By Paresh Soni

Before the Test series against England, hard-working, serious and committed were never adjectives freely used to describe Shoaib Akhtar.

The biggest turnaround for me has been Shoaib Bob Woolmer

Frequent injury problems and accusations of playing to the gallery had overshadowed the Pakistan paceman's success in taking 144 wickets in 36 Tests.

Critics were lining up to question whether he deserved to be in the team, saying there was no way he could fit into the disciplined modern approach favoured by coach Bob Woolmer.

Detractors said he was far too selfish, flamboyant and irresponsible to make consistent contributions.

But it is plaudits rather than brickbats that will now be coming his way after his efforts in the hosts' 2-0 triumph.

The 30-year-old was the outstanding bowler in three matches played on batsmen's paradises, taking 17 wickets and troubling the tourists with his clever use of the slower ball and his 95mph inswinging yorkers.

By the end of the third Test in Lahore, the trademark smile was back - but unlike previously, this one beamed out satisfaction rather than mischief.

"The biggest turnaround for me has been Shoaib," Woolmer enthused. "We can see that when he's fit and bowling he's a tremendous asset and makes a big difference to Pakistani cricket."

In January, however, The "Rawalpindi Express" was on a fast track to obscurity after coming home early from the tour of Australia with a recurrence of a hamstring injury.

Not for the first time, dark suggestions were made about whether the injury was genuine or another example of the showman bowing out when the show wasn't going quite to plan.

Worcestershire chairman John Elliott provided more evidence for the prosecution when he launched a scathing attack on the bowler, questioning his attitude and work-rate during his stint with the county.

"Shoaib has been no good for any club he's been at," he moaned.

Inzamam knows Shoaib will battle

"It's all about team spirit and getting the dressing room right and when you've got a bloke like Shoaib in there, it can cause mayhem."

When Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt expressed an interest in casting him in one of his films, it added to the perception that his talents lay in showbusiness rather than competitive sport.

Some observers muttered that it was box office appeal as much as anything that earned him a place in the World XI squad for the Super Series against Australia in October.

The two appearances he made in the one-dayers were wicketless and expensive, and it was no surprise when he failed to make the line-up for the Test.

Rather than giving up on him, however, Woolmer sensed an opportunity here: Shoaib's pride was hurting and he had something to prove.

He had missed the drawn Test series in India and the West Indies, and was in danger of slipping down the pecking order in his own country, let alone on the world stage.

Before the first Test in Multan, Woolmer played on that by saying: "He has to confirm his fitness to us. He has to justify his place in the presence of this pack of pacers we've at our disposal now."

The results were almost immediate - Shoaib was back to his devastating best to inspire a thrilling and unlikely victory.

Woolmer's faith has paid off

His willingness to toil and use his brain to work out ways to succeed on similarly unforgiving pitches in Faisalabad and Lahore impressed Inzamam-ul-Haq.

The skipper, who had questioned his younger team-mate's commitment in the home defeat by India in 2004, was now moved to say: "He is working really hard and has given more than 100%.

Shoaib's new-found responsible attitude extended to his batting, which previously used to be all about eye-catching and reckless shots.

But in the second innings in Multan he stuck around for 46 balls to help add crucial runs with Kamran Akmal, in Faisalabad he patiently occupied the crease again, while in Lahore he combined watchful defence with big hitting.

"You can see how serious he is now from the way he concentrates when he's batting," Inzamam added. "Now everybody's fighting, from one to 11, and that's been the main thing for our team."

One after the other, team-mates joined in praising his role in Pakistan's stunning triumph, while Inzamam's opposite number Michael Vaughan singled out Shoaib as the main thorn in England's side.

Interestingly, the player himself spoke at length after his heroics about "keeping my feet on the ground" and "plenty of hard work ahead".

There was no soundbite and no brash prediction about breaking speed records.