The runs didn't cease to flow for Umar Akmal, the younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran and Adnan, in his maiden first-class season. In a triumphant 2007-08 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Umar failed to score in his first outing but then went on to amass 855 runs from nine matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, at an average of 77.72 and an impressive strike-rate of 90.18. He showed a penchant for both brisk and big scoring, with knocks of 248 off 225 balls and 186 off 170. In January 2008, he was picked in Pakistan's Under-19 team for the World Cup in Malaysia. He was the leading run-getter - with 255 runs at a strike-rate of 123.18 - in a tri-nation tournament involving England and Sri Lanka in the lead-up to the World Cup. A successful tour of Australia with Pakistan A was followed up a maiden international call-up for the ODIs in Sri Lanka, and Umar started off with a half-century in his second game and a power-packed hundred in his third. A Test call-up was inevitable and he gave an optimistic glimpse into the future of Pakistan cricket, with a century on debut, under pressure followed by a string of consistent scores in New Zealand.
Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan (born June 12, 1957), popularly known as Javed Miandad (Urdu: جاوید میانداد) is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975-1996. After his playing career, he has at various times been a coach, as well as held positions in the Pakistan Cricket Board. He is considered among Pakistan's great batsmen, and among the top few batsmen during his career. He also had three coaching stints with the Pakistan national team, with mixed success and considerable controversy.
Description:
Javed Miandad took the cricket world by storm when he burst onto the international scene in 1976-77. Loud yet contemplative, fiercely defiant, tenacious, and singularly focused on success, he captured the popular imagination like no other Pakistani batsman. For nearly two decades, he dominated the batting scene for his country, compiling one of the game's greatest batting resumes. His feats brought Pakistan into a golden age in its cricketing history when the team started winning overseas and became recognized as one of the best in the world. In the twilight of his career, when many had written him off, Miandad produced a series of crucial batting performances in the 1992 World Cup that eventually saw Pakistan take the title for the first time. He later returned to international cricket as the national coach and guided Pakistan to famous Test victories in India.
Javed Miandad was Pakistan’s enfant terrible and a batting warrior for Pakistan cricket. He became famous after hitting the winning six on the last ball of the match in the April 1986 match at Sharjah against the Indian bowler Chetan Sharma [ who no doubt was trying to bowl a Yorker , instead let loose with the famous ball type exemplified by the joke "umpire to batsmen taking guard – yes what do you want – batsmen – a full toss on the leg side" ]. This led many a Pakistani calling up their Indian friends on the phone and saying, " This is Miandad speaking ". His other memorable, gritty performances, and there are many, are documented in this delightful book which is a must for every South Asian cricket lover for a rainy day, weekend/ bedtime as well as a serious cricketer’s reading.
Miandad will always be remembered in the annals of Pakistan as not just a street fighting cricketer but a world class batsman and one whose understanding and deep knowledge of the game has led him to become the coach for the present Pakistan team. His current task [not an easy one] is to lead the Pakistani batting line-up out of the woods.
"Cuttting Edge" is his biography written with the help of his friend Dr. Saad Shafqat .For a cricket lover this is a gem of a book, describing how time and again, the Pakistan cricket team has been blessed with raw unknown outsiders who have made their mark in International cricket. From the anecdote of Wasim Akram, who bowled to him in the nets at Karachi in 1984 [ and was so green that he asked Miandad how much money he should take when he got selected for England] , to Miandad’s early childhood days playing street cricket in Ranchore Lines in Karachi [ using the secret weapon of a tennis ball wrapped up in plastic insulating tape to give extra bounce / swing ] and making his first Test hundred [ 163 ] in his first Test appearance in Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium on October 9, 1976 against a pace attack of Hadlee [ which reduced Pakistan to 44 for 3] , this book is Miandad’s way of telling the story of his rise and rise from the humble streets of Karachi to the sophisticated cricket grounds of Lords in London.
Miandad writes endearingly of how his father [a cotton expert and grader at the Karachi Stock Exchange ] and his father’s best friend A.R.Mahmood [ who taught him to play straight bat in the V area between cover and mid-wicket in the early opening of an innings] became the influences of his boyhood cricket days as a batsman, although he would do everything – bowling off-breaks, and wicket keeping in school.
There are 23 Chapters , with a chapter on the "Sharjah" match with India , another one on "Wars with India" , his batting in the World Cup of 1992. There is one entitled " In search of 365 " [ how to get into the bowlers frame of mind and anticipate his next type of ball ] another entitled " Tit for Tat with the West Indies " [ 1987-88 when West Indies and Pakistan were at their peaks –with players such as Lloyd , Richards , Walsh , Ambrose, Marshall . In all these chapters what finally comes through is that Miandad fought for his mark as a world class batsman [ in the league of the top 10 - ]. There are places where Miandad gets stuck on a sticky issue , where he is at pains to show that there was no squabble between him and Imran Khan, but this is contradicted in another chapter called " Picking the gaps " where he rants and raves against the "Oxbridge complex ".
His apologies to Amarnath in the Jaipur match show his character. Many of his words make him come out as a God fearing humble human being. In fact what comes out of this book and this is what Miandad also says is that character is what makes a batsman. Miandad’s praise for other cricketers – especially Gavaskar, his sense of humor and his famous remark to an opposition bowler to provide him with his hotel room number for he wanted to dispatch the ball straight there. Miandad’s opinion on the best batsmen, bowlers are interesting insights into the extreme competition within the sport [ only 8 countries play this game - 4 from south Asia]. These are wonderful joyous words that make one feel the game of cricket is indeed a great game – slightly colonial in its five-day test series - and that South Asians know that and have produced masters such as Miandad.
He dazzled the world with his amazing talent, he gave cricket another name, he is and always will be remembered by cricket fans worldwide. Imran khan, an unbelievably talented all rounder is the Legend of cricket and has reached the top like no one else.
This cricketer was born no differently than any other person. He was born in Lahore, Pakistan into a family of six. He entered the world on November 25, 1952, the only boy and seventh member of his family. His parents gave him the name Imran Khan Niazi and truly loved him since he is the only boy in their
family.
Imran was part of a well-educated family. His parents believed that their children should get the best of education, and become something. Imran's parents have believed this and followed through with it, and that is why Imran's sisters are so successful today. His older sister Robina is an alumnus of the LSE and
has a senior position in the United Nations in New York; his other sister Aleema has a master's degree in business administration and runs a successful business; Uzma is a highly qualified surgeon is working in a Lahore hospital; while his other sister Rani is a University graduate who coordinates charity work. When it
was time for Imran to go attend a college, he went to the prestigious public school in Lahore, the Aitchison College. There he was by far the best player on his team, being a very fine batsmen. He was still though quite far from becoming the best in the world. As Imran grew older, his interests went from being a
batsmen to being a fast bowler.
When sixteen, Imran made his debut for Lahore. Imran's cousins Javed Burki, and Majid Khan were a great part of cricket therefore when he made his test debut people thought that he made it because his family was on the Pakistan's Cricket Team. (Nepotism)
Later, Imran had to put cricket to the side and focus more on his studies. Undoubtedly he was back again at the age of eighteen. He played admirably which resulted in him moving to England as he was chosen to play for a private school there.
As the year 1971 approached, he made his test debut while visiting England. During this tour, he was fined many times by the management because he was looked upon by his peers as being a very snobby and wild player. Also on this tour, Imran did not play as well. Because of his "not so good" bowling, Pakistan
was costed to settle for a draw. This was the only test match on the tour.
When Imran was twenty-one, he was admitted in the Oxford University. For three years he studied economics and politics. In 1974 Pakistan toured England and therefore he was selected because of his form for Oxford University and his experience with speaking English. He had not succeeded to make a big mark
because all three of his tests were drawn.
In 1976 Imran returned to Pakistan after being away for four years. During the 1976-77 season, Imran got a place in the Pakistan cricket team. He had impressed the team with his fantastic bowling. Later he moved to play with Sussex. The biggest reason for Imran to do this was because of his love affairs with the
nightlife of London. He was quite angry at Worcester (a team he played for before he played for Sussex), because of the racism he found there. During the time he had been playing for other teams, Imran had become quite a big star. Everyone was able to see that this guy had talent and played very well. At this
point, not only was he playing well, but had basically become a superstar.
Imran continued to play for Sussex, because he enjoyed it there. At this point he had become the "father" of the reverse swing. His most famous partner was Sarfaraz Nawaz, in which the partners could make a lot of runs.
Soon after, under the orders of the top official, Imran came back to Pakistan to play test cricket for the series against India. During this match, Imran hit two sixes and a four with only seven balls remaining. Because of Imran's huge success, one could easily say that Imran was one of the most adored cricketer
through the land at this point.
During the early 80's Imran was not only at his cricketing peak, but had quite a few relations with women. He had a relationship with Susannah Costantine, ex-model Marie Helving, and artist Emma Sargeant. Some of his relations ended simply because of difference in culture and because of the busy and travelling
life of Imran. He brought some of his relationships back home to Pakistan in which he was frowned upon because he was an individual of Muslim faith.
When Imran was thirty, he became the captain of the Pakistan cricket team. He lead them to a victory against England in their second test match.
During the years of his captaincy, Imran had broken his shin. Even though this was so, Imran continued to bowl, whether there was pain or not. Because of his injury, Imran was able to put bowling to the side and concentrate more on his batting. Imran improved his batting greatly which led him to his first century
in a one day match.
In 1987, Imran decided to retire from cricket. Javed Miandad took his place. Because Pakistan's best captain was gone; the team was in somewhat of crisis. President Zia put a lot of pressure on Imran, therefore he was back as a captain in 1988.
In 1992, the world cup final was Imran's exit from cricket. He led Pakistan to a great victory over India. Pakistan had won the World Cup. It was time for Imran to retire, which brought a lot of grief to Pakistan. He ended his career with an outstanding score of 3807 runs and 362 wickets in only test matches. During his
career, Imran had turned the Pakistan cricket stars into the stars they are today. The day that Imran retired was a very big day. So big that the President of that time, Zia personally tried to stop him from retiring. Imran said that he
wanted to retire at the highest point of his popularity so that people would be able to remember him forever.4 He wanted his name to be in all hearts and be recognized for all his accomplishments. Imran had officially ended his career as a cricketer and is truly remembered by all.
When Imran won the world cup, he had raised twenty five million dollars to build a cancer hospital in memory of his mother. About ten years ago when Imran's mother had cancer; Imran was desperately looking for some place to take her, but none of the hospital's in Pakistan had the right facilities to treat her. When Imran took her to an outside country, it was too late; she had lost her battle against cancer. Eversnice then, Imran has wanted to build a cancer hospital. Today he has a wonderful hospital standing in Lahore, Pakistan. It is
named after his mother Shawkat Khanam. Imran does not charge anything to patients who cannot afford the treatment.
In 1995, Imran decided to settle down and marry. He married Jemima Goldsmith who is the daughter of a millionaire. She was Jewish and converted to Islam by choice just before the two got married. Their wedding took place in Paris. When they came back to London, they threw a party which was more for the public.
On November 18th 1996, Imran and Jemima were the proud parent's of a baby boy. The named him Suleiman Isa. On April 10th, 1999 Jemima gave birth to yet another baby boy. They have named him Kassim.
Today, Imran has entered the world of politics and has set up his own party. He continues to fundraise for his hospital. He does this by taking tours with popular stars. Some stars donate their money to Imran's hospital. Jemima designs clothes and sells them overseas. The profit goes to the Shawkat Khanam Memorial
Hospital. Also the restaurant in London, Salt and Pepper gives its profits to
the hospital.
Until his conversion to Islam in 2005, Mohammad Yousuf (formely known as Yousuf Youhana) was one of a handful of Christians to play for Pakistan. After a difficult debut against South Africa in 1997-98, he quickly established himself as a stylish world-class batsman, and a pillar of Pakistan's middle order, alongside Inzamam-ul-Haq. He is no sluggard, but gathers his runs through orthodox, composed strokeplay, unlike some of his colleagues who seldom hint at permanence. He is particularly strong driving through the covers and flicking wristily off his legs and brings with him as decadent and delicious a backlift as any in the game. A tendency to overbalance when playing across his front leg can get him into trouble. He excels at both versions of the game, and in one-day cricket can score 20 or 30 runs before anyone notices. He is quick between the wickets although not necessarily the best judge of a single. There had been questions about his temperament as batsman when the pressure is on, but between 2004 and 2005, he began to silence critics. First came a spellbindingly languid century against the Australians in Melbourne, as captain to boot, where he ripped into Shane Warne like few Pakistani batsmen have before or since. A century in the cauldron of Kolkatta followed but he ended the year with possibly his most important knock: a double century against England at Lahore so easy on the eye, you almost didn't notice it. With Inzamam missing through injury for parts of the innings, Yousuf displayed an unusual responsibility, eschewing the waftiness that has previously blighted him. In 2006, Yousuf truly came of age in a record-breaking year. He began by plundering India and continued in England, not just scoring under pressure, but scoring big. A double ton at Lord's was followed by another big hundred at Headingly and the Oval. He rounded off a fantastic year with four hundreds in three Tests against the West Indies, a feat that took him past Viv Richards's long-standing record of most Test runs in a calendar year and also saw him establish the record for most Test hundreds (9) in a year. With Inzamam nearing a natural end, the credentials of Yousuf as Pakistan's premier batsman are impressive.
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Legend Mohammad Yousuf's Test Cricket Career - A Brief Highlight
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Mohammad Yousuf 202 - England v Pakistan 1st Test at Lords 2006
Rameez Hasan Raja was born on 14 August 1962. He is a former Pakistani right handed batsman in cricket, who represented the Pakistan cricket team during the 1970s and 1990s. He also worked as captain of the national team. Since retiring from professional cricket, he has become a sports and television commentator.
Personal life and education
Raja was born in Faisalbad in Pakistan and studied at notable Pakistani institutions, Sadiq Public School, Bahawalpur and Aitchison College, Lahore and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Raja's brother, Wasim Raja, also played Test cricket for Pakistan and his second brother Zaeem Raja played First-class cricket in Pakistan.
Career
Raja made his First class cricket debut in 1978. He received his opportunity to play in a Test match against England. His performance was unimpressive, as he was dismissed for 1 run in both innings. However, with the retirement of several players in the Pakistan squad and with the help of his years of experience in first class cricket, Raja was able to secure a spot in the national side.
He played for 13 years in international cricket, appearing in 57 Test match and scored 2 centuries at an average of 31.83. In the One Day international arena, he played 200 matches and scored 9 centuries. He was a member of the national side that reached the semi finals of the 1987 World Cup. He scored 2 centuries in the 1992 World Cup, which was held in Australia, including a century, against New Zealand, who had been un defeated during that period. Raja was awarded the man of the match for his match winning performance which earned Pakistan a place in the semi-finals of the tournament. In the final against England, Raja had the honour of taking the final catch which won the world cup for Pakistan. This became the pinnacle of his cricketing career, as within a year of this triumph, he had lost form and was dropped from the national side.
However, he was recalled back to the Pakistan squad and played in the 1996 cricket World Cup. During the 1995-1996 season, he was removed from the captaincy, after Pakistan lost their first home series to Sri Lanka. His final game in a Test match for Pakistan, was as captain in the 1996-1997 tour of Sri Lanka, however the team failed to win a match during the series. He retired from all forms of cricket in 1997 and since then he has been active as a television commentator and as an administrator for both Pakistan and International cricket.
Raja has worked as a commentator on Test Match Special and Sky Sports, during the 2006 England Test series against Pakistan. He has also worked as the chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, but resigned from his job in August 2004, citing increasing media commitments.
1987-1988: Given out for obstructing the field
Raja became the first player in One Day International history to be given out by "obstructing the field" against England, in a match at Karachi in 1987. England had scored 263 runs for 6 wickets during their 44 over innings. English batsman, Graham Gooch scored 142 runs off 134 balls and David Capel with 50 runs off 40 deliveries. In return, Pakistan had to score quick runs in 44 overs, to win the match.
Raja opened the batting innings with Shoaib Mohammad, who scored 37 runs off 62 balls. Raja only managed to score at 4.9 runs per over and had reached 98 runs when the last ball of the match was bowled, with Pakistan needing 25 runs to win in the last over. During this last over, he hit the ball and sprinted for two runs that would have given him his century, but was well short of the crease when the fielder's return came towards him and Raja knocked the ball away with his bat. He was thus the first batsman to be given out "obstructing the field".
1995-1996: Captain of Pakistan Cricket team
Almost a decade later, he was involved in another controversy when he captained Pakistan to their first Test home series loss against Sri Lanka in September 1995. Before being brought in as captain for the series, he had often opened the batting innings with both Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar at different match, but without success. As a captain, he did not open the innings in any of the three Test match and opted to bat at number three, his preferred position. He was sacked as captain after Pakistan lost the series and was replaced by Wasim Akram. He got a second chance at captaincy when, immediately in the next season in 1996-1997, he led the Pakistan team for the second time in two Test match against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, but failed to achieved a win. This was his final appearance in a Test match for Pakistan.
2003-2004: Pakistan Cricket Board
Raja worked as a CEO of the Pakistan Cricket Board, simultaneously serving as a cricket commentator. He resigned from the post of the CEO in August 2004 citing increasing media commitments as the reason for his decision.
Interview
'Factions are a thing of the past'
Rameez Raja, the former Pakistan captain and opening batsman, played in 57 Tests and 198 one-day internationals between 1977 and 1997, and was a member of the team that won the World Cup at Melbourne in 1992. These days he is better known as a commentator for Ten Sports, and he spoke about Pakistan's triumph in the recent Test series against England
You said in your newspaper column that this is the "beginning of a new era" for Pakistan cricket. What makes you so sure?
I've been watching them very closely for the past couple of years, and ever since Bob Woolmer took over as coach and since Inzamam-ul-Haq became regular captain, this team has grown and matured. It fights back, it plays as a unit and the combinations selected have been superb. They've picked the right players for the right conditions, and the confidence of the players and the settled dressing-room atmosphere has been reflected in strong performances on the field.
That unity in the dressing-room seems to be the one thing that sets this team apart from previous Pakistan sides
Yes, I think so. Factions are a thing of the past, and Inzamam has become a great father figure to the team. But the big difference is that he is getting great support from Shoaib Akhtar and that is crucial. In the past you could justifiably have called Shoaib a spoilt brat but, because of the healthy cricketing environment, he's been forced to tow the line. The rest aren't nearly as difficult to command, and Inzamam has such a good temperament that the young players are at ease around him. And because there are no factions, there is a respect for one other and respect for on-pitch performances. If you perform you stay in, if you don't, you struggle.
Shoaib missed the India series and the tour of the West Indies, and he recently turned 30 as well. Do you think he's realised that, if he's going to make an impression, it's got to be now?
That's right, but that's not the only reason. He needs to be popular, and he needs to contribute and make a name for himself, and he's realised this is his platform, not county cricket or socialising with Indian film stars. This is where he belongs, and the fact that he's finally realised that is extremely good for Pakistan.
Inzamam's even temperament seems crucial as well. He strikes me as a man without agenda, which perhaps couldn't be said of previous captains
He's grown into the job as well. I find his tactics quite inspirational, especially when it comes to the all-important final day or the fourth innings, or when the team has been pushed to the wall. He's come up with some bright ideas, but he's also got the tools to implement his plans as well, because of the variation and depth of his bowling line-up. But above all he's calm, quiet and great with the youngsters. I hardly ever see him reduced to a panic situation, but that's as much to do with the good temperaments of the young players in his side.
Have you ever seen him batting better?
No, this is the best I've seen him bat. First his century against India at Bangalore in his 100th Test, then a matchwinning hundred against West Indies, and now this. He's made 17 matchwinning hundreds out of 24 and that's a tremendous record. He thrives in crucial, critical, tense situations, which sets him apart from most other Pakistani batsmen, and international batsmen for that matter. He'll score them when they really matter.
His century against Bangladesh in Pakistan's one-wicket win at Multan is an example of how great a batsman he is. He is brilliant at playing the game with the tail, because he has an idea of when to defend, but when he needs to hit he'll hit it. He reads a situation so well. He's powerful but also technically well equipped to handle any situation, and that's why he's so exciting to watch. And it's not as if he's just scored runs against weaker teams either. Yes, his record against Australia and South Africa could be better, but if he plays against them now, especially here in Pakistan, he'd bat wonderfully well.
A strong religious belief seems to be a very important factor in the success of this team. Is that something new to Pakistan cricket?
It is very new, but that's just their way of bonding, and if it works, then good luck to them. Obviously religion is a private thing, but this team is very keen in making sure they attend to it. It seems to be their way of staying together as a unit and being involved with each other every day and it seems to be working for them, not least for the recent convert, Mohammad Yousuf. He must have been under a lot of pressure, because he was a hero as a Youhana also. Everyone loved him, and I enjoyed the way the Christian community backed him all the time. I don't know how they feel about him now, but as far as his own contribution as a Muslim batsman goes, he's done well. He's been under a lot of stress and he's had family problems and pressure from the Christian community, but good luck to him.
Do you think England under-estimated their challenge out here?
They are certainly not as well-prepared they would have liked to be, and it could be that the sheer effort of the Australia series has sapped their energy and passion. But this was always going to be a difficult tour for England, because historically they have not been willing tourists to this part of the world. Even so, they are a far more professional team these days and they knew full well how much was at stake on this trip - their overall ranking and the chance to prove how good a team they are after beating Australia. I think they caved in because they couldn't come up with the goods to seize the initiative and come to grips with the conditions. Each player left it to another, and on the day, the others weren't good enough.
What was the worst aspect of their play, as far as you're concerned?
They produced casual careless cricket, especially on that last day at Lahore - Pietersen's drive off the back foot when there was a slip, a silly mid-off, and a gully in place; Flintoff's extravagant drive to a wrong'un. You can question their attitude and ability as well, because England couldn't really knit partnerships together in both innings of a match - they'd be good in one and then falter in the other. Likewise their bowlers would be good for two or three hours, but they weren't as consistent as a Shoaib or a Kaneria. That was the real difference. Pakistan had the better tools, and England were under-resourced.
What tools did England lack?
They need to work really hard to find a quality spinner. Ashley Giles was pretty successful when he came in 2000, but that series was played in different weather conditions and on drier pitches that had been made for spinners. This time they were made for batsmen and that was the difference. If England are to become a powerful and reputable team, then they need to develop their spin department.
How do they go about doing that?
They need to shake up their entire system. They need to prepare good supporting pitches to encourage spin bowling, and that should start at club level. And out of the 18 counties, there should be seven or eight spinning tracks, which would aid the batsmen as well. I feel at times they don't use their feet and are not as wristy as required. That's why so many sweep shots led to their downfall in this last match. It's an ugly option, especially on a batting pitch like this, where you need to be going down the track and reading the ball in the air, or smothering the spin. England have a one-dimensional batting attack against the spinners, and their lack of a wrist-spinner is a big problem.
After Lahore, Duncan Fletcher complained that England had developed a siege mentality because of spending too much time in hotel-rooms. What did you make of his comments?
Well, we faced the same situation when we went to India - we had police around us and felt surrounded all the time, but as professional cricketers you've just got to look at why you're here. It is your job to perform from 9 to 5 then unwind in your own particular way. Sure, this place is not as socially active as England or even India but, at the end of the day, you've come here to play cricket and you've got to get on with it. I wasn't in the England camp so I don't know what the mood or the pulse was, but from a distance it gave the impression they were moaning. So for Fletcher to say that after losing the series probably wasn't the right tactic. You can always quote cricketing problems at such moments. The social problems were there before the series and during it as well. Why mention them now?
Do you think that their "Presidential levels" of security were over the top?
They were overwhelming, yes, and that can put you off. But we are a cricket-loving nation, and if the players had ventured out even with minimal security, they would have been treated well and welcomed with open arms. Lahore in particular has some fine restaurants, and though Multan must have been tough, Faisalabad should have been a little better, I hope. The bottom line is that they have cricketing problems. Perhaps 5 or 10% of their defeat could be attributed to the overwhelming security. In reality, they've been dented by a better team.
How does this Pakistan team compare with the world-beating side of the late-1980s and early 1990s, that you were a part of?
In terms of spirit, dedication and unity, I would put them on a par with our team. In terms of talent, we probably had a better bowling attack - Wasim, Waqar, Mushtaq Ahmed - but the batting these days is probably a little bit more solid. For us there was only really Javed [Miandad], the hero in the middle order, although Imran batted well for us as well. But in terms of spirit and application, it is improving, and it could easily match the 1992 World Cup team.
How do you compare Inzamam and Miandad?
That's a tricky question. I've enjoyed Inzy's success thoroughly, because I played with him as well as with Javed. But they are very different players. Javed was street-smart, but Inzamam is a little easier on the eyes. Both were very good under pressure, but Inzy has tremendous power - he's all grace and power and can pulverize any bowling line-up. Javed was more of a nudger who'd look first and foremost for singles. But both have served Pakistan really well, so it's difficult to compare. In the present era, Inzy is best batsman we produced in a decade, and before that, Javed was the man.
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Analysis of Pakistani Players by Ramiz Raja and Nasser Hussain Rameez Hasan Raja
Pakistan vs Srilanka Icc World Cup Rameez Raja Comint
Mohammad Younus Khan (born November 29, 1977 in Mardan, North-West Frontier Province) is a Pakistani cricketer and current captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Younus’ name is often spelled Younis Khan, but he has been quoted as saying, “My name is Younus Khan. I tell people that everywhere, He is only the third Pakistani player to score 300 or more runs in an innings.
International career
Younus Khan made his international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka at Karachi in February 2000, and has since played over 150 ODIs for Pakistan. He has also played in over 50 Test matches. Younus was one of the few batsmen who retained his place in the team after Pakistan’s disastrous World Cup campaign in 2003, but lost it soon after due to a string of poor scores in the home series against Bangladesh and South Africa. He came back for the one-day series against India, but failed to cement a place in the Test side.
It was his return to the side in October 2004, at the pivotal one-down, against Sri Lanka in Karachi that laid the groundwork for his emergence as a force in Pakistan cricket. He was the top run-getter in the disastrous 3-0 whitewash in Australia immediately after and on the tour of India, for which Younus was elevated to vice-captain, he blossomed. After a horror start to the series he came back strongly, capping things off with 267 in the final Test. It was his highest Test score and came off 504 balls in the first innings, to set up a series levelling victory in Bangalore.
As well as being an accomplished batsman, Younus is also a skilled slip fielder and a very occasional leg-spin bowler. He has performed particularly well outside Pakistan, including on tours of Australia, India, England and Sri Lanka. In the six Tests he has played against India, Younus averages an exceptional 106, the highest average against India by a Pakistani.[3] Apart from his 267 at Bangalore, Younus also made 147 at Kolkata in 2005 and a pair of centuries during India’s trip to Pakistan in 2006. More importantly, the tour to India also showcased his potential as a future captain of Pakistan and his energetic and astute leadership has impressed many people. Also in 2006, Younus made a century in the third Test against England at Headingley. On 22 January 2007, he scored a matchwinning 67 not out in the 4th innings to guide Pakistan to victory over South Africa in Port Elizabeth. The five wicket win levelled the series at 1-1.
In 2005, he was one of the 15 nominees for the ICC Test Player of the Year. He is the second fastest Pakistani in terms of innings to reach 4000 Test runs, behind Javed Miandad. Younus reached the milestone in 87 innings, just one more than Sachin Tendulkar took.
Younus Khan topped the ICC’s Test Batting Rankings in February 2009 after an acclaimed innings of 313 in his first test as captain, in the process of helping save the match for Pakistan. His ranking score of 880 is the third highest achieved by a Pakistani batsmen after Mohammad Yousuf (933), Javed Miandad (885) and just ahead of Inzamam-ul-Haq (870).
Captaincy situation
He first led Pakistan against the West Indies in 2005. In September 2006, he was offered the position of captain for the course of the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, following the suspension of Inzamam ul Haq. He turned down the offer, stating he didn’t want to be a “dummy captain”.[7] However, on the morning of October 7, 2006 the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that Khan would lead his team in the tournament.[8] Following the resignation of Inzamam after the side’s exit from the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Khan was offered the captaincy on a permanent basis, but turned it down. He blamed the angry reaction by the Pakistani public to side’s early exit from the tournament.
After Pakistan’s 2009 2 matches to 1 defeat to Sri Lanka, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt appointed Younus Khan as the permanent captain of both the Test and ODI teams. The appointment became effective as of January 27, 2009.[10] Shortly after accepting the post Younus was quoted as saying, “I will try and fix things that aren’t right at the moment…I want our team to be consistent above all, in everything we do and that will require everyone to put their hands up.” [11] Younus went on to say that he expects full support from former captain Shoaib Malik whom he called a senior player in the side.
County Cricket
In 2005, Younus played county cricket for Nottinghamshire in England. In the 2007 English domestic cricket season, played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club as an overseas player. In doing so he was the third overseas Asian cricketer to play for Yorkshire following Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, and was succeeded by fellow Pakistani Inzamam.
On his County Championship debut for Yorkshire, he made a disappointing 4 runs from 4 balls in his first innings, being bowled by Rikki Clarke of Surrey, and just 12 in his second innings.[12] However, on his one-day debut in the Friends Provident Trophy, Younus hit a superb 100 from 92 balls against Nottinghamshire to lead Yorkshire to victory.
He made his first County Championship century, 106 off 151 balls, for Yorkshire against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl in the third match of the season and followed it up with an unbeaten double hundred, 202 off 290 balls, in the second innings to steer Yorkshire to a confident declaration. In doing so, Younus became the first Yorkshire player to score a century and a double century in the same match. Younus also made a useful contribution bowling during Hampshire’s second innings, picking up four wickets for just 52 runs, however despite his and the team’s efforts the match ended in a draw.[14] He repeated the feat of an unbeaten double century at Scarborough in a rain-affected drawn match with Kent. He played a superb innings to finish on 217* off just 252 balls with 18 fours and 6 sixes. He left Yorkshire following the 8-wicket drubbing of Glamorgan Dragons. However, the nature of the victory denied him of the chance to sign off in a fitting matter as he was not required to bat.
Playing style
Younus is regarded as one of the best players of spin bowling in the world, being particularly strong on the leg side. His favourite and trademark shot is the flick, but it has also been his shortcoming, with him being particularly prone to falling lbw during the early stages of his innings. He is also prone to getting down on one knee and driving extravagantly. But this flamboyance is coupled with grit. One of his main weaknesses is playing away from the body, he also has a tendency to leave straight balls, a trait that has been exploited by bowlers in the past, particularly by the Australian attack. Along with Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq, he has formed a formidable middle order batting line up for Pakistan.
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.
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Shoaib Akhtar Best Top Wickets & Bouncers
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"Rare" Shoiab Akhtar 4 Wickets VS India 4th Innings Asian Test Championship 1999
