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COLOMBO: For his raw speed and popularity with the crowds, Shoaib Akhtar was a superstar; for his lack of discipline, the maverick paceman was also tagged as a prima donna.
From his fitness problems to a doping scandal, heavy fines, fall outs with management and hitting a team-mate with a bat, Akhtar, who announced his international retirement on Thursday, was never far from the headlines.
His international career even started on the wrong foot when he was dropped from the team for the Sahara Cup in Canada in 1996 on disciplinary grounds.
“I want to be remembered as an honest and patriotic player who always played in pain simply because of the passion and love for the game and someone who wanted to do something for his country,” said Akhtar.
“I know a lot of people will remember me as a controversial person, but I never trod on a wrong path.”
Even his greatest critics would appreciate the way he battled through injuries -- when he was a flat-footed youngster, doctors advised him against taking up sport.
He missed 38 of the 84 Tests Pakistan played since his debut against the West Indies at Rawalpindi in 1997.
Ramiz Raja, who was chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when an inquiry was launched against Akhtar over allegations he had feigned an injury in 2004, said he would like to remember the tearaway fast bowler.
“With his phenomenal strike rate, he was a match-winner on his day,” said former captain Raja.
“He battled through injuries and controversies with a lot of heart.”
Akhtar was the subject of two of the PCB's heaviest ever fines handed out to a player.
The first, which also included a 13-match ODI ban, came after he hit team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat, two days before the World Twenty20 held in South Africa in 2007.
His career then seemed to be on the rocks after he publicly criticised the board following his removal from the list of central contracts in January 2008.
That led to a five-year ban, subsequently reduced to 18 months on appeal.
Akhtar's two English county signings, first with Nottinghamshire in 2000 and then with Worcestershire in 2005, ended in bitterness.
John Elliot, the Worcestershire chairman, described him as a prima donna and a disruptive element.
Akhtar also had his problems with Pakistan's late English coach Bob Woolmer, who was against his selection after he and Asif tested positive for nandrolone in October 2006.
But some team-mates appreciated Akhtar's character.
“Akhtar was a great team-mate, someone who respected older players like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, and he was a great human being,” said former captain Moin Khan.
