3 most ferocious Shoaib Akhtar spells in international cricket

Former Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar turned 48 today (August 13). The retired cricketer now works as a cricket expert. He regularly appears on his YouTube channel and shares his views regarding the recent happenings in the cricket world.

Many fans consider Shoaib Akhtar as one of the best fast bowlers in cricket history. Nicknamed 'The Rawalpindi Express', Akhtar owns the record for the fastest ball bowled by any player in international cricket history. Back in 2003, Akhtar bowled a delivery at 161.3 kmph (100.2 mph) to England's Nick Night in a World Cup match.

Two decades have passed since then, but no fast bowler has managed to break Shoaib Akhtar's world record. Akhtar would frequently clock 150kmph on the speedometer. His spells would make the batters' lives difficult.

On his 48th birthday, we take a look at his three most ferocious bowling spells:

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#1 Shoaib Akhtar troubles England with his pace in Lahore

England visited Pakistan for a Test series in 2005. Shoaib Akhtar brought his 'A' game to the table in that series and finished with 17 wickets. He starred in Pakistan's innings win at the Gaddafi Stadium by scalping six wickets.

England scored 288 runs in the first innings, with Akhtar taking one wicket. In reply, Pakistan scored 636/8 dec, riding on Mohammad Yousuf's double century.

Trailing by 348 runs in the second innings, England aimed for a draw, but Akhtar's incredible bowling performance helped Pakistan record a win by an innings and 100 runs. He finished with figures of 5/71 in 19 overs in the second innings.

Akhtar rattled England's top order by dismissing the top three batters Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell. He then trapped Geraint Jones and Liam Plunkett LBW as Pakistan secured a win in Lahore.

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#2 Shoaib Akhtar outfoxes South Africa in Dubai, 2010

South Africa played an ODI series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in 2010. In the third match of that series played in Dubai, the Proteas struggled against Akhtar. The Pakistan speedster did not rely on just his raw pace but used other weapons in his arsenal as well to finish with figures of 3/39 in 10 overs.

Jacques Kallis chopped a delivery from Akhtar onto his stumps, and then Colin Ingram handed a catch to The Rawalpindi Express off his own bowling. Johan Botha, who captained South Africa in that game, then lost his stumps to Akhtar as he completed a three-wicket haul.

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#3 Shoaib Akhtar's performance against India in 2004

The Indian batters tackled Akhtar well but when the Men in Blue toured Pakistan for an ODI series in 2004, the Rawalpindi Express ended with nine wickets in five matches. He bagged the big wicket of Sachin Tendulkar twice in that ODI series.

Apart from the aforementioned spells, fans also remember Akhtar's 5/21 against Australia in a Test match played at the P Sara Oval in 2002 and 5/25 against Australia at the Gabba the same year as his best performances.

Akhtar still participates in leagues of retired cricketers. He turned up for the Asia Lions in the Legends League Cricket earlier this year. However, his pace has reduced a lot now. Still, no one can forget the way the Pakistan speedster tormented batters during his prime.