Who is Pakistani cricketer, Wasim Akram's second wife, Shaniera Thompson. The Australian social worker is trending all over the internet.
Wasim Akram is one of the greatest bowlers ever in the history of cricket. The Pakistani bowler is renowned worldwide by the 'The Sultan of Swing' moniker. Wasim Akram holds the record of taking the most wickets in ODIs as a captain. After retiring from cricket, he became a commentator and won everyone's hearts with his critical analysis and exceptional technical knowledge.
Talking about Wasim Akram’s personal life, the handsome cricketer got married to Huma Mufti, who was a psychologist. She worked as the Pakistani cricket team’s psychological consultant. The couple was blessed with two sons, Tahmoor and Akbar. However, in 2009, Huma passed away after suffering from some health issues.
Huma’s death came as a shocker for Wasim, who took his time to recover from his loss. After some time, Wasim fell in love with Shaniera Thompson and got married to her in 2011. Shaniera is 17 years younger than Wasim, and the couple welcomed a baby girl and named her Aiyla. Wasim Akram’s wife, Shaniera is currently leading all the headlines after she blasted a bizarre troll post. Let us read on to know more about Shaniera.
Shaniera Thompson hails from Melbourne, Australia and is currently settled in Pakistan. She is a social worker and has also worked as a public relations consultant. Shaniera started her career in fashion at the age of 21 and owned a clothing boutique. During her stay in Australia, Shaniera worked at major Australian fashion festivals and international events.
Shaniera met Wasim in 2011 at a dinner with some common friends. He had visited Melbourne at that time for a cricket commentary. She wasn’t aware of his popularity. Speaking about the same in a throwback interview with a leading publication, Wasim once said:
“I did tell her – "I’m kind of a big deal back home" – but that card didn't work. I had to charm her. We exchanged numbers, texted and emailed, and whenever I was back here we would get together.”
The duo exchanged numbers and started talking to each other for some time on texts and calls. While Wasim Akram introduced her to Pakistani culture, Shaniera showed him her Australian roots, and the two eventually fell in love. The Australian social activist learnt Urdu and converted to Islam to marry her lover, Wasim Akram.
After dating for almost two years, Wasim Akram and Shaniera Thompson got married on August 12, 2013, in an intimate ceremony. At the time of their marriage, Wasim was 47, and Shaniera was 30. The couple's massive age difference of 17 years created a stir.
When Wasim Akram’s first wife, Huma, passed away, the cricketer struggled a lot to raise his sons. It was during that time he met Shaniera, who was his pillar of strength. Despite Huma’s death, Wasim and Shaniera have kept her memory alive through photos, planting a tree, observing her birthday and death anniversary, and through her children. Shaniera shares a beautiful bond with his two sons, Tahmoor and Akbar. We have repeatedly seen Wasim and Shaniera attending events or vacationing with their three children.
Wasim Akram recently became the unexpected subject of a social media controversy after a viral post falsely claimed he was divorced. The post, shared by a parody account on X (formerly Twitter), dubbed ‘Divorced XI,’ listed cricketers who have gone through divorces, including Ravi Shastri, Javagal Srinath, Dinesh Karthik, and Shikhar Dhawan.
It was Wasim Akram’s name on the list, which raised many eyebrows and turned many heads. Soon, his second wife, Shaniera, reacted to the post and penned:
“Hey @GemsOfCricket. You guys are definitely ‘out of context’ and from what I can see, you’re also out of correct and reliable information!”
What do you think about Shaniera Thompson’s response to the viral troll? Let us know.
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