August 13, 1975, is the birthday of Shoaib Akhtar, one of the most lethal fast bowlers the cricket world has ever seen. The fast bowler from Pakistan earned the nickname 'Rawalpindi Express' because of his luxury pace.

The legend of Pakistan cricket twice clocked going past the 100 mph barrier, and often, he shared a healthy competition with Australia's Brett Lee. During their prime, both the pacers tried to overlap each other's pace. Still today, admiration between them for each other is unmatchable.

Akhtar's career could have been longer and more entertaining on the field if he had managed to keep himself from various out-of-field controversies. When Shobai found his rhythm, he was unstoppable, but repeated issues related to fitness did not allow him to contribute to the Pakistan cricket team at a constant rate. From allegations of drug scandal in 2006 to a spat with teammate Mohammad Asif the year after, all were parts of his career.

Read More: 'Itna marega na...'- Yuvraj Singh warned Rohit Sharma's look like person [Watch]

Career stats in brief 

After a disappointing run in the 2011 World Cup, the controversial but effective fast bowler announced his retirement from international cricket. Due to multiple injury issues and never-ending controversies, Akhtar managed to play only 46 matches and took 178 wickets, including a best figure of 11/78 during a Test match against New Zealand in 2003.

In ODIs, 6/16 was his career-best figure, which came against the same opposition, New Zealand, in 2002. His T20I career is not as decorative as his career in the other two formats. In 15 T20Is, the pacer got 19 scalps with his name, including the best figure of 3/38. He played 3 matches in the Indian Premier League as well for the Kolkata Knight Riders to grab 5 wickets.