Tuesday 15 May 2012

Mohammad Yousuf

Mohammad Yousuf 
(Punjabi, Urdu: محمد یوسف ; formerly Yousuf Youhana, یوسف یوحنا; born 27 August 1974, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan) is a Pakistani right-handed batsman. He is best known in cricket for his achievement in 2006 when he broke the world record for most Test runs in a single calendar year.[1] Prior to his conversion to Islam in 2005, Yousuf was one of only a few Christians to play for the Pakistan cricket team.
Yousuf was effectively banned from playing international cricket for Pakistan, for an indefinite period by the Pakistan Cricket Board on 10 March 2010, following an inquiry into the team’s defeat during the tour of Australia.[2] An official statement was released by the Pakistan Cricket Board, saying that he would not be selected again on the grounds of inciting infighting within the team.[2]
On 29 March 2010, Yousuf announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket,[3] a direct reaction to the indefinite ban handed out to him by PCB. However following Pakistan’s disastrous first Test against England in July/August 2010, PCB decided to ask Yousuf to come out of retirement.
Yousuf was born to a Balmiki family who later converted to Christianity.[5] His father Youhana Maseeh worked at the railway station, the family lived in the nearby Railway Colony. As a boy, he couldn’t afford a bat and so swatted his brother’s taped tennis ball offerings with wooden planks of various dimensions on surfaces masquerading as roads. As a 12-year-old, he was spotted by the Golden Gymkhana, though even then only circumstances dictated his ambitions and never thought of playing cricket, to make a living. He joined Lahore’s Forman Christian College and continued playing until suddenly giving up in early 1994.[6]For a time he tried his luck driving rickshaws in Bahawalpur.[7]
Yousuf, hailing from poor background, was plucked from the obscurity of a tailor’s shop in the slums of the eastern city of Lahore to play a local match in the 1990s. His well-crafted shots attracted attention and he rose through the ranks to become one of Pakistan’s best batsman. He was set to work at a tailor’s when he was pulled back by a local club was short of players. They called him to make up numbers and made a hundred which led to a season in the Bradford Cricket League, with Bowling Old Lane, and a path back into the game.
Until his conversion to Islam in 2005, Yousuf was the fourth Christian (and fifth Non-Muslim overall) to play for the Pakistan cricket team, following in the footsteps of Wallis Mathias, Antao D’Souza and the Anglo-Pakistani Duncan Sharpe.[1] He also has the distinction of being the first and so far only Non-Muslim to captain the country, leading the team in the 2004–05 tour of Australia where he scored a century in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He converted to Islam after attending regular preaching sessions of the Tablighi Jamaat, Pakistan’s largest non-political religious grouping, whose preachers include Yousuf’s former team-mate Saeed Anwar and his brother. His wife Tania converted along with him and adopted the Islamic name Fatima. However the news was kept private for three years due to family reasons, before his announcement of their conversion publicly in September 2005.[9] [10] “I don’t want to give Yousuf my name after what he has done,” his mother was quoted as saying by the Daily Times newspaper. “We came to know about his decision when he offered Friday Prayers at a local mosque. It was a shock,” his mother was reported as saying. However, Yousuf told the BBC that “I cannot tell you what a great feeling it is.”[11] As part of his conversion, Yousuf officially changed his name from Yousuf Youhana to Mohammad Yousuf.
Former Pakistan cricketer and sports commentator Rameez Raja, who himself is Muslim, acknowledged the significance of Yousuf’s new faith, “Religion has played an integral part in his growth not just as a cricketer but as a person.
He made his Test debut against South Africa at Durban and One Day International debut against Zimbabwe at Harare. He has scored over 9,000 One Day International runs at an average above 40 (2nd highest batting average among Pakistani batsmen after Zaheer Abbas) and over 7,000 Test runs at an average above 50 (highest batting average amongst all Pakistani batsmen) with 24 Test centuries. He has the record of scoring the most runs without being dismissed in the One Day International match, with a total of 405 runs against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe in 2002–2003. He has also scored a 23-ball fifty and a 68-ball hundred in One Day International. In Test match, he has scored a 27-ball fifty, which is 3rd fastest by any player. He was the top scorer during the successive years of 2002 and 2003 in the world in One Day International match. In 2004, he scored 111 runs against the Australians in the Boxing Day Test. In December 2005, he scored 223 runs against England at Lahore, also earning him the man of the match award. Seven months later in July 2006, when Pakistan toured England, he scored 202 runs and 48 in the first Test, again earning himself the man of the match award. He followed up with 192 in the third Test at Headingley and 128 in the final Test at The Oval.
Yousuf was named CNN-IBN’s Cricketer of the Year for 2006, ahead of the likes of Australian captain Ricky Ponting, West Indies Brian Lara, Australian spinner Shane Warne, South Africa’s bowling spearhead Makhaya Ntini and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. He was selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in the 2007 edition.[13] Yousuf became the fourth recipient of the ICC ‘Test Cricketer of the Year’ award for 2007, he scored 944 runs at an average of 94.40 including seven centuries and two fifties in just 10 innings and that was enough to be awarded the honour ahead of English batsman Kevin Pietersen and Australian batsman Ricky Ponting.[14]
A year that started on a promising note, Yousuf carried it forward to break two world records both held earlier by former West Indian batsman Viv Richards. The 32-year-old, Pakistani batsman achieved an unparalleled 1788 runs in just 10 Test matches with the help of twelve centuries which became his second world record. Yousuf is known for his ability to score runs at exceptional rate through his great technique and composed strokeplay. Although capable of hitting the ball hard, Yousuf is quick between the wickets, although he is prone to being run out.[1]
Yousuf is a skilful infielder, with a report prepared by Cricinfo in late 2005 showing that since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the ninth highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman.[15] He is also distinguished by his characteristic celebration after hitting one hundred runs for his country, where he prostrates in thankfulness to Allah in the direction of Mecca. He has observed this act (known as the Sajdah) since his conversion to Islam.[16][17] In 2007, after initially signing a contract to join the Indian Cricket League, Yousuf later refused due to pressure from the Pakistan Cricket Board as he would later face a ban by the board. In return the PCB promised to get him into the Indian premier league, however, no team bid for him as he faced litigation from the ICL.[18]
In 2008, he once again threatened to join the ICL after the PCB dropped him from their squad. A PCB official was quoted as saying, “We have banned all our cricketers who joined the ICL and if Yousuf also plays for the unauthorised league then he will have to face the same punishment. Yousuf is still our best Test batsman and has a future with the Pakistan team, but not if he joins the ICL.”[19] Yousuf decided to join the ICL again to play mid-way though the second season.[20] The Pakistan Cricket Board reacted to the news by banning him from the national team.[21] Yousaf’s chances to return to Pakistani cricket improved on 2 February 2009 when a Pakistani court suspended the ban on ICL players.[22]
Pakistan Cricket Board recalled batsman Mohammad Yousuf to the squad for their July 2009 Test series in Sri Lanka. Yousuf ended his association with the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL) in early May, in the hope of earning a recall for his country. His decision to join the ICL was made because of differences with former captain Shoaib Malik, who has since been replaced by Younus Khan.[23] In July 2009, on his first match after returning to Test Cricket since 2007, Yousuf scored a century to announce his return to cricket.
Yousuf informed the Pakistan Cricket Board that he would not be taking part in the Champions Trophy 2008 because it would coincide with the holy month of Ramadan.[24]
He along with another former Indian Cricket League player Abdul Razzaq were awarded ‘A’ category mid-term central contracts by Pakistan Cricket Board after they left Indian Cricket League.[25] A little over one year after being welcomed back by the PCB, Yousuf was made captain of the Test team for the tour of New Zealand after Younus Khan was allowed to take a break.[26]
The Pakistan Cricket Board, on 10 March 2010, banned Yousuf and former captain, Younis Khan from playing for the national team indefinitely and imposed one-year bans on Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.[2] Despite receiving the ban Yousuf said that the series against South Africa in late 2010 could be a possibility.[27] Pakistan then toured England in July 2010 and after losing the first test by 354 runs due to a weak batting line-up, the second innings total of 80 being the lowest total by Pakistan against England. Yousuf announced his return to International Cricket and was placed on the squad.[28] He then required a visa which was granted but there was a concern that Yousuf could not come to England in time for that tour.[29]
In January 2012 it was announced that Yousuf was holding talks with Leicestershire over becoming their overseas player for 2012. Talks broke down over Yousuf wanting to take time off for Ramadam.
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Mohammad Yousuf Bowling
muhammad yousuf 
A Tribute to Muhammad Yousuf - "humdam soniore"

Abdul Razzaq

Abdul Razzaq

Abdul Razzaq (Urdu: عبد الرزاق, born 2 December 1979) is a Pakistani right arm fast-medium bowler and a right-handed batsman, who is currently representing the Pakistan cricket team. He emerged in international cricket in 1996, when he made his One Day International debut against Zimbabwe at his home ground in Gaddafi Stadium in Pakistan, a month before his seventeenth birthday. He has played over 200 ODIs and nearly 50 Tests for Pakistan.
Skills in cricket
Originally a fast bowler, Razzaq’s batting has improved throughout the years and he has been recognized as an all-rounder.[1] He is best known in cricket as an aggressive batsman and has the ability to score quick runs.[2] This versatility has given him the talent of batting and bowling at every position on the team. He is also one of Pakistan’s most effective hitters of the cricket ball.[3]
Despite his qualities, he has been criticized by some, for his batting techniques in Test matches.[who?] Another being that he averages almost 37 with the ball. However he has excelled in the One Day International arena, with several excellent performances. He is also an accurate fast bowler who
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Abdul Razzaq 88 vs India 2nd ODI 2005
Abdul Razzaq At His Best - [www.Mastmela.com].wmv


Monday 14 May 2012

Umar Akmal

Umar Akmal

As explosive starts to one’s International careers go, few can rival Umar Akmal. He announced his entry with scores of 66 and 102* within his first 3 ODI innings (at Sri Lanka, 2009) in addition to a 129 and 75 on Test debut (at New Zealand, 2009). Those performances weren’t a surprise. At first class level, Akmal was renowned for his big scores amassed in quick time. 7 years prior to his debut, Umar’s elder brother Kamran had already gotten his taste of international cricket. By 2010, the siblings featured regularly, in tandem for Pakistan.
As a fearless, middle-order batsman, throughout Pakistan’s disappointing spree of series losses against Sri Lanka in 2009 and later at Australia in early 2010, Umar Akmal’s ascendance was one of their few positives. But as the series in Australia progressed, complacency began to creep into Akmal’s Test form, which started to dip. In ODIs though, a hundred and five fifties by his 18th outing maintained a steady average. It was enough to justify an inclusion in Pakistan’s 2010 T20 World Cup squad. He finished the tournament as Pakistan’s 3rd highest-run getter towards their semi-final run.
While still protected as a batsman, featuring at 3-down, in a Pakistan side that lacks specialist batsmen with the temperament for all forms of the game, Umar Akmal is their most proven rookie to fill the void for the years to come.

Fast Facts

  • Akmal’s total of 204 runs on his Test debut (against New Zealand) is the 8th highest ever.
  • It’s also the second highest for a Pakistani debutant behind Yasir Hameed’s 275 in 2003.
  • Akmal’s 129 on Test debut is the 4th highest for a Pakistani, making him one of only 7 players from his country to score a century on debut. Among those on the list, Akmal is the only centurion to have achieved the feat on foreign soil.
  • It took Umar Akmal 38 matches (6 Tests, 18 ODIs and 14 T20s) until playing for Pakistan in Pakistan, the third most behind teammate Mohammad Aamer (41) and Sri Lankan Greame Labrooy (53).
  • Along with brother Kamran Akmal, the Akmals are the 4th blood brothers to feature for Pakistan in the 60-odd years of cricket history.
  • Among top order batsmen, Akmal has the 4th best strike rate overall (Test, ODI and T20) for Pakistani players. (Minimum of 40 matches).
Umar Akmal

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 Fight Between Umar Akmal & Brad Haddin 
3rd T20! Abdul Razzaq & Umar Akmal | 3rd T20 Ending 6s | Pakistan vs New Zealand |


Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal
 might fighting fit be the majority vigorous testimony of cricket’s distorted main concerned position Adam Gilchrist. A side at the present rummage around for a volatile batsman who can revolutionize a day, an innings, and a stage by means of the bat and so elongated while you can recognize right wicket keeping glove from left, the position is yours.
There has been diminutive distrust concerning Akmal’s batting. The cleanliness of his constrains and the potency of his wounding and dragging, for the most part on slower subcontinent exteriors, has all the time apprehended a strong magnetism. And when it comes mutually as it did one January morning in Karachi in opposition to India – one of the Test innings of that decade – he makes it in the side as a batsman unaccompanied.
Other than his glove work, which started quit auspiciously at what time he successfully finished the battle between Rashid Latif and Moin Khan in belatedly 2004, has got worse frighteningly and a small number of Pakistan matches are complete exclusive of a lumbering Akmal mistake.
It was not for all time hence, for that he was excellent at what time he started, quit presentable to make an impression Ian Healy. On the other hand uncontrollably cricket in all three systems have consent to methodological blunders move stealthily in and critics and specialists have extended pushed for the need for him to take a break.
To excellence spin, he is frequently as gone astray as the batsmen and Danish Kaneria, in excess of the years, has went through in meticulous. In a filament of fault-ridden performances, the one no one will stop thinking about will be the four dropped catches (and a failed to spot run-out) in the Sydney Test of 2009-10, which permitted Australia to run away with an extraordinary, shocking win. In opposition to this the memory of his Karachi hundred will for all time encounters, devoid of obvious winner ever to be expected to come into sight. The assignation with disagreement does his grounds no high-quality, with his negative response to agree with his relegation from the side in the consequences of a catastrophic Sydney Test in 2009, drawing out an inconsiderate fine and a punitive try-out from the PCB.
Kamran Akmal
 
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Kamran akmal great turnaround against west indies
Kamran Akmal Famous 100 against India

Saturday 12 May 2012

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar 
 is a former professional cricketer who played testes and One Day International matches for the Pakistan national team in ICC organized events. He has been dubbed as The Rawalpindi Express after the place where he was born and he is arguably the fastest bowler the world of cricket has ever seen, easily clocking 150 km/hour on many occasions. He became the first man to bowl a delivery over 100 miles/hour or 161.3 km/hour, which is the fastest delivery ever bowled in the history of cricket against England. Moreover, not only did he achieve a speed of 100 miles/hour on his delivery, he achieved it twice during one single match and that is something that makes him very unique in the world of fast bowlers. His prowess lay in being able to bowl fast and precise Yorkers as well as quick bouncers and these abilities made him one of the greatest as well as most feared bowlers of all time, the likes of which had not been seen in international cricket since the times of Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Jeff Thompson, Dennis Lillie, Malcolm Marshall and the likes – players who depended on raw pace to pick up wickets.
However, Shoaib Akhtar was also a very controversial figure and it followed him wherever he went. It has been said that he was very selfish and not a team man. The Pakistan team management once sent him home from Australia in the middle of a series because of an alleged poor behavior on his part. In 2006, he was perhaps involved in the biggest controversy when WADA found Shoaib Akhtar guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs and the ICC banned him from playing cricket. This ban was however lifted and he returned to the Pakistan national side the following year and almost immediately, got himself banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board or the PCB for fighting with team mate and fellow opening bowler Mohammad Asif during a training session.
He was selected to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders for the inaugural IPL but injuries blighted his season and he played only a handful of matches. Akhtar was so injury prone that he only managed to play a total of 46 tests and 163 One Day Internationals in his 12 year international career, taking a total of 425 wickets in all. Shoaib Akhtar, in spite of all his short comings, is truly a legend of the game and no matter what happens, cricket will always remember this flamboyant star.
Shoaib Akhtar 
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 Shoaib Akhtar at his Best
Shoaib Akhtar: The fastest bowler of all time. Pakistan

Umar Gul


Umar Gul
(born 14 April 1984 in Peshawar) is a Pakistani right arm fast medium bowler in cricket who has played Test matches, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals for the Pakistani cricket team. He has gained fame as one of the most successful bowlers in Twenty20 cricket finishing as the leading wicket taker and bowler in both the 2007 and 2009 Twenty20 World Championship tournaments.
Umar Gul
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Umer GULL yorker toe buster

Umer Gull



Friday 11 May 2012

Mohammad Hafeez

Mohammad Hafeez Biography

Full name Mohammad Hafeez Born October 17, 1980, Sargodha, Punjab Current age 30 years 94 days Batting style Right-hand bat Bowling style Right-arm offbreak Mohammad Hafeez Picture Major teams Pakistan, Faisalabad, Faisalabad Wolves, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sargodha, Sui Gas Corporation… (Continue reading)

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Full name Mohammad Hafeez Born October 17, 1980, Sargodha, Punjab Current age 30 years 94 days Batting style Right-hand ba Bowling style Right-arm offbreak Mohammad Hafeez Picture Major teams Pakistan, Faisalabad, Faisalabad Wolves, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sargodha, Sui Gas Corporation… (Continue reading)

Tagged with: Mohammad Hafeez    Mohammad Hafeez 100s    Mohammad Hafeez 50    Mohammad Hafeez 50s    Mohammad Hafeez average    Mohammad Hafeez batting    Mohammad Hafeez biography    Mohammad Hafeez bowling    Mohammad Hafeez children    Mohammad Hafeez CLT20    Mohammad Hafeez cricket record    Mohammad Hafeez family    Mohammad Hafeez fastest 100    Mohammad Hafeez fastest century    Mohammad Hafeez fielding    Mohammad Hafeez highest score    Mohammad Hafeez history    Mohammad Hafeez IPL    Mohammad Hafeez ODI    Mohammad Hafeez Pictures    Mohammad Hafeez profile    Mohammad Hafeez ranking

Mohammad Hafeez T20    Mohammad Hafeez Test    Mohammad Hafeez wife
Mohammad Hafeez
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Mohammad Hafeez
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Muhammad Hafeez 88 Runs Vs England 1st Test 2012

Mohammad Hafeez 139* vs Zimbabwe 2011 Pt.1