SIBF: Shoaib Akhtar strikes an emotional chord with audience as he recounts poverty-stricken childhood, mercurial rise

For years, former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akthar terrorised his opponents with his brutal pace; on Sunday at the Sharjah International Book Fair, he was in a different form altogether - charming his audience with disarming wit and candour.

The former cricketer was at his best as he put Pakistan’s loss in the T20 World Cup final today behind him and took the audience on a roller coaster ride — first pulling them through the twists and turns of his poverty-stricken childhood — then plunging them into lows and high of his spectacular career, only to hurl them into the mystic world of spirituality and Sufism.

During the evening, organised by Bazm-e-Urdu and moderated by Tarannum, a popular name in Urdu literary circles, Akhtar recalled how he overcame insurmountable odds to become the world’s fastest bowler.

"Nothing is impossible if you set your heart to it," said the speedster, also known as Rawalpindi Express.

“I couldn’t walk for the first six years of my life. When I started to walk, I started to fall, when I started to fall, I started to play cricket, when I started to play cricket, people said you will never be able to play for your country but I proved everyone wrong," he said, eliciting a thunderous response from the packed crowd.

Remembering his mother, Hameeda Awan, who passed away last December, Akhtar said whatever he achieved was because of her.

"As a child, I had whooping cough. It got so bad that my mother was told to stop spending money on my treatment and save them for my funeral. For three years, she walked five miles to a hospital to get my medicines," he said. "When I was close to death, she prayed for me night and day. When Pakistan cricket got embroiled in match-fixing, she recited a couplet by Allama Iqbal to motivate me."

Reflecting on his love for the Urdu language, the pacer said, "It's a beautiful language that should be cherished and preserved," and praised the efforts by SBIF in building bridges between cultures through the written word.

'Dastan-e-Shoaib Akhtar'

Another highlight of the evening was a mesmerising session of Dastangoi – a 13th-century Urdu story-telling art form, which will saw poet Syed Sahil Agha recounting heartfelt stories from the cricketer's life and times. Aptly titled 'Dastan-e-Shoaib Akhtar' (Story of Shoaib Akhtar), the show was specially produced by Bazm-e Urdu.

Winner of several literary awards, Umeed was also one of the founders of the Progressive Writers Association.