Fourteen years ago, Wasim Akram and Shaniera Akram became one of Pakistan’s most scrutinised celebrity couples when they tied the knot.
He is, of course, the undisputed ‘Sultan of Swing’. A fast-bowling wizard. A national treasure who continues to draw eyes every time he walks into a room. She, on the other hand, is the tall, blonde Australian whirlwind with strong opinions, a sharp wit and a well-defined personality of her own. Together, they represented the collision of two completely disparate worlds and the way in which they have navigated their lives together has always been fascinating for the country at large.
“When we got married, there were a lot of discussions that started out in the open, in the media. Like the fact that he was older than me, that we were from different cultures and I had earlier belonged to a different religion, or that he had been married before and that I was going to be the mother of his two boys,” says Shaniera. “Not once did I consider any of this. It was just Allah’s will or destiny that made me feel that this was going to be an easy choice for me and I decided that I would go with it.
“My mother is a big believer in love finding its own path and she told me that it was better that I gave it a try rather than always have regrets. I mean I wasn’t going to miss out on the love of my life just because I was scared!” she laughs. “That’s one thing I am not — scared.”
