Shoaib Akhtar birthday: Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is celebrating his 47th birthday today, August 13. The star bowler was born in Pakistan's Rawalpindi in the year 1975. Akhtar, regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in modern cricket, is popularly known as 'Rawalpindi Express' all over the world. The sensational speedster retired from international cricket in 2011. During his entire career as a fast bowler, Shoaib was troubled by knee issues. He recently posted a video on his social media account to let his fans know that his severe knee issues forced him to undergo surgery in Australia's Melbourne. The veteran has been confined to an apartment in Melbourne for the past one week where he's recovering after the surgery.
On the occasion of his 47th birthday, Shoaib Akhtar posted a video on his YouTube channel, in which he said that he is now feeling better after the surgery and is recovering slowly. While showing his left knee, Akhtar showed a big cut he got on his knee due to the surgery.
The former pacer further said, "I will be fine in eight to 12 weeks. I am not in a position to meet anyone now as I am still recovering. I thank all my fans for the birthday wishes and thank you all so much for giving your best wishes. I am in recovery mode and your prayers are reaching me."
In the video, Akhtar also shared bad news with his fans, saying, "The bad news is that after five years I will have to get my knee completely replaced again. Ice, pain and pills... this is what has been going on in my life for the last five-six days."
The legendary Pakistani pace bowler played 46 Tests, 14 T20s, and 163 ODIs for his country. He has taken 178 wickets in red-ball cricket and 247 in ODIs and 21 wickets in T20Is. He is the first bowler in the history of cricket to bowl at a speed of 100 mph.