Shaniera Akram

Shaniera was born on 20 March 1983.[2] Hailing from the Melbourne suburb of Brighton,[3] she describes herself as a "typical Australian girl" who lived a normal life, and worked as a public relations consultant.[3][4] She received her early education from a private girls' school.[5] She was raised with three sisters, in a well-connected household which counted Sam Newman and Shane Warne as family friends.[3][4]

Shaniera met Wasim in 2011 at a dinner with mutual friends whilst he was visiting Melbourne for cricket commentating duties, but did not know who he was back then or admittedly have much interest in cricket;[3] Wasim explained: "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."[4] Shaniera says although the relationship was not romantic at first, and despite being from different countries and generations, the two enjoyed each other's company and were able to click.[4] According to Wasim, she showed him her city and introduced him to Australian culture, which he found very family-oriented, sports-based, and having an affinity for outdoor living – similar to his life in Pakistan.[4] He proposed marriage to Shaniera on a bended knee at her home.[6]

At the time, Wasim was coping with the passing away of his childhood love and first wife Huma (who died from multiple organ failure in 2009),[7] and was struggling in life – especially in raising his two children.[4] Talking about Huma, Shaniera mentions they've kept her memory alive through photos, planting a tree, observing her birthday and death anniversary, and through her children.[4] Shaniera married Wasim at a simple nikah ceremony in the summer of 2013 at his hometown Lahore, on 12 August.[4][7] They moved to Karachi thereafter, where they live near the beachfront area of Clifton.[4] The couple had their first daughter, Aiyla, on 27 December 2014.[7] As a mother, she picks and drops her daughter to school, and takes her to dance and judo classes.[4] She is also a step-mother to Wasim's two sons, Tahmoor (b. 1996) and Akbar (b. 2001), from his earlier marriage.[8] She acknowledges them as an important part of her life,[8] and has become a source of support and advice for both.[4][9][10][11]

Shaniera mentions that transitioning to her new life in Pakistan and adapting to the culture was challenging initially, but she found the local people warm and hospitable.[3][4] She had adopted Islam prior to her marriage,[6] learned to become accustomed to the various customs and traditions, and also improved her Urdu.[4][9] She has frequently appeared in YouTube videos with British-Pakistani television figure George Fulton, where the two explore Pakistani culture from the lens of two Westerners living in Karachi, in humorous ways.[12] On the question of where her loyalties lie when Australia faces Pakistan in cricket, she commented that although she was "born and bred an Australian" and loved her country, Pakistan played a big part of who she was today and that for the long haul, she was "with Pakistan all the way."[13][14]

Shaniera started her career in fashion at the age of 21 and owned a clothing boutique.[15] Later, she switched to public relations (PR) and events as a consultant.[15] She has worked on major Australian fashion festivals, international events, clothing brand store openings, restaurants, and product launches.[15]

In 2020, she became an actor and is part of the cast of an upcoming Pakistani film, Money Back Guarantee, which is expected to release in the summer of 2020 on Eid-ul Fitr.[16]

• List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Wasim Akram
• Jemima Khan, British-Pakistani journalist and former wife of Imran Khan
• Sania Mirza, Indian tennis player and wife of Shoaib Malik

• Shaniera Akram on Twitter