It seems that a rematch between India and Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semi final may not see Shoaib Akhtar in action. That would be a disappointment given the Sachin Tendulkar v Shoaib Akhtar drama in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 and the Akhtar-Harbhajan Singh tiff in the Asia Cup 2010.
shoaib akhtar boxing
Many may remember the Shoaib Akhtar showdown in South Africa as Sachin Tendulkar took him on in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. That may seem like eons ago. Akhtar is playing his final World Cup tournament for Pakistan and it would be fair to say that Tendulkar probably is as well.
However, concerns over Akhtar's fitness over a match duration have been raised and the Pakistan cricket team management has decided to bench him rather than play him in favour of the likes of Umar Gul or Wahab Riaz. It would seem that if the same logic is extended, Akhtar may not get a chance to play this historic India v Pakistan ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semi final.
The Asia Cup 2010 clash between India and Pakistan saw Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar in a war of their own with Harbhajan winning the battle on the field by hitting the Pakistan fast bowler for a six as India won the match. Later Harbhajan Singh accused Shoaib Akhtar of making unkind remarks about his sister, alluding to Italy's Marco Materazzi's run in with France's Zinedine Zidane in a World Cup clash.
If Pakistan decide to stay with their winning combination from the quarterfinal match against the West Indies, Akhtar will have to miss out on his name on the scoreboard, which would be a shame in the context of the match, particularly after he did show shades of spark in the matches when Kamran Akmal had not been on top of his game, which is perhaps why some former Pakistan cricketers are rooting for Akhtar to make a presence in Mohali.
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