Shoaib Akhtar set to retire after tournament

Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar has confirmed he will retire from international cricket after the ongoing World Cup.

Shoaib, regarded as the fastest bowler of all time, will call time on a colourful international career once his team are eliminated from the tournament.

The 35-year-old said in a statement: "Yes, I will quit international cricket after the World Cup. I have taken this decision after much thought. Pakistan's last match in this World Cup will also be my last. I hope that will be the final on 2 April."

Since debuting in 1997, Shoaib has represented Pakistan in 46 Test matches, snapping up 178 wickets. He is just three wickets short of the 250 mark in the one-day format of the game.

Shoaib clocked 100mph during Pakistan's ODI match against New Zealand at Lahore in 2002, registering himself as the fastest man in contemporary cricket.

However, his career has been marred with injuries and controversies. He was banned for five matches after hitting team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat ahead of the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa.

The Pakistan Cricket Board suspended the paceman for five years in 2008 after he publicly slammed the board for excluding him from the list of centrally contracted players. However, the ban was later cut to 18 months on appeal.

Shoaib also found himself embroiled in a doping controversy, following which he was dropped from Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad in 2006 but had a two-year ban quashed.