Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis Biography

Waqar Younis Maitla (born November 16, 1971) is a famous Pakistani cricketer from Burewala, Punjab, and one of the greatest bowlers the game has known. He attended Pakistani College, Sharjah and Government College, Vehari. Playing as a fast bowler, he took 373 Test wickets and 416 wickets in One-day Internationals. He debuted for Pakistan against India on November 15, 1989. It is noteworthy that Sachin Tendulkar debuted in the same match. His most lethal weapon was the in-swinging yorker, which he managed to produce at will and with a high degree of accuracy, as experienced first-hand by plenty of county batsmen who were unfortunate enough to face him at his peak.
Known as the "Burewala Bombshell", Waqar formed one half of the legendary fast bowling partnership with Wasim Akram. At his peak, most were of the view that there was no better bowler, especially with regards to wicket-taking ability and being penetrative. His tendency to aim for the stumps earned him the highest strike rate of all time, among the bowlers with 200 or more wickets. His blistering pace and toe-crushing yorkers put tremendous fear in the batsmen. Much was expected of him but he stayed out of the team for quite a long time to do his talents and fans justice because of his controversial conflicts with once bowling partner and captain Wasim Akram. His comeback, however, came with him being appointed the Captain of the national side - which he remained so till his side failed to make an impact in the 2003 World Cup. He was forced to retire as the Pakistan Cricket Board persistently ignored him for national selection.
Waqar was one of a long line of Pakistanis (starting with Safraz Nawaz) who mastered the art of reverse swing. It was his partnership with Wasim Akram that took this art to new levels, and their 1992 series versus England will forever be remembered as their signature series. Many sections of the English media could not fathom how an old ball could swing so much and so late, and this led to cries of foul play and the infamous allegations of "ball-tampering" from some quarteres. The passage of time, coupled with the fact that England now have their own reverse swing bowlers, has led to an appreciation of the science and skill behind reverse swing, and most now accept that Waqar was simply ahead of his time.
Waqar Younis is cited alongside Wasim Akram, Allan Donald, Glenn McGrath, Walsh and Ambrose as the best fast bowler of the 90s. While his contemporaries, Donald and McGrath, played most of their cricket on the fast and bouncy tracks of South Africa and Australia, backed up by the spectacular fielding sides, Waqar Younis, on the other hand, had to contend with the slow and docile tracks of the sub-continent, backed by a fielding side that had nothing so distinguished to write about. An astonishing number of Waqar's wickets have been clean bowled or have come from leg-before decisions showing how much he has had to depend on his own efforts to get his batsmen. He will be known for his attacking bowling as against the "line n' length" bowling of the most of his peers. He bowled one of his best balls to Brian Lara, another cricketing legend, which ended with Lara on the ground, his stump flipped 6 feet away. Waqar Younis has some outstanding records. He is the only bowler who has taken 5 wicket haul in 3 consecutive ODIs. He has taken 4+ wickets on 27 occasions in ODIs, which is a record. He has also taken the fastest 50, 300, 350 and 400 wickets in ODI matches and in test matches he has taken the fastest 150, 200, 250, 300, 350 wickets by lesser number of balls bowled.
Although primarily a bowler, Waqar hit 1010 Test runs; he is in fact (as of September 2005) the only man to pass the thousand mark without ever scoring a fifty. He is now married with a son and a daughter. Recently, he has become a television cricket commentator for Australia's Nine Network since a series against Australia and Pakistan.

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis Wickets

WAQAR YOUNIS- THE REVERSE SWING KING!!!!!!!!

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik Biography
Shoaib Malik (Urdu: شعیب ملک) (born 1 February 1982) is a Pakistani cricket player and former captain. He made his One-Day International debut in 1999 against the West Indies and his Test debut in 2001 against Bangladesh. He has taken over 100 ODI wickets, and has a batting average in the mid 30s in both Test and ODI cricket. His bowling action has come under scrutiny (particularly his doosra) but he has had elbow surgery to correct this. Malik was ranked second, behind teammate Shahid Afridi, in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings in June 2008.[1] In March 2010, Malik received a one-year ban from international cricket from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB); the ban was overturned two months later.[2]
Contents  [hide]
1 Early career
2 Pakistan captaincy
3 Post-captaincy
4 Playing style
4.1 Domestic Cricket
5 Personal life
6 Test centuries
7 ODI centuries
8 References
9 External links
[edit]Early career

Shoaib Malik first played tape-ball cricket in the streets as a child. He began to take playing cricket seriously in 1993/94 when he attended Imran Khan's coaching clinics in Sialkot. He began as a batsman only developing on his bowling later. He used to get in trouble with his family for playing cricket, as they wanted him to focus on his education. In 1996, Malik attended trials for the U-15 World Cup. He was selected in the squad for his bowling.[3]
In May 2001, Malik's bowling action was inspected. The PCB group of bowling advisers concluded that his stock off-spinner was legal, although his delivery going the other way was not. He was encouraged to concentrate on his off-spin and to practice bowling his other delivery without bending his arm.[4] In a One Day International (ODI) against England in June 2001, Malik suffered a fractured right shoulder after falling awkwardly while attempting to take a catch.[5]
Malik was approached by Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in July 2003 to act as a replacement for Ian Harvey, who was on international duty with Australia. John Bracewell, the club's director of cricket, commented that he was "excited by the prospect of signing an international spinning all-rounder to replace Ian during the Cheltenham Festival and the C&G semi-finals. He will add a new and refreshing dimension to the squad ... which is in keeping with our playing philosophy to both win and entertain".[6] He sufficiently impressed in two County Championship and three one-day matches that resulted in renewing of his contract for the 2004 season. Mark Alleyne, the club's head coach, remarked that "Shoaib did very well for us last year in the short time he was with us and fitted in very well. He is a gifted all-rounder who is worthy of a place in either discipline and as a 21 year old, he can only get better and I am really pleased at having him in my squad".[7] Over the course of his two seasons at Gloucestershire, Malik played eight first-class matches, scoring 214 runs at an average of 17.83 with two fifties[8] and taking 15 wickets at an average of 45.06, with best bowling figures of 3/76.[9] He also played twelve one-day matches, scoring 345 runs at an average of 43.12 with three fifties[10] and taking 10 wickets at an average of 47.60, with best bowling figures of 3/28.[11]
In October 2004, Malik was reported to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for having a "potentially flawed bowling action";[12] eight months later, his action was cleared.[13] In the intervening period, Malik was used mainly as a batsman.[14] He was also given a one-Test ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board after admitting to deliberately losing a Twenty20 match for the Sialkot Stallions against Karachi Zebras to knock Lahore Eagles out of the 2004–05 ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup. The inquiry concluded that the incident "damaged Pakistan's cricketing image and had shown disrespect to the crowd", but that "his actions were not part of any match-fixing with no financial implications, but were an immature attempt to express his disappointment at earlier decisions in the competition that he felt went against his side".[15]
During his Test career, Malik has batted at 5 different positions and has the unusual record of batting at every position except 11th in ODIs. Pakistan's problems in finding a reliable opening pair have led to Malik being used as an opener in Test and ODI matches. In Test cricket, he made a big impression with his match-saving innings against Sri Lanka in 2006, during which he batted for the whole day and finished with 148 runs not out. His bowling has been effective at times, especially in one-day cricket where his best bowling figures are four wickets for 19 runs (4/19) in addition to many 3-wicket hauls.
On the international stage Malik struggled in England. In 12 ODIs across four tours between 2001 and 2006 he scored 98 runs at an average of 8.16, with just two scores above 20, far below his career ODI average of 34.35. Of people who have played at least eight ODIs in England, Malik's is the furthest below his overall average.[16]
[edit]Pakistan captaincy

Following Inzamam-ul-Haq's resignation as Pakistan captain after the 2007 World Cup, Malik was put forward as one of the names for the captaincy along with Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf. After Younis Khan's rejection, Malik was the popular choice as a younger player and was seen to represent a fresh start after the Inzamam era.
Pakistan's coach, Bob Woolmer, was a strong advocate of Malik's case to become captain; in Woolmer's opinion Malik was "the sharpest tactical tack among his group ... a real presence on the field".[17] Former skipper Imran Khan also backed Malik for the role, stating "He appears to have a good cricket brain and could turn out to be a very good choice for Pakistan cricket".[18] Malik was appointed captain on 19 April 2007 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), his experience considering his relatively young age and consistent performances were cited as other reasons for his appointment.[18] At the age of just 25, he was Pakistan's fourth youngest captain.[17]
In Malik's first series as captain, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka 2–1 in an ODI series in Abu Dhabi. His next assignments were home Test and ODI series against South Africa, which Pakistan lost 1-0 and 3-2 respectively. 3-2 was the score in favour of India when Pakistan subsequently played an ODI series against their arch-rivals. Malik hit 89 and took three wickets in the final match, which Pakistan won by 31 runs.
Malik's captaincy lasted two years. A report by the coach and manager criticised his leadership, claiming that Malik was "a loner, aloof and involved in his own little world, which is OK but not when the team required a fully committed captain  We do not see any meaningful communication between players and captain other than his five-minute talk during the team meeting".[17] Younis Khan took over as captain on 27 January 2009[19] after a poor performance against Sri Lanka saw Malik step down.[19] In his two-year tenure as captain, Malik lead his country in two Tests, losing two and drawing one,[20] and 36 ODIs, of which Pakistan won 24,[21] and 17 T20Is, winning 12.[22]
[edit]Post-captaincy

In March 2010, Malik was given a one-year ban from the national team by the PCB, who charged him with causing infighting within the team. It was part of a dramatic cull of players after Pakistan's winless tour of Australia, resulting in the fining or banning of seven players.[23] Two months later Lancashire County Cricket Club approached Malik to play for them during Twenty20 Cup. He agreed, saying "When Lancashire approached me to come and play for them I didn't hesitate in saying yes. I love playing cricket in England and the opportunity to play with a club of Lancashire's reputation was too good to pass up".[18] On 29 May 2010, Malik's ban was overturned and his Rs 2 million fine halved.[2] He was subsequently named in the 2010 Asia Cup squad,[24] and as a result, Malik pulled out of his contract with Lancashire.[25] Pakistan did not make the final of the four-team tournament,[26] and Malik played in two matches, amassing 47 runs.[27] Mailk was in Pakistan's squad to play Australia and England in England in June–August 2010, but was dropped from the side. A regular in the ODI side, over the previously 12 months he had averaged around 30 with the bat in ODIs, and excluding one score over 50, his batting average hovered around 20. Mohsin Khan, Pakistan's chairman of selectors, cited Malik's poor recent form as the reason for dropping him.[28]
[edit]Playing style

According to Cricinfo's Osman Samiuddin:[29]
(Malik’s) batting repertoire doesn't burst forth with strokes; there remains a distinctly utilitarian appeal to it. His drives straight are generally checked, dispossessed of flourish and in his forward defensive prods, there is an exaggerated care, just to make fully sure. It doesn't mean elegance doesn't come to him, as a couple of cover drives off Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to bring Pakistan nearer its hundred showed. Midwicket slogging also comes naturally to him, usually more effective than beautiful.
—Osman Samiuddin, 2006
Malik is regarded as a flexible player. He is capable of hitting big shots but is also capable of rotating the strike with good placement. He has a strike rate of 77.23 runs per 100 balls, which compares favourably to players such as Rahul Dravid and Inzamam ul-Haq. His most brazen display of "power hitting" came in 2003 against South Africa when he scored 82 from 41 balls. As is required of most modern players, he also has displayed good defensive batting at times.
[edit]Domestic Cricket
Shoaib Malik is captain of the Sialkot Stallions. He has led them to a record 7 domestic T20 titles with the most recent coming on 1 April 2012.[30]
[edit]Personal life

In 2008, media reports in Pakistan surfaced that Malik has married Ayesha Siddiqui, a woman from Hyderabad, India, on 3 June 2002. Malik denied these allegations saying his marriage plans with the woman did not go through, because of a lack of consensus between both the families.[31] In April 2010, Siddiqui's family released Shoaib-Ayesha 'marriage' certificate (Nikahnama).[32] On April 2, 2010, Malik said he plans to sue Siddiqui's family for "indulging in character assassination".[33][34][35] On April 7, 2010 Malik confirmed his marriage with Siddiqui and signed the Talaq (divorce) papers.[36]
On 12 April 2010, Malik married Indian tennis player Sania Mirza in an Islamic wedding ceremony at the Taj Krishna Hotel in Hyderabad, India[37][38] for a mahr of 61 lakh (US$137,500).[39]

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik 125 Vs India 2008 Asia Cup

Shoaib Malik Crying

Muhammad Hafeez

Muhammad Hafeez Biography

Mohammad Hafeez (born October 17, 1980 at Sargodha) is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm slow bowler. Hafeez generally opens the batting and also acts as the part of bowling attack.[1] Mohammad Hafeez also serves as Pakistan's national T20 captain.

Contents  [hide] 

1 International career

2 2010: Recall and good form

3 Test centuries

4 One Day International centuries

5 References

[edit]International career

Hafeez was one of the several young all-rounders the Pakistani cricket team turned to after their poor Cricket World Cup display in 2003, in which they were eliminated in the first round.

Hafeez was a really fool guy against Bangladesh he do not know how to score runs he became out for a duck and on the other hand Shakib-Al-Hasan was the bowler he was dropped off continuously in 10 matches then he got beaten up by Misbah then he played well like how he made 196* runs against Srilanka in 2012 SSC Ground He is Improved now, and in his following Test hit a century. His form with bat and ball would then drop considerably and in late-2003 he was dropped from the Test squad, and soon after the ODI side. With strong domestic performances as well as good showings for the Pakistan A, he remained on the fringes of a recall in 2004. Hafeez returned to the ODI side in 2005 and despite not contributing with the bat, his bowling performances were impressive. In the 2006 Top End Series held in Australia, Hafeez smashed a century for Pakistan . With Pakistan struggling to find a solid opening pair for Test cricket, Hafeez was recalled for the tour of England. His return to Test cricket was made at The Oval and he scored a fluent 95. Later that year in November, Hafeez retained his place in the side for their home series against the West Indies. After getting starts in the first two Test he would go on to score his second Test century in the third Test in Karachi. He made his 4th ODI century on March, 18 2012 in Bangladesh at Dhaka.

[edit]2010: Recall and good form

In 2010 he was recalled for the third ICC World Twenty20. he had poor form in it but showed signs of class batting. He was subsequently recalled again for the T20Is and the ODIs on Pakistan's tour of England. He had some good scores in it and had some solid partnerships with opener Kamran Akmal.

Following this good form he was also in the squad that was selected to play South Africa in the UAE. After some impressive score in the opener slot, he was again rewarded with now a test call up. He had some decent scores in the test matches and bowled some tidy overs of offspin as well.

At the end of 2010 he was also selected for the party that would tour New Zealand. In all of the T20s he made some good scores including a 46.

In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, he started the tournament with a few poor scores with the bat, and was consistent with the ball. Especially 10 overs for just 26 runs against Australia and 2 wickets for 16 runs in quarter final. In the quarter-final against West Indies, Hafeez provided a major contribution to the team's victory with 2 wickets and 60*, receiving the player of the match award. Also in the semi final he scored 43 runs and took a wicket for 31 runs in 10 overs although Pakistan lost the match.

In the tour of the West Indies, Hafeez continued his good form with both bat and ball scoring 267 runs in 5 matches with an average of 53.40, and took 6 wickets at an average of 23.50. . He made his second One Day International century in the fourth ODI, where he scored 121 runs before being bowled by the promising leg spinner Devendra Bishoo.

He was in the form of his life with all-round performances when Pakistan toured Zimbabwe in September 2011 taking his batting average to 27 from 21 after the recall. Scoring his third career One Day International century all in 2011 playing the second ODI. He was top run scorer throughout the series in all formats.[2] He was also dangerous with the ball and specially taking wickets on the straighter deliveries mixing up with off-spin with 7 wickets in T-20 series.

After tidy performances against Bangladesh, he jumped to the number 2 position in the ODI Bowler rankings below fellow spinner, Saeed Ajmal and above Shahid Afridi.

Against India on March, 18 2012 in Bangladesh at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur at the 2012 Asia Cup. He scored 105 off 113 balls and was involved in a 224 run partnership with Nasir Jamshed, which is the best opening partnership for Pakistan against India in one day internationals. They eclipsed Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar's record of 144 runs which was made in 1996. [3]

Muhammad Hafeez

Muhammad Hafeez

Muhammad Hafeez

Muhammad Hafeez

Muhammad Hafeez

Muhammad Hafeez

Muhammad Hafeez

Muhammad Hafeez

Muhammad Hafeez

Shoaib Akhtar VS Mohammad Hafeez

T20 Captain Muhammad Hafeez Believes PPL Will Lead A New Trend In Pakistan Cricket

Muhammad Aamir

Muhammad Aamir Biography
Muhammad Aamir (born 13 April 1992) is a Pakistani left-arm fast bowler, hailing from Gujar Khan, Punjab. He is a highly thought of young prospect, making his international debut at the age of just 17 at 2009 World T20 and played in every match in the process of helping Pakistan win the World Cup. Aamir was youngest player to be competing in the tournament.His debut was against England. He is mainly noted for his whippy action which generates notably quick pace and swing. Aamir was first picked out as a pace prospect by the renowned Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram at a pace camp back in 2007. Aamir, then 15 years old, went on a tour of England with the Pakistan U19 side and was one of the leading bowlers, taking regular wickets at a low average. Aamir then played in a tri-nation tournament featuring Sri Lanka and England, he again excelled with his pace and swing bowling. Due to injury he played only a limited part in the U19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008. In March 2008 he made his domestic debut for the Rawalpindi Rams whilst also representing theNational Bank of Pakistan. His debut domestic season resulted in him taking 55 first-class wickets for NBP. He took a lot of top order wickets and those of players in the national side. This strong domestic form resulted in him being selected for the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup. In the final of the Twenty20 World Cup Aamir bowled a wicket maiden in the opening over of the match, taking the wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan who was later named player of the tournament. Pakistan legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram expressed his concerned for the future of Pakistan cricket in the current security situation but says the talent is still being produced in his country. “We all, every Pakistani, is worried,” Akram said in the weekly ICC Cricket World audio show. “Until some teams eventually start touring Pakistan then only Pakistan cricket will flourish. There’s a lot of talent there. We showed that during the ICC World Twenty20. Talent is very much there but first and foremost, they have to play more cricket,” he further said.Pakistan recently introduced a 17-year old Mohammad Aamir in the ICC World Twenty20 and his brilliant show in the tournament has drawn munificent praise and earned him a maiden call up to the Test team for the series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan Cricket Board handed a central contract of category ‘

Muhammad Aamir

Muhammad Aamir

Muhammad Aamir

Muhammad Aamir

Muhammad Aamir

Muhammad Aamir

Muhammad Aamir

Muhammad Aamir

Muhammad Aamir

Mohammad Amir 6 Wickets In 2 Overs Vs England In Test

Mohammad Amir On Fire In Twenty20 Final { HD }

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq Biography
Misbah-ul-Haq Khan Niazi (Urdu: مصباح الحق خان نیازی) (born May 28, 1974 at Mianwali) is a Pashtun cricketer and current ODI and Test captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. He is a solid middle-order batsmen best known for his composure with the bat, whilst also having the ability to be an aggressive big shot player. Most people criticize him of his slow style of batting. A lot of Pakistani blame him for losing the semi final from india in 2011 World Cup.
Misbah ul Haq has been called Mr. Sensible due to his cool, level-headed approach on the field. He has a masters degree in business administration from the University of Management and Technology, Lahore.
Contents [hide]
1 Early career
2 Comeback
3 Dropping out and the captaincy (2010–2011)
3.1 Test Series against England in UAE (2012)
4 Test Series against Srilanka
5 Test centuries
6 T20 International fifties
7 References
8 External links
[edit]Early career

Misbah was initially noticed for his technique and his temperament in the Tri-nation tournament in Nairobi, Kenya in 2002, as he scored two fifties in the three innings in which he played, however, over the next three Tests he played against Australia, he failed to score more than twenty runs and was soon dumped from the team. Having witnessed Pakistan being eliminated in the opening phase of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Misbah was part of the changes made to the team in the aftermath of these results, but failed to make much of an impact and was soon dropped again.
[edit]Comeback

At the age of 33, Misbah was chosen to play in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007, filling the middle order spot vacated by Inzamam-ul-Haq. He had been regularly making runs in Pakistani domestic cricket and in the years before his recall he was consistently one of the top run scorers at each season's end, with his first-class average briefly climbing above 50.
Misbah was one of the stars of the tournament, playing a large part in many thrilling run chases. The first was in the group stage against India where he scored a half century in a tied match. He was run out attempting the winning run off the last ball of the match. In their Super 8s encounter with Australia he was named Man of the Match with an unbeaten 66 off 42 deliveries to see his side home with 5 balls to spare. Another unbeaten innings in the semi final against New Zealand saw Pakistan book a spot in the final against India.
He played an instrumental role in Pakistan's recovery in the inaugural 2007 ICC World Twenty20 final against arch-rivals India, with three sixes. He hit the second legitimate ball of the last over for six. With 6 runs needed to win off 4 remaining balls, Misbah tried to scoop the ball over short fine leg, but was caught out by Sreesanth.
Misbah scored his maiden Test hundred against India at Kolkata in the 2nd Test of the 2007 series. After India managed 616 in their first innings, Pakistan were at 5 for 150 in reply and in danger of following on when Misbah and Kamran Akmal put together a match saving 207 run stand. Misbah finished on 161 not out. In the 3rd & final Test of the series, Misbah made another fluent century this time finishing on 133 not out.
2008 began with some high points for Misbah as he was elevated to the post of Vice - Captain of the Pakistan team and was awarded a Grade A Contract. Since returning to International Cricket for Pakistan, Misbah has gone through a sustained patch of prolific run scoring. In his last 5 Test Match innings for Pakistan, he has notched up 458 runs at a very high batting average of 152.67 against India. In his last 5 ODIs as well, Misbah has made 190 Runs at an average of 63.33 & in Domestic Cricket for Punjab, he has amassed an astounding 586 runs at an average of 195.33 with 2 centuries and his highest first-class score of 208*.
[edit]Dropping out and the captaincy (2010–2011)

Misbah was dropped from the team after the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 and missed the team's controversial tour of England in August 2010[1] Due to the batting-collapses that Pakistan suffered during that tour Misbah was recalled for the subsequent tour against South Africa in the UAE to lead as a captain of the team for test series. Many people expressed their surprise at the appointment of Misbah as captain. Wasim Akram stated that although the decision was surprising if Misbah bats and fields well everything else will go according to plan.[2] Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson stated that he believed Misbah has the best cricketing brain within Pakistan and he will do incredibly well in the plans for the captaincy [3] Misbah hit back at those who criticised the decision to appoint him captain and stated that he should be given a chance to prove himself [4] In his first match as test captain he set an example for his team when he scored 71* in a 168 run partnership with Younus Khan this helped Pakistan salvage a draw from the match. Misbah has led Pakistan in 15 test matches, winning 9, losing only 1 with 5 draws. In 2012 Misbah led Pakistan to a clean sweep against the world number one ranked team England and also become only 2nd Pakistani captain to win the Asia Cup after Moin Khan. He hasn't lost any test series during his captaincy era, while winning 5 of 7 series against New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and England.

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah Ul Haq 47 Of 25 Balls With 4 Sixes In IPL-2008

Shahid Afridi And Misbah Ul Haq Pepsi Commercial - Funny Ad

Shoaib Akhter

Source (Google.com.pk)
Shoaib Akhter Biography
Shoaib Akhtar Biography receives strong comments from Wasim Akram, Shahrukh, BCCI, PCB, Shoaib Malik, Tauqeer Zia and several others. Wasim Akram has termed it as a cheap publicity move by Shoaib Akhtar. He further said that Shoaib was a “problem” when he was an active player and remains just that even in retirement. Wasim Akram rubbished Akhtar’s claims of making Sachin Tendulkar uncomfortable with his pace in the Faisalabad Test in 2006 as has been claimed by Akhtar in his book titled ‘Controversially Yours’.

“I remember Sachin’s one innings when he was 16 and touring Pakistan. Sialkot Test was Sachin’s 4th Test. He made his debut in that series. There was a lot of grass on the pitch. Waqar and I bowled very fast. Waqar, I think, was 19 and Sachin was 16. Waqar hit him (Sachin) on the helmet just below the chin and he got hurt. But he put a plaster and he came back to score a 50. If a 16-year-old kid wasn’t scared, I don’t think any of the top batsmen in the world is scared of any bowler,” Akram said.

“Maybe he might play on the back foot to block the delivery or maybe he might just see it off. But I don’t think a player like Sachin can get scared of any bowler. He (Shoaib) can write anything to sell a book, but it does not affect me or Sachin,” he said. Cricblogger totally agrees with Wasim on this one. Even though we have critically analysed Tendulkar’s performances and have written about his centuries and of him not being the best of match finishers, we stand with Wasim on this one. Tendulkar is a great batsman and no top batsmen can be scared by any bowler, Ganguly included (pun intended). Cricblogger has also praised Tendulkar’s world records in another article.

On Akhtar’s allegations that Akram was responsible for destroying his career, he said no one but the Shoaib himself was responsible for destroying his career. ”He himself is responsible for destroying his career. Nobody helped him (in destroying his career).” said the King of Swing.

“There is no point in me talking about his book. I still haven’t read his book. But his idea is good. If the books get sold then good luck to him,” Akram said adding that, “You people (media) will ensure his book is a bestseller.”

Shahrukh Khan, the bollywood super star responded to the allegations made by Akhtar in a similar fashion. He said that there is just as much truth in Akhtar’s claim that we (Shahrukh and company) are cheaters as there is in the fact that Sachin fears his (Akhtar’s) bowling.

Rajiv Shukla, a senior BCCI official demanded an apology from Shoaib Akhtar for making such remarks against Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Akhtar had remarked that Sachin and Dravid lacked ability to finish off games early in their respective careers. It seems unnecessary for the BCCI to jump into the swamp, just ignore Shoaib he is just trying to sell his book.

The former PCB chairman, Tauqeer Zia has also rubbished Akhtar’s claim that Zia had helped Akhtar when Wasim Akram tried to destroy his career and threatened to walk off with have the team if Akhtar was selected. Zia said that no such thing happened. Shoaib Malik responded to the allegations by Akhtar that Malik was incompetent to be captain and said that Akhtar’s allegations were a joke.

Meanwhile, there have been some protests in India against the paceman and the opening function of the launch of the book has been cancelled without giving any reason. Shoaib has another public appearance on Monday. Lets see how it goes but one thing is for sure, there are lots of people out there looking to read his book.

Even my blog has seen an unusual rush of visitors on this particular story and the search engines are all flooded with queries about his book and who said what in response. He seems to have achieved his goal, it might just turn out to be a best seller. His slower ball usually works in the midst of bouncers and yorkers. Lets see what he does next.

Shoaib Akhter

Shoaib Akhter

Shoaib Akhter

Shoaib Akhter

Shoaib Akhter

Shoaib Akhter

Shoaib Akhter

Shoaib Akhter

Shoaib Akhter

Shoaib Akhtar's Best In IPLIndian Premier League

Shoaib Akhtar: The Fastest Bowler Of All Time. Pakistan

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi Biography
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi (born 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency), popularly known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani cricketer currently playing for the Pakistani national team in the international circuit. He made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya in Nairobi[1] and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia at Karachi.[2] He is known for his aggressive batting style, and currently holds the highest career strike rate in the history of international cricket. In a recent survey, Afridi was named as the most popular cricketer in Pakistan.[3] He also holds the record for the fastest one day century which he made in his debut innings, as well as scoring 32 runs in a single over, the second highest scoring over ever in an ODI.

Style

His general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname “Boom Boom Afridi” for his fastest One Day International century just in 37 balls. As of 22 May 2007, he has an ODI strike rate of 109.38 runs per 100 balls, the highest in the game’s history. This attitude has been transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.13 in Tests. He has an approach to batting that can change the tempo of a game and inspire the mood of an audience, as shown when a mass exodus of spectators occurred in Pakistan in late 2005 following his dismissal from the crease. He hits many sixes long and high, favoring straight down the ground or over midwicket. A trademark shot is a crossbatted flick to the leg-side to a ball outside off stump.[8]. This explosive style has led to some memorable shots, most notably the first ever 12 in power cricket in 2002, where Afridi successfully hit the roof. [9] However, his aggressive style increases his risk of getting out and he is one of the most inconsistent batsmen in cricket. This is reflected by the fact that he is the only player to score more than 5000 ODI runs at an average under 25.

Bowling-wise, his stock ball is the leg break, but his armory also includes the conventional off break and a ‘quicker one’ which he can deliver at nearly 80 mph in the style of a medium-pacer. He bowls at a high speed for a spinner, resulting in lesser turn, and relying more on variations in speed. He occasionally sends down a bouncer to a batsmen, which is very rare for a spin bowler.

International career

In October 1996 at the age of sixteen he was brought into the ODI team as a legspinner as a replacement for the injured Mushtaq Ahmed. He then gained notability as a pinch-hitter and began opening with Saeed Anwar. He holds the record for scoring the fastest century in one-day internationals (off 37 balls)[12], scored in only his second match and his first ODI innings. He also shares with Brian Lara the record for the third-fastest century in ODIs (off 45 balls). One of Pakistan’s most useful all-rounders, he has an extremely aggressive batting style, which has garnered him over 5,000 ODI runs (including an erstwhile world-record 249 sixes, recently broken by Sanath Jayasuriya), as well as taking over 250 wickets at ODI and 47 at Test level.

For various reasons, including a perception that he lacks patience in his batting, Afridi had limited opportunity in Test matches, although he currently averages in the high thirties and mid-thirties with bat and ball respectively. As it is, Afridi has featured in less than one third of the Test Matches played by Pakistan over the course of his career.[13] However, he made his presence felt in the third Test against India in March 2005, scoring a quick-fire second-innings half-century and taking five wickets in the match (including Tendulkar twice) to help Pakistan to win the game and register a series draw.

It is perceived that his batting struggles on bouncy pitches and against opponents like Australia, although his record against the Australians has improved over time. Although he has had success as an opener on sub-continent pitches, Afridi is often moved into the lower order as well.

Afridi was more consistent with his batting and bowling throughout 2005, starting with the tours of India and West Indies and through to the England tour. The Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer helped Afridi to reach a fuller potential by improving his shot selection and giving him free rein over his batting attitude.

In the 2007 World Twenty20, he performed poorly with the bat but brilliantly with the ball, earning the Man of the Series award, though he failed to take a wicket in the final and was out for a golden duck.

Career Highlights

* On 4 October 1996, playing his maiden international innings, Afridi hit the fastest One-Day century off 37 balls against Sri Lanka in Nairobi. His innings included 28 runs off one of Sanath Jayasuriya’s overs, whose record he broke. [15]

* Youngest player in history to make an ODI century at just 16 years and 217 days with his 37 ball ton against Sri Lanka. It included 11 sixes and 6 fours. [16]

* Made a half-century from 26 balls and took 3 second-innings wickets in Pakistan’s series-drawing Test victory against India in March 2005.[14]

* Holds the joint record with Brian Lara for the third fastest ODI century off 45 balls in April 2005 against India. [17] This actually was the first match that witnessed the Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Ravi Shastri make him the nickname Boom Boom Afridi.

* Equal highest aggregate sixes scored in the 50-over game, shared the legendary Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, and he the most sixes per innings record.

* Scored four consecutive sixes off a Harbhajan Singh over in a Test match against India in January 2006, matching a feat that Kapil Dev achieved in 1990.

* Was the first player to score 12 runs off one ball, by hitting the roof of the Millennium Stadium. This took place in a game of Power Cricket.[citation needed][clarification needed]

* Holds four of the top eight fastest ODI half centuries, twice completed in 18 balls and twice in 20 balls. He has also scored a half century off just 21 balls.

* Made 32 runs off a Malinga Bandara over in an ODI game at Abu Dhabi in 2007. He struck four consecutive sixes and it was the 2nd most expensive over in ODI history.

* Afridi is only third player in ODI history to achieve the combination of 5000 runs and 200 wickets. The other players being Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya and South African Jacques Kallis.

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi Makes 32 Runs From 1 Over Vs Sri Lanka

Shahid Afridi : Fastest ODI Hundred