Best XI of Bad Boys in cricket

11. Shoaib Akhtar

The title of Shoaib Akhtar’s autobiography ‘Controversially yours’ suggests that the man himself accepts the fact that his career was blemished with quarrels off the field. Akhtar played at the international scene for 14 years picking over 400 wickets- and intimidated the batsman every time he came charging in. But the hullabaloo always followed him like a shadow.

In 2006 he was banned for a couple of years for using performance-enhancing drugs, was accused of ball-tampering and chucking, and had several clashes with teammates and the board. The pacer alleges former teammates to have ‘destroyed’ his career while others have ruffled all of Akhtar’s claims.

On the 2002 tour to Zimbabwe, he threw a bottle into the crowd and a year later he was banned for ball-tampering. The Rawalpindi Express now runs a YouTube channel, and he isn’t a bit shy of taking digs at former cricketers, and criticizing the current group of players when they put on any disappointing show.