Controversially Yours!

Shoaib Akhtar is in the spotlight again, this time because of his controversial autobiography, aptly titled Controversially Yours. It just came out this week, so might take some time before I get my hands on a copy.

In his publicity campaign, Shoaib said that Tendulker was probably scared of him, quoting an instance when Tendulker elbowed one of Shoaib's deliveries but walked off as if the ball had hit the gloves. Shoaib also said that Tendulker and Dravid aren't match winners. With nearly 50,000 international runs between them, it doesn't matter what Shoaib says, both are exceptional batsmen. However, it is true that some great batsmen had a hard time against Shoaib Akhtar. Here are some stats and videos of these modern greats in Shoaib Akhtar's firing line:


1. Tendulker, statistically the greatest batsman ever, got out for his first Golden Duck in a Test when he faced Shoaib Akhtar. Through the years, they had some great duels between them, most notably in the 2003 World Cup when Tendulker smashed Akhtar all over the park in his first over but Akhtar got him on 98. Overall, Tendulker averaged just 20.37 against Shoaib, dismissed 8 times against him in 28 international matches.



2. Ganguly averaged 37 against Shoaib in all formats, however he couldn't cope with Shoaib's extra pace and got hit by him on more than one occasion.

3. Ponting, the only batsman who matched Tendulker in his prime, and according to Shoaib was the most difficult batsman he bowled to, averaged just 16.22 against Shoaib in 31 matches.




4. Lara, probably the most feared left handed batsman in modern day cricket, played only three deliveries from Shoaib and he found the latter too hot to handle in their first and only encounter.

5. Kirsten, the best South African batsman ever, had a great record against Pakistan in both Tests and ODIs. He played 7 matches against Shoaib in his career, never being dismissed and averaging over 50 in those matches. However, he too was floored by Shoaib once.