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NEWS Cricket World Cup 2007>Is it the end of Shoaib Akhtar's career? 08th Nov 2006 22.01 IST By Manish Kumar He may have appealed against the two-year ban imposed on him, but the career of Shoaib Akhtar lies in tatters. The 31-year-old tearaway fast bowler and his teammate Mohammad Asif tested positive for banned steroid nandrolone in an internal dope test programme conducted by the PCB ahead of the Champions Trophy in India.
While the ban, should it stay, is sure to rule the two pace spearheads out of the World Cup in the Caribbean in March-April, one wonders whether Shoaib will be able to make a comeback from this latest setback in a checkered career. Shoaib, who returned to cricket in August after a six-month lay-off with a stress fracture in his left ankle, has scalped 165 wickets from 42 Tests since making his debut in 1997-98 against the West Indies , has been one of the game's most colourful personalities in contemporary cricket. Like Aussie leg-spin wizard Shane Keith Warne , who too was banned for a positive dope test three years ago, Shoaib has enthralled the fans world with his bowling quality while also frustrating them by getting into controversies. A sight to watch with his chest-pumping long run up, Shoaib hit the headlines with a five-wicket burst against South Africa in 1998 and then followed it up with the twin dismissals of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in the Asian Champions Test that year in Kolkata. But Shoaib’s sling-slot action soon landed him in trouble. His action was found to be illegal in 2000, and although he was cleared soon, he was reported twice again before being absolved once and forever on the excuse of a hyperextension of the elbow. But Shoaib who was officially measured at above 100 mph speed again courted controversy when he was banned for two matches for ball tampering in 2003. The playboy image also permanently stuck with the flamboyant Shoaib whose indisciplne frequently proved to be a source of disgruntlement to his captain and teammates. The support of key board officials helped him but what didn't were the spate of injuries. Even the high presence of nandrolone, which led to his positive tests, was initially attributed to his rehabilitation from knee and ankle injuries that kept him out of action for six months. When injury-free, there is arguably no greater sight in cricket than Shoaib running in to bowl his ‘torpedoes’, which have made him to be recognised widely as the fastest bowler in the world. Shoaib is particularly known for his ability to bowl at great speeds that even the best batsmen find difficult to play and for his ability to swing the ball at high speeds, both with conventional outswing and inswing and with reverse swing and has produced many match-winning displays. Shoaib has the reputation of being the world's fastest bowler and till date has bowled the fastest recorded ball in Test cricket. Shoaib has also bowled over 100 mph (160 km/h) twice in one dayers, with his fastest recorded delivery being clocked at 161.4 km/h, the fastest delivery reliably recorded. In 2005, Shoaib regained his reputation as a valuable bowler for his side. Playing against England, Shoaib made a series of impressive bowling efforts on pitches that did not suit fast bowlers. Shoaib’s slower ball was particularly effective in taking the wickets of England batsmen culminating in him. Shoaib was the highest wicket-taker, with seventeen in the three-match Test series and England captain Michael Paul Vaughan afterwards labelled him "a big difference between the two teams". The ban will be a severe test of Shoaib’s character and dedication to the great game of cricket. Also View In-Depth Coverage: Cricket World Cup 2007 Team Page: Pakistan Team Page: India | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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