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Shoaib Akhtar's pace jolts West Indies
Need for speed
Dileep Premachandran
The six that made the bowler a star, Bristol, 1999
Background
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Shoaib delivered some real thunderbolts to announce himself on the world stage
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After injury and alleged indiscipline had stalled some of his early progress, Shoaib Akhtar had announced his arrival as a fast bowler of some menace in a Test match against India at the Eden Gardens. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar were among his victims that day, and there was an anticipatory buzz as he strode back to the top of his run-up on his World Cup debut. Pakistan had made 229, and needed an early breakthrough or two to win their opening game.
Moment
While some expected a searing yorker first up, Shoaib opted for the other extreme, a bouncer so quick that Sherwin Campbell barely saw it. He was belatedly into the hook, but the ball had hurried on so quickly that it took the top edge. As his team-mates and an awestruck crowd watched, the ball soared over third man for six. Instead of any celebratory antics, Campbell looked like a man who'd just found himself on the railway track, with an onrushing locomotive just yards away.
Boundary view
"Akhtar is the show-stopper", said the red-topped Sun, while the Daily Express joined in by saying: "Shoaib speed gives Akram the armoury". The fact that he was the most expensive bowler with 2 for 54 from 9.5 overs barely mattered.
What happened next
Campbell didn't stay around long enough to enjoy his good fortune. In Shoaib's next over, another express delivery cannoned into the top of middle stump, even as Campbell was trying to being the bat down. And though Australia demolished them in the final, Pakistan had unearthed one of the stars of the competition.
Dileep Premachandran is features editor of Cricinfo
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