Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar (born 13 August 1975 in Rawalpindi, Punjab) is a Pakistani cricketer, and amongst the fastest bowler in the world, earning him the name Rawalpindi Express. He set a world record by clocking 100mph twice. His ability to bowl fast yorkers, well disguised slow balls, swinging deliveries, and sharp bouncers made him lethal even on dead pitches. However, he has never been far from controversy, often accused of not being a team player. Shoaib was sent back home from a tour in Australia in 2005. A year later he was embroiled in a drug scandal after testing positive for a banned substance. However, the ban imposed on him was lifted on appeal. In September 2007, Shoaib was banned by the PCB for an indefinite period for the alleged brawl with his team-mate Mohammad Asif. The ban was finally lifted but injuries and his attitude problem have kept him more off the field than on it.

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar interview on News24 about his autobiography

Shoaib Akhtar Vs Matthew Hayden

Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal biography

Saeed Ajmal (born 14 October 1977 in Faisalabad) is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a right-arm off-spin bowler. Ajmal has played for Faisalabad since his debut in 1995 at the age of 18, also representing Khan Research Laboratories and occasionally Islamabad. After a successful season in 2007–08 for Khan Research Laboratories, he was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2008 Asia Cup.[1] He made his debut against India, taking the wicket of Yusuf Pathan in an eight-wicket victory,[2] before taking two wickets in a ten-wicket victory over Bangladesh, although the team had no chance of progressing to the competition's final.[3]

Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal Wickets

Saeed Ajmal 10 wickets against West Indies

Tuesday, 4 October 2011

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting Biography

Australian Ricky Ponting is considered by many to be one of Australia's finest cricketers of the modern era. Born in Tasmania, Ponting played cricket from an early age and came from a strong cricket-playing family. He earned a sponsorship contract while just in eighth grade and quickly rose to the major leagues. He made his debut as part of the Australian ODI team in the matches in 1995

Contents

* Synopsis

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Profile

(born Dec. 19, 1974, Launceston, Tas., Austl.) Australian cricketer who was the country's premier batsman in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Ponting gained a reputation as a cricket prodigy when he scored four centuries (a century is 100 runs in a single innings) for the Under-13s in a Tasmanian cricket week and two more when promoted to the Under-16 team. By age 20 he had made his Test (international match) debut and had been hailed by some as the new Don Bradman, who was considered by many the best cricketer of the 20th century. A maiden Test century came at Leeds on the 1997 tour of England. Ponting was criticized for his inconsistent performances early in his career (caused, in part, by off-field personal troubles), but, after rededicating himself to the sport, he became a key factor in Australia's dominance in international cricket over the next decade.

In 2002 he was rewarded with the captaincy of Australia's one-day international side, and the next year he led the side to victory in the Cricket World Cup in South Africa, one of three World Cups won by Australia with Ponting on the squad (1999, 2003, 2007). When Test captain Steve Waugh retired in 2004, Ponting was his natural successor. In 2005 Australia lost to England in the first Ashes series under Ponting's leadership. Ponting followed this with an impressive 2005–06 season, wherein he scored 1,483 runs (an average of 78 per match), including seven centuries. In January 2006 he marked his 100th Test with innings of 120 and 143 not out against South Africa in Sydney. Later that year he was named the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Test Player of the Year. Ponting captured a second ICC Cricketer of the Year award in 2007, after leading Australia to World Cup and Ashes victories that year. Although Ponting and Australia lost the Ashes in 2009 and 2010–11, he was named Player of the Decade by a panel of cricket players and writers for his stellar play between 2000 and 2009. Ponting resigned his national-team captaincy in March 2011, shortly after Australia lost to India in the World Cup quarterfinals.

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting 196

Shoaib Akthar vs Ricky Ponting PART ONE - HOSTILE BOWLING SPELL - PERTH 1999

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi Biography

Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi was born on 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan, popularly known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani cricketer and current One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 captain of the Pakistani national team in the international circuit. He made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia.

Afridi is from the Afridi tribe of the Khyber Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and hails from a Pashtun family. He is married and has two daughters, Aqsa and Ansha.

He is known for his aggressive batting style, and holds the record for the fastest ODI century which he made in his first international innings, as well as scoring 32 runs in a single over, the second highest scoring over ever in an ODI. He also holds the distinction of having hit the most number of sixes in the history of ODI cricket. Afridi considers himself a better bowler than batsman, and has taken 48 Test wickets and over 300 in ODIs. Currently Afridi is the leading wicket taker in the Twenty20 format taking 53 wickets from 41 matches.

In June 2009 Afridi took over the Twenty20 captaincy from Younus Khan, and was later appointed ODI captain for the 2010 Asia Cup. In his first match as ODI captain against Sri Lanka he scored a century however Pakistan still lost by 16 runs. He then also took over the Test captaincy but resigned after one match in charge citing lack of form and ability to play Test cricket; at the same time he announced his retirement from Tests. He retained the captaincy in limited-overs form of the game and led the team in the 2011 World Cup.

His general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname “Boom Boom Afridi”. Moreover, out of the six fastest ODI centuries of all time, Afridi has produced three of them. As of 27 February 2011, he has an ODI strike rate of 113.83 runs per 100 balls, the third 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. 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.

Having started as a fast bowler, Afridi decided to start bowling spin after someone told him he was throwing. He modelled himself on Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir. Afridi began his career as primarily a bowler, however after scoring the fastest century in his maiden ODI innings more was expected of him with the bat. He considers himself a better bowler than batsman. While he is renowned for his aggressive batting, he is also a handy leg-spinner capable of producing a good mix of wicket taking balls.

He has over 300 International wickets, most of which are from the ODI format. While his stock ball is the leg break, his armoury also includes the conventional off break and a ‘quicker one’ which he can deliver 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 batsman, which is very rare for a spin bowler.

Shahid Afridi

shahid afridi batting 80 off 42 hampshire vs somerset semi final 27th aug 2011

Star Cricketer Shahid Afridi Slams America - Slap On Pakistani Politicians & Intellectuals