5 cricketers whose biggest enemies turned out be their own cricket boards

3. Shoaib Akhtar

Throughout their cricketing history, the Pakistan cricket team has been endowed with premium quality fast-bowling exponents. From Wasim Akram to Naseem Shah, the country has a never-ending relationship with pace. And talking about pace who can forget Shoaib Akhtar who often used to send the speed gun on a tizzy. The speedster is one of the most enigmatic characters the game has seen.

In his prime, Akhtar’s mere presence on the field petrified the opposition batsmen. Especially his long run-up and ability to bowl meaty bouncers made him a superstar in the early years of the 2000s. Even his breezy long hairstyle and aeroplane celebrations earned him a lot of admirers. In other words, Shoaib looked set to rule the cricketing world, but his constant battles with PCB proved it otherwise.

For most of Akhtar’s career, PCB doubted his commitment to the team. For the simple reason that his bowling prowess often took a backseat due to his frequent on-field outbursts and substance abuse. Moreover, some of his team-mates also didn’t like his hell-bent attitude.

With that being said, the country’s cricket system should also be blamed for botching up his career. PCB never tried to understand Shoaib’s problems and meted out suspensions and fines at will. Rather than moulding his talent, the board battled an ego war with him. So, in the end, the Rawalpindi Express couldn’t gather enough steam to become one of the best in the game.