Top Five Unluckiest Cricketers in the Pakistan Cricket Team

The top ten unluckiest cricketers from Pakistan whose promising careers were cut short by injuries and controversies.

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For decades, the Pakistan cricket team has navigated its way through moments of glorious triumphs to instances of tragic turbulence. Although the squad has faced numerous struggles both on and off the field, the iconic legendary players like Wasim Akram, Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Shahid Afridi, and many more have strengthened the core legacy of the team and assisted them to a handful of crucial triumphs. On the other hand, there have been Pakistani cricketers like Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Akhtar, Junaid Khan and many more who, despite possessing a great passion for the game, were compelled to end their up-and-coming cricketing careers due to injuries, controversies, inconsistent performances, and other reasons. 

In this article, we will take a look at the top ten cricketers from the Pakistan cricket team who witnessed an unpredictable ending to their cricketing careers.

  • Shoaib Akhtar

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The former Pakistani international cricketer, popularly referred to as ‘The Rawalpindi Express’ for his invincible bowling exploits, is regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the international cricket landscape. Shoaib Akhtar made his debut for test and ODI cricket in the same year, in 1997. With a breakneck 161.3 kmph delivery at the 2003 World Cup tournament, Akhtar holds the record for being the fastest bowler in the international format of cricket. Despite clinching numerous accolades and driving Pakistan’s cricket squad to innumerable triumphs, including the iconic 2009 ICC World Twenty20 tournament, Shoaib Akhtar’s cricketing career was inevitably impacted due to a trail of injuries. Akhtar suffered multiple stress fractures in his knees, deteriorating his performance on the field. Although the legendary player underwent multiple surgeries and treatments, his fitness was compromised to a great extent, ultimately forcing him to retire in 2011 after the World Cup.

  • Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir undoubtedly elevated Pakistan’s bowling attack at an international level with his daunting and aggressive bowling style. Amir significantly contributed to Pakistan’s phenomenal victory at the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Despite all his significant contributions and stellar achievements, Mohammad Amir was handed a ban on February 5, 2011, along with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt. The trio was found to be guilty in the infamous Pakistan spot-fixing scandal during Pakistan’s tour of England. Amir along with his two squad bowlers allegedly delivered ‘no-ball’ deliveries in exchange for hefty monetary benefits. As a consequence, Mohammad Amir faced a lot of hatred and criticism from the media and Pakistan’s cricket fans, tarnishing his reputation as a professional cricket player. Although the bowler made a comeback in 2016 after serving his ban, he was continuously dropped from the team roster due to fitness issues and inconsistent performance. The Pakistani bowler, Mohommad Amir, succumbed to an unfortunate downfall and officially announced his retirement from international cricket in 2020.

  • Waqar Younis

The youngest test cricket captain of the Pakistani cricket team, former professional Pakistani cricketer, Waqar Younis, is regarded as one of the most successful and dreadful bowlers ever introduced to the game of cricket at an international level. Waqar’s international career spanned over a decade from 1989 to 2003, establishing him as one of the most crucial players of Pakistan’s playing eleven across all international formats. Waqar Younis holds the record for being the youngest bowler to pick up a phenomenal 400 wickets in the ODI format. With his unique ability to reverse a swing delivery, his bowling attack was a nightmare for most of the top-order batsmen of the opposition teams. Despite his phenomenal innings as a bowler and his unmatchable captaincy stint, Waqar Younis faced a major setback due to some serious injuries that he sustained in his career. According to the reports, Waqar jumped into a canal and lost his little finger in the unfortunate accident. In addition, the pioneer bowler also underwent numerous back and ankle injuries, forcing him to announce his early departure from the game in 2003.  

  • Danish Kaneria

Former professional Pakistani cricketer, Danish Kaneria, who made headlines for being the second Hindu and 7th non-Muslim after Anil Dalpat to ever represent Pakistan’s cricket team, played across all international formats including tests and ODI for a decade, from 2000 to 2010. Kaneria, who was popularly referred to as the master of googly deliveries, played a total of 61 test matches and picked up a record-breaking 261 wickets. Although Kaneria’s circlet trajectory was transcending to unprecedented heights, his road to success was painfully cut short after he was accused and proved of being guilty in the infamous Pakistan’s spot fixing scandal of the English Country cricket, as a consequence the dynamic cricketer was handed with a lifetime ban by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). After years of denying the charges pressed against him, the former Pakistani cricketer, Danish Kaneria, recently accepted his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal of 2009 which led to the denouement of his highly promising cricketing career.

  • Muhammad Zahid 

Muhammad Zahid took the Pakistani cricket scene by a storm after he picked up a total of ten wickets in his debut ODI match against New Zealand in 1996, establishing himself as the first Pakistani cricketer to achieve the feat. After facing Zahid’s deadly bowling attack, Brian Lara acknowledged him as one of the most fierce bowlers that he had faced on the crease, comparing him to the legendary bowler Michael Holding. Although Muhammad Zaid had an extremely promising cricketing career ahead of him, an unfortunate injury resulted in a major career setback for the star bowler of Pakistan. Zahid suffered a severe back injury during Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2000 that eventually ended his dominating streak in the game. Although Muhammad Zaid poured in enormous efforts to make a comeback, his fitness issues made it a tough deal to crack for the bowler, who officially announced his retirement in 2005. 

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