Transformation Mascarenhas making Akhtar the next Tendulkar Click here for more on this story Posted: Monday June 14, 1999 12:20 PM   Akhtar is currently the world's fastest bowler with a delivery recorded at 96 miles per hour and could be the first bowler to break the 100 mph barrier. Shaun Botterill/Allsport MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Mark Mascarenhas, the agent who transformed Sachin Tendulkar into a multimillionaire through lucrative commercial endorsements, is on the verge of doing the same for Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar. The 23-year-old bowler, who aims to shepherd Pakistan into Sunday's World Cup final by defeating New Zealand on Wednesday, caused a sensation in February when he uprooted Tendulkar's middle stump in front of 80,000 shocked fans in Calcutta. It was the first time that the Indian idol had ever been dismissed first ball in a test match. Mascarenhas, the president of WorldTel, a Connecticut-based television broadcasting company, was quick to recognize Akhtr's talent and a business opportunity. "There is no reason to see Shoaib going anywhere else but up," he said. "I hope that he will be a millionaire." Akhtar is currently the world's fastest bowler with a delivery recorded at 96 miles per hour (155.5 kilometers per hour) and could be the first bowler to break the 100 mph (162 kmph) barrier. The extrovert Akhtar, who is partial to a touch of Western nightlife, is a native of Rawalpindi, which has earned him the nickname Rawalpindi express. Akhtar's "greatest value will be playing in England as a professional cricketer, and my advice to him is to keep on getting wickets, and to focus on bowling the other side out," said Mascarenhas, an ethnic Indian who has lived in the United States since gaining a masters degree in communications in the seventies. His imminent deal with Akhtar has once again shown that business and money transcend national or religious divides. Masarenhas sees nothing odd in the fact that an Indian should be promoting a player from Pakistan, India's arch enemy. "We have more Muslims in India than there are in Pakistan, and we look at Pakistanis as very much part of our own country," said Mascarenhas. "Maybe they would disagree with that because they have their own land, but I am always filled with admiration for their ability," said the Bangalore-born Mascarenhas. Akhtar is the first non-Indian to be contracted by Mascarenhas, who says that he decided to manage players because of his love of cricket rather than for any financial motivation. "You've got to create heroes and you've got to pay them," said Mascarenhas, who made his breakthrough by winning the broadcasting rights to the 1996 World Cup, played in the Indian subcontinent. As Tendulkar's agent, he sold rights to various companies for using the batting genius to endorse their products by appearing in advertisements and using their logos on his equipment and uniforms. But Tendulkar's financial success can only stem from his game, Mascarenhas said. "That has always been the focus of my relationship with Sachin. He is about runs, and when he gets runs, his team does well and his country does well, and that is where the value is," he said.   Related information Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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