 99-mile thunderbolt in the late 1970s. Afterwards, he was blamed for sacrificing the team's interest for personal glory by aiming for the 100-mile mark at the expense of accuracy.

But Akhtar, having been through a long and tedious rehabilitation programme after a variety of injuries which resulted from his body not standing his relentless quest for pace, has obviously learnt his lessons. He is consistently more accurate now than he has ever been in his career, and is taking wickets as well.

"Now I'm aiming to contribute to the team's cause. It's too early for me to think of 350 or 450 wickets. I don't have such thoughts. I just want to take wickets, and even if I take two or three wickets in every innings, I want them to help the team, to come at a juncture when the team benefits," he said.

He especially thanked the PCB and its chairman, Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia for standing by him through a very difficult period in his career, when he struggled with twin problems of a spate of injuries and unending controversy regarding his action. "There was nothing personal in it. The PCB chairman thought that I'm an asset to for the Pakistan team, and that is why he backed me up. I am really grateful for all the support that I got from him and the Board", said Akhtar.