Since the beginning of his career, Akhtar has been nicknamed to as the “Rawalpindi Express” because of his quick bowling action and propensity to unleash vicious bouncers, making batters afraid to stand on the wicket.
The 47-year-old former right-arm bowler holds the record for bowling the fastest delivery in cricket history, clocking it at 161.3 kph.
The actor-singer who will portray Shoaib’s role made the announcement on his Instagram.
“I consider it an honour to portray Mr. Shoaib Akhtar, a living legend, in Rawalpindi Express on the big screen. May Allah grant us success in all of our endeavours. We’re excited to present to you a groundbreaking biopic movie deserving of international acclaim, “Jaswal penned a caption.
The former pacer declared earlier in July that a biopic on his life’s journey would be made.
“The start of this lovely voyage. Introducing the release of RAWALPINDI EXPRESS – Running Against the Odds, my tale, my life, and my biopic. You’re about to have an adventure you’ve never had. the first movie made abroad on a sportsman from Pakistan. Shoaib Akhtar, controversially yours,” the former bowler had tweeted.
The first foreign film about a Pakistani sports figure will be Akhtar’s biography, which will be released on November 16 of the following year.
The biopic’s directors are Qaiser Nawaz and Muhammad Faraz Qaiser.
The fast bowler represented Pakistan in 224 international games and took 444 wickets before retiring in 2011 after the ODI World Cup.