Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar Biography 

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Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph) in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against England. His ability to bowl fast yorkers and quick bouncers have made him one of the best fast bowlers in cricket.

However, he has been involved in several controversies during his career, often accused of not being a team player. Akhtar was sent home during the Test match series in Australia in 2005 for alleged poor attitude. A year later, he was embroiled in a drug scandal after testing positive to a banned substance. However, the ban imposed on him was lifted on court appeal. In September 2007, Akhtar was banned for an indefinite period for his fight with Pakistan team mate and fast bowler Mohammad Asif. On 1 April 2008, Akhtar was banned for five years for publicly criticizing the Pakistan Cricket Board. In October 2008, the Lahore High Court in Pakistan suspended the five year ban and Akhtar was selected in the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 Quadrangular Tournament in Canada. Pakistani judge, Rana Bhagwandas stated once that, Akhtar is a legend of Pakistan cricket. He retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup.

Early years
Akhtar was born at Morgah, a small town near Rawalpindi, Punjab in Pakistan. His father was a plant operator in Attock Oil Refinery, Morgah. Akhtar started his studies at Elliott High School, Morgah and then took admission in the Asghar Mall College, Rawalpindi.

Career

International career
Akhtar's run of impressive performances started in the 1990s. In 1999, during a pre-World Cup series against India, he rose to prominence. It was followed by outstanding bowling performances in Sharjah and later in 1999 Cricket World Cup. His most significant performance was in India in 1999 when he captured eight wickets in the Asian Test championship match at Calcutta – including the wickets of Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid off successive deliveries. This was Akhtar's first encounter with Sachin Tendulkar, in which Akthar bowled him off the first delivery he delivered to the batsman.

In 2002, he was selected for the Pakistan team against Australia and achieved success. However he performed poorly during the 2003 Cricket World Cup and after the tournament he was dropped from the Pakistan squad. He was selected back into the Pakistan squad in the 2004 Test match series against New Zealand, but struggled in a losing Test series against India in 2004. The series ended with a controversy when he left the field citing an injury leading to suspicions by former Pakistan captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, about his commitment to the team. As a result, his relationship with Inzamam-ul-Haq and former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer deteriorated. A medical panel was set up by the Pakistan Cricket Board to investigate the nature of his injury, however Pakistan officials dispelled all suspicions.

In 2005, Akhtar regained his reputation as a fast bowler for his side. Playing in a three Test home series against England, he made a series of impressive bowling performances. His effective use of slower deliveries proved to be unplayable by the English batsmen. Akhtar emerged as the highest wicket taker of the series with seventeen wickets. His comeback was also remarkable as prior to his return, he had been criticized from all corners-such as by the Worcestershire chairman John Elliot for his celebrity attitude and lack of commitment to team. His performance was also acknowledged by the English captain Michael Vaughan, who remarked "I thought he (Shoaib) was a big difference between the two teams". He is also known as the only bowler ever to break the 100 mph barrier in cricket bowling history, with a delivery of 100.2 mph, and this delivery at stands as the fastest recorded to date.

Struggle for form and consistent injuries (2007–2009)
On 29 October 2007, Akhtar made his return to cricket, from his 13 match ban and performed well, taking 4 wickets for 43 runs against South Africa in the fifth and deciding One Day International series in Lahore in Pakistan. Subsequently, he was included in the 16 man Pakistan squad for the 2007 tour of India, which he completed successfully without further incident and injury.

Rehabilitation and final years (2010–2011)
Akhtar made a return to international cricket albeit in the shorter format of the game. In May 2010, PCB named him in a list of 35 probables for the Asia Cup. On 15 June 2010, Akhtar made his return, taking 3 wickets for 28 runs in the first match of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka. He narrowly missed out a spot in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in place of the injured Umar Gul.

In July 2010, he was selected for the Twenty20 series against Australia but the selectors decided not to play him in the Test squad so that he would not get injured. He was subsequently selected for the ODI and Twenty20 series against England in September 2010.

Akhtar returned to the national side representing the country against England in the Twenty20 International. He bowled an impressive spell and returned with figures of 2 wickets for 23 runs. He continued to bowl well in the ODI series in the absence of regular fast-bowlers, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, who were suspended by the International Cricket Council amid allegations of Spot-fixing. Despite his relatively good bowling form, Pakistani coach Waqar Younis insisted that the bowling attack must not become reliant on Akhtar, as he is 35 years of age and fitness troubles continue to affect him. Akhtar was selected for the tour of New Zealand and started his campaign off well with 3 wickets on Boxing Day in the first of two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand.

Akhtar was selected in Pakistan's 15-man squad to play in the 2011 World Cup hosted by Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka in February to March. During the tournament, he announced that he would retire from international cricket at the end of the World Cup.

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar 

Shoaib Akhtar

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram Biography

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Full name Wasim Akram
Born June 3, 1966 Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Role Bowler
Batting style Left-handed
Bowling style Left-arm fast
International information
Test debut (cap 102) 25 January 1985: v New Zealand
Last Test 9 January 2002: v Bangladesh
ODI debut (cap 53) 23 November 1984: v New Zealand
Last ODI 4 March 2003: v Zimbabwe
Domestic team information
Years Team
2003 Hampshire
2000/01 Lahore Blues
1992/93 – 2000/01 Pakistan International Airlines
1988 – 1998 Lancashire
1997/98 Lahore City
1985/86 Lahore City Whites
1984/85 – 1985/86 Pakistan Automobiles Corporation

Wasim Akram (Urdu: وسیم اکرم)(born June 3, 1966 in Lahore, Punjab) is a former Pakistani cricketer. He was a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman, who represented the Pakistani cricket team in Tests and One-Day Internationals. He is widely regarded as one of the finest fast bowlers ever and holds world records for the most wickets taken in both ODIs (502) and List A cricket (881). Domestic career
Wasim signed for Lancashire in 1988 and went on to become one of their most successful overseas players. From 1988 to 1998, he spearheaded their attack in their NatWest Trophy, Benson & Hedges Cup and Sunday League winning sides. He was a favourite of the local fans who used to sing a song called "Wasim for England" at Lancashire's matches.

International career
Wasim made his Test debut for Pakistani cricket team against New Zealand in early 1985 and in only his second Test he made his presence felt with a ten-wicket haul. Like a few other Pakistani cricketers of his time, he was identified at club level and bypassed first-class domestic competition, entering international cricket directly. A few weeks prior to his selection into the Pakistani team, he was an unknown club cricketer who had failed to even make it to his college team. He was spotted by Javed Miandad, and as a result of his insisting was it that Wasim was given an oppurtunity to play for Pakistan. Later that season he paired with Imran, who became his mentor, at the World Championship of Cricket in Australia.

Wasim's rise in international cricket was rapid during the initial years. When Pakistan toured the West Indies in 1988, he looked to be the quickest bowler between the two sides. However, a serious groin injury impeded his career in the late 1980s. Following two surgeries, he re-emerged in 1990 as a bowler who focused more on swing and control than speed.

One-Day success
Wasim was instrumental in Pakistan's famous World Cup victory in 1992 in Australia. In the final against England his late flurry of an innings, 33 off 19 balls, pushed Pakistan to a respectable 249 for 6. Wasim then took the all-important wicket of Ian Botham early on, and when brought back into the attack later on, with the ball reverse swinging, he produced a devastating spell which led to Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis being clean-bowled in successive deliveries. His excellent performances earned him the Man of the Match award for the final.

He also captained Pakistan with some success. The high points of his captaincy were the 1996-97 victory in the World Series in Australia, two Test match wins in India in 1998-99 and in 1999, when Pakistan reached the World Cup final for the second time. The low point was the 1996 World Cup in Pakistan and India, when he had to pull out of the crucial quarter final match against India. After Pakistan's defeat, there were angry protests outside his homes, and a government inquiry was launched into the failure.

In 1999, he led Pakistan to the brink of victory in the World Cup before they rolled over and gave the final to Australia. This was the start of the match-fixing controversies, as people believed Wasim had set up the match for Australia. He was pardoned by Justice Qayyum.

He was Pakistan's top bowler in the 2003 World Cup taking 19 wickets in 7 matches. However, Pakistan failed to reach the "Super Six" phase of the tournament, and Wasim was one of the eight players to be sacked by the Pakistan Cricket Board as a result.

Wasim was diagnosed with diabetes at the peak of his career, but despite the initial psychological blow, he managed to regain his form and went on to produce fine cricketing displays. Since then he has actively sought to be involved in various awareness-raising campaigns for diabetes.

Playing style
“ Over my 15 or 16 years of playing international cricket in Tests and one-day internationals, Wasim Akram is definitely the most outstanding bowler I've ever faced. ”
— Former West Indies batsman Brian Lara.

An immensely talented player first discovered by Javed Miandad, Wasim played for his college(Govt. Islamia College Civil Lines, Lahore) as an opening bowler and batsman. As a bowler, Wasim possessed genuine pace, accurate control of line and length and seam position, and could swing the ball both in and out. With a very deceptive ball-concealing action, he could bowl equally well from both sides of the wicket. His mastery of reverse swing with the old ball meant he was at his most dangerous towards the end of an innings, and earned him the nickname Sultan of Swing.

As well as often being able to find the edge of the bat, Wasim would also focus his attack on the stumps and had a particularly lethal yorker. Of his 414 Test wickets, 193 were taken caught, 119 were taken LBW and 102 were bowled. In partnership with Waqar Younis, he intimidated international batsmen in the 1990s. Together Wasim and Waqar, known as "the two Ws" of the Pakistani team, were one of the most successful bowling partnerships ever.

Wasim was also skilled with the bat and was regarded as a bowling all-rounder. He was especially effective against spinners. However, he liked to slog and was criticised for his lack of big scores and giving away his wicket too cheaply for a player of his talent. He did silence his critics in October 1996 when he scored 257, not out, of the team's total of 553 against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura. He also made good scores in difficult times for the Pakistan team such as his 123 against Australia and his 45 not-out to take Pakistan to victory in a low-scoring match. Pakistan, needing six runs in two balls two win the Nehru Cup saw Wasim come out to bat. The first ball he faced was hit out of the ground and secured the cup. Ahmed Bilal was his coach who gave him tricks on reverse swing.

Records
In his Test career, Wasim took 414 wickets in 104 matches, a Pakistani record, at an average of 23.62, and scored 2,898 runs, at an average of 22.64.
In One-Day Internationals, Wasim took a world record 502 wickets in 356 appearances, at an average of 23.52, and scored 3,717 runs, at an average of 16.52.
Wasim was the first bowler in international cricket to take more than 400 wickets in both forms of the game, and only Muttiah Muralitharan has since achieved this.
Wasim also held the record for the most wickets in Cricket World Cups — a total of 55 in 38 matches. Australia's Glenn McGrath broke the record during the 2007 World Cup, ending with a final tally of 71 from 39 matches. On passing Wasim's record, McGrath said, "Wasim Akram, to me, is one of the greatest bowlers of all time. Left-armer, swung it both ways with the new ball and he was so dangerous with the old ball. To go past him is something I will always remember. Probably the other side of the coin is that if you play long enough, you're going to break records here and there."
Uniquely, Wasim took four hat-tricks in international cricket, two each in Tests and ODIs. He is one of only three bowlers to have taken two Test hat-tricks (the others being Hugh Trumble and Jimmy Matthews), and also one of only three bowlers to have taken two ODI hat-tricks (the others being fellow Pakistani Saqlain Mushtaq and Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka). Wasim's Test hat-tricks are unique, since they were taken in consecutive Test matches in the same series, against Sri Lanka in 1999. Wasim is also one of only two bowlers to have taken both a Test and ODI hat-trick (the other being fellow Pakistani Mohammad Sami).
Playing in a Test against the West Indies at Lahore in 1990-91, he became one of only six players to have taken four wickets in an over during a Test match. In Wasim's case, the feat was not part of a hat-trick, the third ball of the series being a dropped catch, which allowed a single.
Wasim has also achieved the highest score by a number eight batsman in Test cricket — 257 not out from 363 balls against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura. The innings contained 12 sixes which is also a world record for Test cricket.
He also has the joint-highest number of Man of the Match awards in Test cricket, along with South African Jacques Kallis, with 17.

Controversies
In 1992, after he had been successful against English batsmen, accusations of ball tampering began to appear in the English press, though no video evidence was ever found. Wasim and Waqar had been able to obtain prodigious amounts of movement from old balls. This phenomenon, termed reverse swing was relatively unknown in England at the time.

A far larger controversy was created when he was alleged to be involved in match fixing. An enquiry commission was set up by Pakistan Cricket Board headed by a Pakistan high court judge Malik Mohammed Qayyum. The judge wrote in his report that:

This commission feels that all is not well here and that Wasim Akram is not above board. He has not co-operated with this Commission. It is only by giving Wasim Akram the benefit of the doubt after Ata-ur-Rehman changed his testimony in suspicious circumstances that he has not been found guilty of match-fixing. He cannot be said to be above suspicion.

Retirement
Wasim retired in 2003, after a brief spell with Hampshire in England. Since then, Wasim has taken up commentary and can currently be seen as a sportscaster for the ESPN Star network, and is also running shows on ARY Digital.

He is married to Huma Mufti, daughter of Mr. Humayaun Mufti. Huma and Wasim have two sons from their marriage of thirteen years.

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Younis Khan

Younis Khan Biography

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Mohammad Younus Khan is a Pakistani cricketer and former 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, but they don’t listen." He is only the third Pakistani player to score 300 or more runs in an innings.

On March 10, 2010, Younus, along with another player, Mohammad Yousuf were axed by the Pakistan Cricket Board from playing for Pakistan in any format for an indefinite period, following an inquiry report which suggested that both the player were involved in breaches of discipline by inciting divisions within the team. The ban was overturned three months later.

Career

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. 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 did not want to be a "dummy captain". However, on the morning of October 7, 2006 the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that Khan would lead his team in the tournament. 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. 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." Younus went on to say that he expects full support from former captain Shoaib Malik whom he called a senior player in the side.

Resignation from captaincy
Khan resigned as captain on October 13, 2009 due to an parliamentary investigation into match fixing that was alleged to have taken place during his reign. Despite being cleared in the investigation, Khan said "Yes I have submitted my resignation because I am disgusted by these match-fixing allegations made against me and the team."

Khan also dropped a catch of Grant Elliott in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy semi-final. He had a hair-line fracture in his finger prior to the match. Later PCB Chairman requested Khan to take back his resignation and Khan did it under his conditions. However after captaining the team for a three-match series against New Zealand Younis took a break for test matches in New Zealand and the series in Australia the captaincy was given to Mohammad Yousuf and since then Younis has not captained the national team.

Post-captaincy: Sacking, Troubles & Return (2010)
Younus's career after he gave up the captaincy continued for a downwards spiral as he was banned on 10 March 2010. Pakistan Cricket Board announced that Younus Khan has been banned indefinitely for "infighting which brought down the whole team during the tour of Australia in January". His ban was however overturned three months later in June 2010. Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing, Younus was not selected for the series against England. Pakistan continued to suffer frequent batting collapses against England in test Cricket this put the Pakistan Cricket Board under pressure to restore Younus to the game, also Pakistani batsman and Test Captain Salman Butt was suspended on being involved in Spot-Fixing this resulted in several former captains including Moin Khan and Zaheer Abbas wanting Younus reinstated to the test team as captain. However the Pakistan Cricket Board did not clear Younis Khan for selection on the tours of South Africa in 2010 and despite being the first-choice captain for the selectors panel Mohsin Khan announced that Misbah-ul-Haq was recalled and made captain due to the PCB refusing to clear Younis Khan for selection. Signs of an improvement between the relationship of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Younis Khan began to emerge after the board contacted Younis to pontentially be selected for the tour Against South Africa in October 2010..

On August 31, 2010 the Daily Telegraph in its news article mentioned that Younus Khan was associated with alleged match-fixer Mazhar Majeed Younus threatened to sue the Dail Telegraph over the fact that they posted false information about Younus. The Daily Telegraph admitted that they incorrectly reported that Younus Khan was affiliated with Mazhar Majeed after a full public apology by the Daily Telegraph Younus dropped the defamation charges against the newspaper giant The Pakistan Cricket Board subsequently announced that they had successfully reconciled with Younus Khan and that they intended to use him on the tour of South Africa in October 2010 as a replacement for the injured Mohammad Yousuf On his comeback ODI against South Africa Younus Khan scored 54 runs. Younus then confirmed a statement by Pakistan captain Rashid Latif that he had not apologised to the PCB for his actions. As he believed he had committed nothing wrong. He also stated that the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt did not ask Younus to apologise either. His on-field comeback went well when he scored 74 runs and anchored Pakistan's innings Pakistan eventually won the fourth ODI against South Africa by 1 wicket. His first test match in over 12 months also went well when he scored a century in the second innings of the first test against South Africa this century along with a 168 run partnership with captain Misbah-ul-Haq allowed Pakistan to salvage a draw. Younus eventually finished unbeaten on 131 During this match he along with Misbah-ul-Haq led Pakistan to another feat by the end of his innings of 131 it became Pakistan's highest score of all time while batting in the fourth innings with Pakistan at 343/3.

Twenty20 Cricket (2007 - present)
Pakistan captain Younis Khan announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket after leading his team to the ICC World Twenty20 title by beating Sri Lanka at Lord's Sri Lanka suffered an 8 wicket thrashing.

"This is my last Twenty20 game [for Pakistan], so I am retiring from T20 internationals," Younis said "I am now 31, I am old for this kind of cricket." No immediate announcement was made as to the identity of his successor as 20-over captain, it was confirmed on July 29, 2009 that Shahid Afridi would succeed him as the Twenty20 Captain.

However after Younus returned to the national setup he announced that he was willing to play Twenty20 cricket for Pakistan as a senior batsman Younus then confirmed that he was available to play in all three-formats of the game. He also announced that he was no longer in the race for the captaincy After announcing his comeback to Twenty20 cricket Younus was selected for the three match Twenty20 series against New Zealand in December 2010. Younus played in all three-matches but struggled for form

Domestic career
In 2008–09, Younus is playing for the Southern Redbacks in Australia's domestic circuit on a short-term basis. He scored a century against Queensland Bulls in the first innings of a Sheffield shield match in Brisbane, which helped the Redbacks to win their first Shield match for a year.

Indian Premier League
In 2008 Younus signed with the Indian Premier League and was drafted by the Rajasthan Royals for a bid of $225,000 USD. He however played only 1 match in the tournament against Kings XI Punjab and scored 1 run.

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 the now retired Inzamam-ul-Haq, he formed a formidable middle order batting line up for Pakistan.

Younus is a skillful infielder, with a report prepared by Cricinfo in late 2005 showing that since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the third highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket (joint with Andrew Symonds), with the highest success rate.

Personal life
He married his wife Amna on 30 March 2007, and their son Owais was born on 26 December 2007.

Younus had to deal with a number of deaths in his family during 2005 and 2006. Earlier in 2005 he had to fly back from a tour to Australia after his father had died. Later in the year during the England tour to Pakistan, Younus' eldest brother, Mohammed Sharif Khan, aged 41, died in a car accident in Ukraine, who in Youins's words taught him to play cricket. Another older brother, Farman Ali Khan was only 39, when he was killed in a car accident in Germany, in December 2006.

Younus was batting in the second ODI against West Indies in Faisalabad when the news of his brother's death reached the team management. Younus only came to know about the situation after he returned to the pavilion at the end of his innings. Younus, immediately, left for his home town Mardan and did not participate in any of the remaining matches.

Younus also mentioned his grief at the death of Bob Woolmer in March 2007 after Pakistan's exit from the World Cup. He stated that he saw Bob as a father figure after the loss of his own father and that he was able to share many personal thoughts with the cricket coach.

During a tour of the West Indies in May 2011, Younus was given permission to return home early due to the death of his elder brother Shamshad Khan in Germany.

He is known to enjoy fishing, when not playing cricket.

Younis Khan

Younis Khan

Younis Khan

Younis Khan

Younis Khan

Younis Khan

Younis Khan

Younis Khan

Younis Khan

Younis Khan 

Younis Khan

Inzamam ul Haq

Inzamam ul Haq Biography

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Full name:    Inzamam-ul-Haq
Born:    3rd March 1970, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
Batting:    Right-hand batsman
Bowling:    Slow left-arm orthodox
Teams:    Pakistan (Test: 1992-2007/08); ICC World XI (Test: 2005/06); Pakistan (ODI: 1991/92-2006/07); Asian Cricket Council XI (ODI: 2005/06); Pakistan (Int Twenty20: 2006); Multan (Main FC: 1985/86-2003/04); United Bank Limited (Main FC: 1988/89-1996/97); Faisalabad (Main FC: 1996/97-2000/01); Rawalpindi (Main FC: 1998/99); National Bank of Pakistan (Main FC: 2001/02); Water and Power Development Authority (Main FC: 2006/07); Yorkshire (Main FC: 2007); United Bank Limited (Main ListA: 1988/89-1995/96); Multan (Main ListA: 1989/90-1991/92); National Bank of Pakistan (Main ListA: 2001/02); Yorkshire (Main ListA: 2007); All teams
Lists of matches and more detailed statistics
Articles:    PCB backs Younis Khan
     ICL players get PCB nod for domestic participation
     Inzamam blames ICC, PCB for Oval result change
     Kallis joins the 10,000 run club
     List of all articles
Pictures:    Player portrait of Inzamam-ul-Haq
     Portrait of Inzamam-ul-Haq
     Inzamam-ul-Haq walks back to the pavilion
     Inzamam-ul-Haq is stumped by Boucher
Inzamam-ul-Haq (born 3 March 1970) is a Pakistani cricketer. He is considered to be one of Pakistan’s best batsmen.He is currently the captain of the Pakistani team.Test Debut: Pakistan v England at Birmingham, 1st Test, 1992. His career highlights are:

Scoring 60 in 37 balls against New Zealand in the semifinal of the 1992 World Cup to win the match that was nearly lost.
Scoring 329 against New Zealand in Lahore during a Test in the 2001-02 season (the twelfth highest score by a batsman)
Scoring 138* to deny Bangladesh victory at Multan.
Becoming the second batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day inernationals (behind Sachin Tendulkar)
Scoring 184 in his 100th Test, against India at Bangalore in 2005.

Inzamam ul-Haq is well-known for his poor running between the wickets (as of May 2005, he has been run out a record 38 times in one-day internationals) and his ability to play shots around the ground. He has been described as looking “like a passenger in the field”.

He averages just over 50 runs per innings in tests and nearly 40 runs in one-day internationals with a strike rate of 53.65 and 74.20 respectively (figures current as of May 2004). He is called the best batsmen in the world against pace by Imran Khan. Inzamam is a giant that has a very soft touch for a man of his bulk. He usually bats at number three with his sidekick Yousuf Youhana.

He plays shots all round the wicket, is especially strong off his legs, and unleashes ferocious pulls and lofted drives.

Inzamam ul Haq

Inzamam ul Haq

Inzamam ul Haq

Inzamam ul Haq

Inzamam ul Haq

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Inzamam ul Haq

Imran Khan

Imran Khan Biography

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He is from the Niazi Pashtun Shermankhel tribe of Mianwali. His family is settled in Lahore, however, he still considers his background Pathan as per his autobiography (Warrior Race: A Journey through the Land of the Tribal Pathans).

Imran attended Aitcheson College and the Cathedral School in Lahore until he finished middle school, then entered the Royal Grammar School, Worcester, before completing his formal schooling with an undergraduate degree in Economics from Keble College, Oxford.

While at University, Imran Khan was also the captain of the Oxford University cricket team in 1974. He and his mother, Shaukat Khanum, come from a cricketing family – the Burkis, with two of his cousins, Javed Burki and Majid Khan, also having played Test cricket for Pakistan.

He is the finest cricketer Pakistan has ever produced, who is among the finest all-rounders and greatest fast bowlers the game has ever seen. He played Test cricket for Pakistan between 1971 and 1992, and was captain of the national team when they won their maiden World Cup in 1992.

After retiring from cricket, Imran Khan founded the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre in Lahore.

In 1997, he started a socio-political movement known as the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice). The main focus of his party is to bring justice to the people of Pakistan, largely via an independent judiciary. The party has Islamic overtones and is inspired partly by Imran Khan’s renewed commitment to Islam.

As a politician, his vision is to turn Pakistan into a just society, based on humane values, by creating an independent and honest judiciary that will uphold democracy, protect human rights and ensure the rule of law and, by promoting a merit based system that provides equal opportunity for upward social mobility to the working classes. His political ideal is the famous poet-philosopher, Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal.

Talking to Daily Telegraph of England about his political goal, Imran Khan said: “I want Pakistan to be a welfare state and a genuine democracy with a rule of law and an independent judiciary. We need decentralisation, empowering people at the grassroots.”

He became a Member of Parliament for Mianwali in the October 2002 elections. He is very critical of the judicial system in Pakistan, which he says prevents accountability for the elite class. Initially he supported 1999 military coup of General Pervez Musharraf but late came in to the forefront against General Musharraf.

In 2005, as leader of his party Imran led a protest rally against the US-led coalition for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran and made statements denouncing the Musharraf-Bush coalition. During the visit of US President George W Bush to Pakistan in 2006, he was the only politician to attempt to hold a rally against Bush. The rally was stopped and Imran Khan was detained by the police.

Imran Khan is also a special representative of UNICEF and Chancellor of Bradford University. His honours include Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) in 1993 by the Pakistani government; Honorary Fellow of Keble College, Oxford and Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1983.

In 1995 he married Jemima Khan, the daughter of the late British billionaire Sir James Goldsmith. Jemima Khan embraced Islam before she married Khan. They announced their divorce on June 22, 2004. They have two sons named Suleman Khan (born on November 10, 1999) and Qasim Khan. He is alleged to have a daughter out of wedlock with Sita White, daughter of Lord Gordy White, a few years before he married Jemima Goldsmith. A US judge ruled him to be the father of Tyrian White after he failed to appear for a DNA test.

Although there are little achievements to credit of Imran Khan in the political arena, there is a long list of his achievements in the sport of cricket. He has the third highest best-ever bowling rating of 922 (1983) in Test cricket history behind S F Barnes’s 932 (1914) and G A Lohmann’s 931 (1896).

Imran Khan is pioneer of the art of reverse swing. He was one of the fastest bowlers ever to grace the game. Michael Holding, the great West Indian fast bowler and commentator, when asked in an interview with Cricinfo who the best bowlers he came up against were, said: “In my time, it was Dennis Lillee and Imran Khan. They had pace and they could do things with the ball. You had others who got a lot of wickets, but you wouldn’t say that they were fast. Imran … could intimidate people out with his pace and also get them with movement, especially into the right-hander.”

In the cricket world, Imran Khan is renowned for his leadership skills as a captain. Under his captaincy, Pakistan won the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Under his captaincy Pakistan drew three series with West Indies at a time when everybody else was being whitewashed by West Indies. He always led from the front and five of six Test hundreds and 14 of his 18 fifties came in 48 Tests as captain. His average during that time was 52.34, higher than the averages of Ian Chappell, Clive Lloyd, Steve Waugh, Gavaskar and Javed Miandad. Imran averaged 20.26 with the ball and four of his six 10-wicket hauls came as captain.

As a captain, he transformed the Pakistan team, previously known for its exceptional talent but lack of coherence into a well-moulded unit. He played his last Test match for Pakistan in January 1992 against Sri Lanka at Faisalabad and last ODI being the World Cup final against England at Melbourne in March 1992 resulting in the World Cup glory and triumph for Pakistan.

In 2000, Wisden organised a panel to vote for Wisden Cricketers of the Century who were judged to be the most prominent players of the 20th century, as selected by a 100-member panel of cricket experts appointed by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanac in 2000. In order of votes, the Wisden Cricketers of the Century, Imran Khan was number 10 on the list.

Along with Garfield Sobers, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee, he achieved the ‘All-rounder’s triple’ (3000 runs and 300 wickets) in 75 Tests, the second fewest behind Botham’s 72, though statistically and qualitatively Imran Khan is superior to Botham in every aspect of the game except perhaps slip catching. He was one of the fastest bowlers of the world during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in the later half of his career, one of the best batsmen in the Pakistan cricket team. He has the second highest average of all time for a Test batsman batting at number 6.

In April 2007, Imran Khan was voted as the greatest all-rounder in a readers’ poll by Cricinfo. He received 37 per cent of the votes, beating Sir Garfield Sobers who was second with 14 per cent out of the 20 all-rounders Cricinfo had selected. Incidentally Cricinfo panel chose Sobers as the greatest all-rounder independent of the poll. According to the panel, Imran Khan was Sobers’ closest rival amongst the quartet of great all-rounders (Imran, Botham, Hadlee, Kapil).

After retiring from cricket, Imran Khan founded the state-of-the-art Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore on December 29, 1994. One of the leading institutions for free cancer treatment in the world, it is an international standard institution and is free for poor people. The World Health Organisation awarded the United Arab Emirates Foundation Prize for 2004 to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. He is building another cancer hospital in Karachi.

Imran Khan is also the Chairman of the Mianwali Development Trust, which is building the Namal College in Mianwali as an associate college of Bradford University. The first phase of the college buildings has been completed.

Imran Khan, perhaps first Pakistani, is the Chancellor of the University of Bradford since December 7, 2005. He said the fifth Chancellor of the university and is also a patron of the Born in Bradford research project.

After imposition of the state of emergency by General Musharraf on November 3, 2007, Imran Khan was put under house arrest but his succeeded in slipping away. However, he was arrested from the University of Punjab campus in Lahore a few days later with help of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talba, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. On November 19, 2007, he let out the word through his party members and family that he had begun a hunger strike. He was one of the 3,000 political prisoners released from imprisonment on November 21, 2007.

In 1976 and 1980, Imran Khan was awarded the Cricket Society Wetherall Award. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2004 Asian Jewel Awards in London, UK. 

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Sohail Tanvir

Sohail Tanvir Biography

source link(google.com.pk)
Who were your favourite players when you were growing up?
Sohail Tanvir: Being a left hander myself I was a big fan of Wasim Akram, I loved the way he bowls and I really enjoyed watching him play.


What's your selection story?
Sohail Tanvir: I was taking part in a camp at the academy when Wasim Akram spotted me and recommended me strongly to the PCB. Then when Shoaib Akhtar was sent home before the T20 World Cup, I was sent to South Africa as a replacement for him.


What did it feel like to have your childhood hero recommend you for selection?
Sohail Tanvir: It's an amazing feeling when your own favourite whom you admire so much sees enough potential in you to recommend you for international selection. I'll never forget it.


You made your name through T20 cricket but which do you prefer? Is it T20, ODI or Test cricket?
Sohail Tanvir: To be completely honest with you I think that Test cricket is the pinnacle; it just doesn’t get any better than that. But since my international debut Pakistan haven't played much Test cricket, we've played 5 Tests and out of those I only played in 2 against India. You're right when you say that I've become known due to my performances in T20 cricket but I can only play the games that are available to me. I think I got more exposure by winning bowler of the tournament in the IPL than I did during the T20 World Cup.


Do you think the T20 craze is a danger to Test or ODI cricket?
Sohail Tanvir: The real format of cricket is Tests. I don’t think there is any danger to Test cricket, those that truly understand and love the game of cricket will always prefer the 5 day game because it fully tests both teams. Casual fans may prefer T20 cricket because all they want to see is boundaries but the real fans value Test cricket.


To the naked eye your action looks very awkward and it appears that you're putting too much pressure on your shoulder. Have u been advised by any of your coaches that you should change to a more orthodox action to avoid injury?
Sohail Tanvir: This is my action; it's too late to change it now. The only problems my action has caused so far have been for the batsmen who are having trouble reading it, I haven’t had any problems myself. I keep getting told it's bad for my shoulder but I'm not the first or the last bowler to bowl from the shoulder. Even Wasim Akram used to bowl from the shoulder so I'm not unique in that respect.


From your own perspective, does your action hurt?
Sohail Tanvir: No it doesn't. I've been playing with this action since childhood and (thank God) I haven't had any fitness problems related to it so far and Insha Allah (God willing) I wont have any problems with it in the future either.


Most cricket commentators and experts say that your initial success is down to your unusual action, they say once batsmen get over the novelty of your action u don’t have the speed to continue being successful, especially in Test cricket. How do you intend to prove them wrong?
Sohail Tanvir: You can't stop people from talking, it's their right to speculate but perhaps they should check out my first class record. If they do they'll see that I've performed with both the bat and the ball in the 4 day game. Speed isn't important for a seam bowler. Do McGrath, Vaas or Pollock bowl at over 90mph? No they don’t, they bowl at around my speed. My main weapon is swing and not speed; I'll keep taking wickets for as long as I can keep swinging the ball.


I've seen you clock 140kph so you're clearly capable of bowling faster if you want, is it a conscious decision on your part to bowl within yourself?
Sohail Tanvir: I have clocked over 140kph but my focus is always to bowl to my strengths, I don't chase speed because if I do then I'll lose control over my swing and my line and length. What good would I be if I was bowling at 140kph but without any swing or control over my bowling? I like to vary my speed to keep the batsmen guessing which is why you'll sometimes see me clocking as high as 145kph but I'm a swing bowler and so I concentrate on that. I'm determined to let my bowling do the talking for me. Any player can sit here and talk about how successful he will be but I'd rather go out there and perform. I want people to see how good I can be rather than spend my time telling them about how good I will be.


You have one of the best slower balls in the business. Did you develop it yourself or did someone teach you how to do it?
Sohail Tanvir: It's something that I developed myself; I developed it during my tape ball cricket days. I've played lots and lots of tape ball cricket which is why I have good control over my yorkers and my slower ball. Both those deliveries are used a lot in that type of cricket.


My cousin remembers watching you bowl in a tape ball tournament in Rosalinda. He said no-one could hit you for six. There was only one guy (known to everyone as 'Bonga Bonga' because he hit huge sixes) and even he only hit you twice...
Sohail Tanvir: (interrupts)...it's not true that I couldn't be hit for six but I would agree that it was very hard to hit me for six. I was one of the top bowlers in tape ball cricket and I owe a lot of my success to it. The reason I don’t panic easily is down to my experiences in tape ball cricket, I credit my confidence in my own abilities to tape ball cricket, it's the reason why I've never been overawed by any batsman.


What are your memories and impressions of tape ball cricket?
Sohail Tanvir: I grew up playing it; all my early cricketing memories are connected to it. It made me the bowler I am today. The first time I regularly began to play with the hard ball was when I joined my first class team, before that I spent all my time playing tape ball cricket.


Where did the nickname Tukri come from?
Sohail Tanvir: It came from my tape ball days; everyone has a nickname in tape ball. It's a common thing, the only reason my nickname is being mentioned is because I'm in the national team now. Ask your cousin, he'll tell you about how common nicknames are.


Why tukri?
Sohail Tanvir: I don’t know why they called me Tukri, there's no specific incident or story that I can point to and say that’s why I became known as Tukri. It was just a name that stuck.


When you took 6 for 11 in one of the IPL games, in your last over a misfield led to a 4 being conceded, u seemed really angry about that...
Sohail Tanvir: (interrupts)...yes I still remember it to this day. That 4 really spoiled my analysis, it could have been 6 wickets for 7 runs.


That's a great attitude and something that's lacking in most of our current bowlers. They just accept misfields and leaked boundaries as inevitable.
Sohail Tanvir: What makes me angry is lazy fielding. I mean if I'm out there bowling my heart out and trying to force the batsman into a false stroke by drying up the runs, then why can't the fielder put as much effort into his job? When I'm bowling I count the runs I'm conceding after each delivery and in each over, I enjoy studying my analysis and I hate being hit around. Anytime that I end up conceding a lot of runs I'm furious with myself and I work even harder to make sure that it won't happen again. Bowlers need to be aggressive, I'm not talking about swearing at the batsman but you need to be harsh with yourself. If a batsman hits you for six then you should admonish yourself because it wasn't the batsman who hit you for six, it was you who allowed the batsman to hit you for six.


Judging by your man of the match interviews you seem quite fluent in English but you preferred to conduct this interview in Urdu, how good is your English?
Sohail Tanvir: I'm not fluent in English, I can understand others and make myself understood but that's about it. The way to really learn a language is by talking in it all the time, the more you converse in a language the more fluent you become. You live in the UK and over there even uneducated people talk in English because that's the language everyone talks in over there. Yet here in Pakistan, where English isn't our national language, our players get maligned for not being able to speak in fluent English...


(interrupts) ...I'm in complete agreement with you. I've always said that cricket should have interpreters in the same way that football does. In football it's ok to speak in your native tongue (usually European) but in cricket it's a sin if your native tongue isn't English. This attitude is all wrong.
Sohail Tanvir: When an international team comes to play in Pakistan why do we conduct everything in English? This is Pakistan! The crowds, the players and the local TV audience all speak in Urdu. The board needs to look into this, we're just promoting a poor image of ourselves by forcing our players to struggle through interviews in a language that they can't speak properly.


How did it feel when you hit those huge sixes in the final of the T20 World Cup?
Sohail Tanvir: T20 is such a fast moving game that I didn't have any time to savour them; my mind was on the runs needed and balls remaining equation. I was fully focused on winning the match. First Misbah hit 3 sixes and then I hit 2 sixes myself which brought the required run rate down to a manageable level but unfortunately I got out and Misbah played that shot. The only thing in my mind after the match was that we didn't win, it wasn't till later on that I was reminded that I'd hit a six on the first ball of my international career and that it was also a world record!


Do you think that those two sixes created extra pressure on you with people expecting you to bat well too?
Sohail Tanvir: No I wouldn't say it's led to any extra pressure on me because I can bat, I just haven't had any proper chances to show my batting ability yet. If you check out my first class record you'll see that I have scored 4 centuries and 6 fifties, in the 6 or so games before my international debut I scored something like 600 runs and took 26 wickets. I normally come in to bat with only an over or two left to play and that's not enough for an all-rounder to adjust to international cricket or for me to show my ability with the bat is it? When I got a chance to bat, I scored that 50 against Hong Kong.


You seem confident in your batting ability. Whose idea was it to send you up the order in the IPL?
Sohail Tanvir: Shane Warne saw me batting in the nets and told me that I had good batting ability; in fact it was his idea to send me up the order. I disappointed myself because I didn't score the runs I should have but I was glad for the opportunity. In the final he sent me up the order again despite what had happened the previous times and it was great to have him trust my ability like that. I'm confident that if I'm given a good run batting up the order I can prove that I am a good all-rounder.


You've praised Warne's captaincy several times, what was it about his captaincy that impressed you so much?
Sohail Tanvir: Warne took a small, unfancied team and beat all the big money sides to walk away with the trophy, that doesn't happen by accident. I believe that a good captain is someone who knows how to get the best out of his players, Warne did that with us. Of course it helps to have players with ability but that ability is useless without a captain who cant get the best out of his young an inexperienced players. Warne deserves full credit for that IPL victory, he has a great cricketing brain.


What percentage of a players performance is down to him and how much is down to the way his captain uses him?
Sohail Tanvir: I'd say 50% for both. I'm a swing bowler, my job is to swing the new ball and if I fail to do that then I'm the one to blame. However if my captain doesn't give me the new ball and brings me on when the ball has lost it's shine and it's swing then who should we blame if I can't swing the ball? Hasn't the captain negated the entire reason for me being in the team by not giving me the new ball? Why play a swing bowler if you aren't going to let him exploit the swing in the new ball? A good captain should know which player is best for which position and what is the best time to use each player, it's a captain’s duty to find these things out.


Why are you so good with the old ball despite your lack of speed?
Sohail Tanvir: You're right I don't bowl at 90mph, I bowl around 83-84mph. Bowling at the death isn't about speed because an edge or a misfield off a 90mph ball will easily fly to the boundary when the batsman is swinging hard at every delivery. Bowling at the death is all about control and variation, batsmen are looking to play premeditated slogs so if you can keep them guessing then you'll be successful. You need to be able to bowl slower balls and yorkers at will, that's where my tape ball experience has helped me out.


Have u ever played cricket abroad and if you have, how did it go?
Sohail Tanvir: I played club cricket in Manchester, I had a good season. I played about a dozen games, taking around 80 wickets and scoring over 600 runs.


What's the truth behind the media reports about your discipline record?
Sohail Tanvir: If there was any truth to these rumours then surely I would've received some sort of notice from the board or the captain, there are procedures for them to follow in this sort of situation. If you read the media stories carefully, you'll see that no names are mentioned nor is there any official statement from the PCB Chairman or the Pakistan Captain. I haven’t replied to these allegations because I don't want to give any credibility to the sort of people who make these things up, the story died when no-one took the bait. When I first read these stories about discipline in the newspapers I became concerned and I approached the PCB Chairman, the captain and the coach to ask them if there was any truth to these rumours. They assured me that they weren't true and after getting their assurance I was satisfied, I didn’t see the need to waste any more of my time with it.


Thanks for clearing that up. Geoff Lawson is an ex fast bowler himself, how has he helped your international game so far?
Sohail Tanvir: He spends a lot of time with the fast bowlers, he's experienced and on a personal level, we're currently working on my inswing.


Who are the 3 most difficult batsmen you've faced so far in your career?
Sohail Tanvir: I haven't played a lot of international cricket yet so it's a bit early for me to answer this question. The only team I've played a lot of games against is India and I'd have to say Tendulkar is the most difficult batsman to bowl to in their team. He has a lot of strokes at his disposal which means that you have less margin for error against him, if your radar is even slightly off he will go after you. But to be honest with you I don't worry about who the batsman at the other end is, I just get on with it and bowl. If you spend too much time thinking about who the batsman is and what he's done in his career then you'll never be able to bowl at international level. Whenever I have the ball in my hand, I tell myself that I'm the best and that I can take anybody's wicket.


That's a great attitude to have! Is your family from the village of Changa Bangial near Gujjarkhan?
Sohail Tanvir: I come from a village called Bagga Sanargrol which is close to Rawat but I grew up in Rawalpindi.


Ok thank you very much for the interview and best of luck for the future
Sohail Tanvir: You're welcome, take care and Allah Hafiz.

Read more: http://www.forumpakistan.com/sohail-tanvir-profile-interview-and-pictures-t56176.html#ixzz2uAWCkPys

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