‘His antics have been a disgrace’
Just when Pakistan needed Shoaib to fire all cylinders, he broke down with a sudden, mysterious hamstring injury. Originally left out of touring party, Shoaib had proclaimed that he was fit and his omission was not due to his fitness. After Umar Gul’s injury he was drafted back in the squad and bowled reasonably well in the first innings of 2nd Test match. However, when Pakistan got into a fantastic position to achieve a rare win in South Africa, he claimed that he was injured and could not bowl in the 2nd innings. This left Pakistan only 3 bowlers to try and win the match. Luckily for Pakistan, Asif and Kaneria performed admirably and backed up by fighting innings from Inzamam, Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal took Pakistan to a famous win.
Later footage was aired on TV channels, where Shoaib was seen having heated argument with coach Bob Woolmer on the 2nd morning of Test match. This is not the fist time such incident have taken place involving Shoaib but I sincerely hope its the last. I hope PCB will finally realise that he is not worth the hassle and help him into oblivion. His antics on and off the pitch have been a disgrace and Pakistani fans have had enough. Frankly, I cannot believe how someone of such character has represented Pakistan thus far. There is plenty of talent in Pakistan with the likes of Mohammed Irshard, U19 World Cup heroes Akhtar Ayub and Anwar Ali coming along nicely and should be given a chance.
Recent hoo-ha in Big Brother House and claims of racism against Shilpa Shetty were not the only outrageous scenes we have had to endure. During the 1st Test Match, something like “F*****g Pakistan go back to the F****** Zoo” were heard live on TV by millions around the world. South African commentators, infamous for their biased views against touring sides, were quick to blame the crowd. But it was later confirmed that these words, picked up my stump mics, were uttered by Herschelle Gibbs, apparently talking about a couple of Pakistani fans who has been hackling him at the boundary. Does it make a difference whether they were against the players or fans? Gibbs has been banned for 1 Test match and 2 ODIs for his outburst by ICC and may face further punishment from South African Cricket Board.
