Mohammad YounIs Khan Biography

Full Name : Mohammad Younus Khan 

Date of Birth : 29th November 1977

Place of Birth : Mardan, NWFP (now Khyber-
Pakhtunkhwa), Pakistan               

Height : 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 

Batting Style  : Right-Handed 

Bowling Style  : Right-Arm Medium, Legbreak 

Role :Batsman 

Test Debut (Cap159) : 26th February 2000 v Sri Lanka 

ODI Debut (Cap 131)  : 17th December 2000 v Sri Lanka
ODI Shirt No. :  75

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."  Younis Khan is only the third Pakistani player to score 300 or more runs in an innings.

On 10 March 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.  Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan 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. Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan turned down the offer, stating he did not want to be a "dummy captain". However, on the morning of 7 October 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.  Younis Khan 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 27 January 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 13 October 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.  Younis Khan 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 and return (2010)Younus's career after he gave up the captaincy continued on a downwards spiral as he was banned on 10 March 2010. Pakistan Cricket Board announced that Younus Khan had been banned indefinitely for "infighting which brought down the whole team during the tour of Australia in January".  Younis Khan 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 in the relationship of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Younis Khan began to emerge after the board contacted Younis to potentially be selected for the tour Against South Africa in October 2010

On 31 August 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 Daily 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 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.  Younis Khan also stated that the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt did not ask Younus to apologise either. Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan 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.

New Zealand Test Series: 2011

Younis Khan walks back to the pavilion during a practice match against Auckland.Younus played in the two-match test series against New Zealand and Younus scored 23 in the first innings and was not required to bat in the second innings as Pakistan sealed a 10-wicket victory. During the first innings of the second test match Younus was given caught incorrectly at short-leg when on 73. In the post-match interview Younus took the view the umpires are humans they make mistakes but they should reduce the errors they make, also he called for the UDRS (Umpire Decision Review System) to be used in all test matches so that if an error is made it can be referred.

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 29 July 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.  Younis Khan 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 Australian first-class cricketIn 2008–09, Younus is playing for the Southern Redbacks in Australia's domestic circuit on a short-term basis.  Younis Khan 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.

County Cricket 

Younus batting for Surrey in the FPt20 in England.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 Pakistani player Inzamam-ul-Haq.

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.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.

Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan repeated the feat of an unbeaten double century at Scarborough in a rain-affected drawn match with Kent.  Younis Khan played a superb innings to finish on 217* off just 252 balls with 18 fours and 6 sixes.  Younis Khan 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.

Younis Khan signed for Surrey for the 2010 season.

Indian Premier LeagueIn 2008 Younus signed with the Indian Premier League and was drafted by the Rajasthan Royals for a bid of $225,000 USD.  Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan 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.  Younis Khan  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.

Statistics 

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Younus's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).

Test Centuries

Test Centuries of Younus Khan 

#      Runs   Match    Against                           City/Country Venue Year 

[1]     107      1           Sri Lanka                         Rawalpindi,Pakistan Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium 2000 

[2]     116      8           Sri Lanka                         Galle, Sri Lanka Galle International Stadium 2000 

[3]     149*    10         New Zealand                   Auckland, New Zealand Eden Park 2001 

[4]     119      16        Bangladesh                       Chittagong, Bangladesh Chittagong Stadium 2002 

[5]     153      18       West Indies                        Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Sharjah Stadium 2002 

[6]     124      29       Sri Lanka                           Karachi, Pakistan National Stadium 2004 

[7]     147      34       India                                   Kolkata, India Eden Gardens 2005 

[8]     267      35       India                                   Bengaluru, India Chinnaswamy Stadium 2005 

[9]     106      37       West Indies                        Kingston, Jamaica Sabina Park 2005 

[10]   199      40       India                                   Lahore, Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium 2006 

[11]   194      41       India                                   Faisalabad, Pakistan Iqbal Stadium 2006 

[12]   173     46        England                              Leeds, England Headingley Stadium 2006 

[13]   126     54       South Africa                        Karachi, Pakistan National Stadium 2007 

[14]   130     55       South Africa                        Lahore, Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium 2007 

[15]   107*   57       India                                    Kolkata, India Eden Gardens 2007 

[16]   313     59      Sri Lanka                              Karachi, Pakistan National Stadium 2009 

[17]   131*   63      South Africa                         Dubai, UAE DSC Cricket Stadium 2010 

[18]   122     71      Sri Lanka                             Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Stadium 2011 

[19]   200*   72      Bangladesh                          Chittagong, Bangladesh Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 2011 

One-Day International Centuries

ODI Centuries of Younus Khan 

#          Runs        Match       Against              City/Country Venue Year 

[1]       144           103            Hong Kong         Colombo, Sri Lanka Sinhalese Sports Club Ground 2004 

[2]       101           137            England               Southampton, England Rose Bowl Stadium 2006 

[3]       117           158            India                    Mohali, India Punjab C.A. Stadium 2007 

[4]       108           170            India                    Dhaka, Bangladesh Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium 2008 

[5]       123*         174            India                    Karachi, Pakistan National Stadium 2008 

[6]       101           178            West Indies          Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed Stadium 2008 

Career Best Performances As of 11 December 2011:

Batting Bowling 

Tests : 313  Pakistan v  Sri Lanka Karachi 2009 2-23  Pakistan v  Sri Lanka Galle 2009 

ODI   : 144  Pakistan v  Hong Kong Colombo (SSC) 2004 1-3  Pakistan v  Hong Kong Karachi 2008 

T20I 51  Pakistan v  Sri Lanka Johannesburg 2007 3-18  Pakistan v  Kenya Nairobi 2007 

FC 313  Pakistan v  Sri Lanka Karachi 2009 4-52 Yorkshire v Hampshire The Rose Bowl 2007 

LA 144  Pakistan v  Hong Kong Colombo (SSC) 2004 3-5 Nottinghamshire v Gloucestershire Cheltenham 2005 

T20 70 Peshawar Panthers v Islamabad Leopards Lahore 2009 3-18  Pakistan v  Kenya Nairobi 2007 

Personal lifeHe 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.

Pride of Performance Award Recipient 

Younis Khan was recipient of the Pride of Performance Award 2010

Presented by Islamic Republic of Pakistan 

Date 2010 Country Islamic Republic of Pakistan 

Shoaib Akhtar Biography

Full Name : Shoaib Akhtar 

Date Of Birth : 13th August 1975

Place of Birth : Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan 

Nick Name : Rawalpindi Express 

Height  : 5 ft 11.75 in (1.82 m) 

Batting Style : Right Hand Bat 

Bowling Style : Right Arm Fast 

Role  : Bowler 

Test Debut (cap 150) : 29th November 1997 v West Indies 

ODI Debut  (cap 123) : 28th March 1998 v Zimbabwe
ODI Shirt No. :  14

Shoaib Akhtar was one of the fastest bowlers in the history of international cricket and played for the Pakistan National Cricket Team.  Shoaib Akhtar  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.  Shoaib Akhtar  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.  Shoaib Akhtar  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.  Shoaib Akhtar  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.  Shoaib Akhtar  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.  Shoaib Akhtar  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.  Shoaib Akhtar  performance was also acknowledged by the English captain Michael Vaughan, who remarked "I thought he (Shoaib) was a big difference between the two teams".  Shoaib Akhtar  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. Shoaib Akhtar  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.  Shoaib Akhtar  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.  Shoaib Akhtar  bowled an impressive spell and returned with figures of 2 wickets for 23 runs. Shoaib Akhtar  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. In September, Akhtar released his autobiography, Controversially Yours.

Domestic Career

England County Cricket 

Shoaib Akhtar signing an autograph for his fans.Akhtar has played for three English county cricket clubs, including Somerset in 2001, Durham in 2003 and 2004 and Worcestershire in 2005.  Shoaib Akhtar  did achieve his moments of success, such as taking 5 wickets for 35 runs for Durham against Somerset in the National League in 2003 and claiming 6 wickets for 16 runs in the same competition for Worcestershire against Glamorgan two years later, but he suffered from fitness problems, as well as a perception that he was less than interested in his task. This was particularly the case at Worcestershire: chairman John Elliott said "Players like that are no good to our club. In fact, Akhtar has been no good for any club he's been at.  Shoaib Akhtar's a superstar and just does what he wants."

Indian Premier League

Akhtar made a successful return to cricket in his first game in the Indian Premier League, playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Delhi Daredevils. Defending a low score of 133 runs, Akhtar took four top order wickets which ultimately led to the Daredevils being restricted to 110 runs.  Shoaib Akhtar  ended with figures of 4 wickets for 11 runs from three overs, a performance which earned him the player of the match award. Akhtar denied that he had any point to prove with his performance, stating, "I just wanted to win the game." Knight Riders' captain Sourav Ganguly also acknowledged Akhtar's performance, " Shoaib Akhtar  came to the country with lots [of things] happening behind him...But he showed a lot of character." It has been widely reported that the Knight Riders have released Akhtar from his contract due to his injury history but the Knight Riders' officials have denied these reports and said they are still in talks with the fast bowler.

Shoaib Akhtar has also played for Cyclones of Chittagong in Bangladesh's NCL T20 Bangladesh.

Cricket Controversies and Injuries

Akhtar's career has been plagued with injuries, controversies and accusations of poor attitude. After rising into international stardom at a young age due to his speed, due to his interesting personality and charisma glamour seemed to follow him, some say at the detriment of his sporting focus. Although he eventually crossed the 100 mph barrier, his attitude took its toll on his reputation as well as his fitness. After a poor performance in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, he got involved in a verbal conflict with former Pakistan captain and fast bowler Waqar Younis. Later on Akhtar was sacked along with other players, including Younis. In a triangular series in 2003 held in Sri Lanka, he was caught tampering with the cricket ball, making him the second player in cricket to be banned on ball tampering charges. The same year he was banned for one Test match and two One Day International matches for abusing South African spin bowler Paul Adams, during a match against South Africa.

In the 2004 home series with India, he struggled with wrist and back injuries, which raised questions about their commitment to the team.  Shoaib Akhtar   relationship with the captain and the coach deteriorated further partially due to team politics.

Shoaib Akhtar was sent back from the 2005 Australia tour with a hamstring injury amid rumors of indiscipline, lack of commitment and attitudinal complaints.  Shoaib Akhtar   was subsequently fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board for avoiding a late night curfew.The rest of his cricketing career was riddled with ankle and knee injuries which forced him to undergo a surgery in February 2006, until finally he was banned for two years for allegedly using performance enhancing drugs.

In November 2006, an officer assigned to the Pakistan team in India, Anil Kaul, alleged that Akhtar had slapped former coach Bob Woolmer following a fight over the music to be played in the team bus on the eve of ICC Champions Trophy. Both Akhtar and Woolmer have strongly denied these allegations.

Drug Scandal

On 16 October 2006 Akhtar was suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board, along with Mohammed Asif after the pair were tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance nandrolone. They were consequently pulled out from the ICC Champions Trophy 2006. Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman later stated that he had always suspected Akhtar of substance abuse due to his consistent "reservations" to drug tests. Former Pakistan captain Inzamam ul-Haq had also previously complained about Akhtar's drug abuse but was not reported to the Pakistan Cricket Board. Pakistan news reports state that federal capital police had arrested Shoaib along with drugs some three years ago.

Akhtar immediately declared his innocence and he declined knowingly taking any performance enhancing drugs. In a statement issued to the press, he claimed that he could never cheat team-mates or opponents. During a hearing with the Pakistan Cricket Board Anti-Doping Committee, he along with Asif maintained taking non-steroidal dietary supplements.  Shoaib Akhtar  , however, failed to convince the committee of his innocence. In its report submitted to the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Anti-Doping Committee recommended a two year ban.

On 1 November 2006 the Pakistan Cricket Board handed down a two-year suspension to Akhtar and a one-year suspension to Asif, banning them from professional cricket during the period. Shoaib had subsequently been added to Pakistan Olympic Association list of doping offenders. However, on 5 December 2006 represented by his lawyer Abid Hassan Minto, Akhtar was cleared on appeal.

Acquittal

On 5 December 2006 Akhtar and Asif were acquitted by the tribunal appointed to review their appeals against the drugs ban imposed on them by an earlier committee. After a clear hearing from Akhtar's lawyer Abid Hassan Minto, the three-man committee, headed by Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim, voted two to one in favour of the acquittal. Haseeb Ahsan, former Test cricketer and Ebrahim were in favour of the acquittal while the third member, Danish Zaheer, dissented. “Exceptional circumstances” were cited including discrepancies between the instantaneous offence charges of doping that were laid and the quick delivery of a very harsh verdict. The complete drug testing procedure was concluded to have been technically flawed as it did not follow standard procedures. Other established facts by the committee included that the duo were not aware of the banned drug to be present in their supplements because the Pakistan Cricket Board itself had not informed them of the dangers of contaminated supplements.

Both Akhtar and Asif were thankful to the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf for giving them a fair trial and their team mates, captain and coach for the moral support. However, in 2006, they did not play in the Test match series against the West Indies because the Pakistan Cricket Board has recommended that they play domestic games first to recover form and fitness.

However, WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency was to challenge Pakistan's decision to lift bans on fast bowlers Akhtar and Asif by taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.The ICC, cricket's world governing body, has supported the WADA appeal adding that it was committed to a dope free game.

On 1 March 2007 Akhtar and Asif were ruled out of the Pakistani squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup by team officials, minutes before the squad was to depart for the West Indies. The team management along with the Pakistan Cricket Board said their injuries were too severe to risk taking them to the Caribbean. Since neither of the two had been declared fit they had not undergone official doping tests.

On 2 July 2007 the Court of Arbitration for Sport dropped the case, ruling it had no jurisdiction to challenge the decision made by PCB.

On 21 May 2009, Akhtar was dropped from his country's World Championship Twenty20 squad because of genital viral warts, previously reported as a skin infection.

Other controversiesIn August 2007, Akhtar was reported to have used foul language against Pakistan Cricket Board protesting the imposing of fine of Rs. 300,000 for indiscipline during the national camp in Karachi.In the week before the inaugural World Twenty20, held in South Africa, Akhtar was rumoured to have hit Pakistani team mate Mohammad Asif with a bat, leaving a bruise on his left thigh. According to sources, the two were involved in a dressing room spat which resulted in Asif being struck by a bat on his left thigh. Sources said the fight between the two started after Asif and Shahid Afridi disagreed with Shoaib that he shared the same stature as Imran Khan in Pakistan cricket and even ridiculed him for making such a comparison. The injury was not thought to be anything more serious than a bruise but a team investigation into the matter was pending. After the initial inquiry, it would found that Akhtar was at fault and he was subsequently recalled from the Twenty20 World Cup squad and was sent home.  Shoaib Akhtar  was also banned for 5 matches by the Pakistan Cricket Board and a lifetime ban may also seem imminent. Akhtar later claimed that Afridi was responsible for the fight, saying " Shoaib Akhtar  made some ill remarks about my family. And I could not tolerate them." Afridi however, denied these allegations adding that Asif would have suffered more injuries but for his intervention. Even Asif chipped in saying that Akhtar was lying and that "Shahid Afridi had nothing to do with the fight." saying that "he has not apologised to me."Akhtar later patched up with his team mates including Afridi and Asif

On 1 April 2008 Akhtar was banned for five years for violating the players' code of conduct. The ban extended to all cricket for and in Pakistan. Despite the ban not preventing him from playing in the Indian Premier League, the IPL governing council decided not to allow Akhtar to play in the tournament until the end of the ban or unless it is lifted. IS Bindra, a member of the council, was quoted as saying, "Even though they [the PCB] have cleared him to play for IPL, we felt that international discipline needs to be respected."Meanwhile, Akhtar vowed to go to great lengths to fight the ban, "I will appeal, as is my right. If that fails I will go to court, if that fails then I will go to the Supreme Court."On 3 April, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf served a legal notice on Akhtar, calling on him to retract statements he made to a news channel, alleging the ban was punishment in return for refusing to give the chairman a share of his earnings from the Indian Premier League, Ashraf also sought damages of Rs100 million (approximately US$1.6 million) for "defaming him personally" and an additional Rs100 million to the Pakistan Cricket Board for "sullying the name of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan Cricket team."A three-man appellate tribunal announced on 30 April that they had temporarily upheld Akhtar's five-year ban, deciding to revist the appeal hearing in June. Despite Akhtar's later retracting his claims and also issuing an unconditional apology for "any grief or embarrassment that may have been caused to the nation, particularly to the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf", Ashraf's legal counsel filed a Rs22 crore (approx US$3.37 million) defamation suit against Akhtar in a civil court in Lahore on 2 May. On 4 May, the Pakistan Cricket Board's appellate tribunal suspended the five-year ban for one month, until they reconvene on 4 June, allowing Akhtar to take part in the ongoing Indian Premier League. A day later, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that they will no longer pursue the defamation suit following a reconciliation between Akhtar and chairman Nasim Ashraf at the house of Rehman Malik, a key political official, in Islamabad. "My honour has been vindicated and now the defamation lawsuit will not be pursued," Ashraf was quoted as saying.

On 4 September 2008, Akhtar was sent home by British immigration officials after landing at Heathrow airport without a valid working visa, authorities said he could not play without a working visa, though Akhtar had a valid visa to visit England but not a working visa, which is a prerequisite to play in county cricket.  Shoaib Akhtar  subsequently obtained the necessary visa and returned to play with English county club Surrey.

Akhtar also threatened to sue the Pakistan Cricket Board after it was revealed that he had contracted a sexually transmitted disease (genital warts) and thus dropped from the 2009 world Twenty20 championship.

International Bowling Records

Test cricket: Five-wickets in an innings 

Test cricket: Five-wickets in an innings 

1 5/43 3 South Africa Durban, S.A. Kingsmead 1998 

2 5/75 13 Sri Lanka Peshawar, Pakistan Arbab Niaz Stadium 1999 

3 5/24 16 West Indies Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium 2002 

4 6/11 19 Australia Colombo, Sri Lanka PSS 2002 

5 6/50 25 Bangladesh Peshawar, Pakistan Arbab Niaz Stadium 2003 

6 5/48 27 New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Basin Reserve 2003 

7 6/30 27 New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Basin Reserve 2003 

8 5/60 30 Sri Lanka Faisalabad, Pakistan Iqbal Stadium 2004 

9 5/99 31 Australia Perth, Australia WACA Ground 2004 

10 5/109 32 Australia Melbourne, Australia MCG 2004 

11 5/71 36 England Lahore, Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium 2005
Test cricket: Ten-wickets in a match Test cricket: Ten-wickets in a match 1 10/80 25 Bangladesh Peshawar, Pakistan Arbab Niaz Stadium 2003 

2 11/78 27 New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Basin Reserve 2003
One Day International: 

Five-wickets in an innings One Day International: 

Five-wickets in an innings 

1 5/19 42 New Zealand Karachi, Pakistan National Stadium 2001 

2 6/16 60 New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Basin Reserve 2002 

3 5/25 64 Australia Brisbane, Australia GABBA Ground 2002 

4 5/54 127 England Lahore, Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium 2005 

Career Best Performances as of 8 November 2010

Batting Bowling 

Score Fixture Venue Season Score Fixture Venue Season 

Tests 47 Pakistan v India Faisalabad 2006 6-11 Pakistan v New Zealand Lahore 2002 

ODI 43 Pakistan v England Cape Town 2003 6-16 Pakistan v New Zealand Karachi 2002 

T20I 4 Pakistan v England Cardiff 2010 2-11 Pakistan v Canada Ontario 2008 

FC 59* KRL v PIA Lahore (CCA) 2001 6-11 Pakistan v New Zealand Lahore 2002 

LA 56 KRL v Habib Bank Lahore 2003 6-16 Pakistan v New Zealand Karachi 2002 

T20 14 Islamabad Leopards v Peshawar Panthers Karachi 2006 5-23 Rawalpindi Rams v Quetta Bears Lahore (CCA) 2005 

Shahid Afridi Biography

Full Name : Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi 

Date of Birth: : 1st March 1980

Place of Birth : Khyber Agency, FATA, Pakistan 

Nick Name : Boom Boom Afridi 

Batting Style  : Right-Handed 

Bowling Style : Right Arm Leg Spin 

Role  : All-Rounder
ODI Shirt No. : 10

Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan), popularly known as Shahid Afridi  is a Pakistani cricketer. Between 1996 and 2011, Afridi played 27 Tests, 325 One Day Internationals, and 43 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for the Pakistani national team. Shahid Afridi  made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia.

Shahid Afridi  is known for his aggressive batting style, and holds the record for the fastest ODI century which he made in his first international innings, as well as scoring 32 runs in a single over, the second highest scoring over ever in an ODI.  Shahid Afridi   also holds the distinction of having hit the most number of sixes in the history of ODI cricket. Afridi considers himself a better bowler than batsman, and has taken 48 Test wickets and over 300 in ODIs. Currently Afridi is the leading wicket taker in the Twenty20 format taking 53 wickets from 43 matches.

In June 2009, Afridi took over the Twenty20 captaincy from Younus Khan, and was later appointed ODI captain for the 2010 Asia Cup. In his first match as ODI captain against Sri Lanka he scored a century however Pakistan still lost by 16 runs.  Shahid Afridi   then also took over the Test captaincy but resigned after one match in charge citing lack of form and ability to play Test cricket; at the same time he announced his retirement from Tests.  Shahid Afridi    retained the captaincy in limited-overs form of the game and led the team in the 2011 World Cup. In May 2011, having led Pakistan in 34 ODIs Afridi was replaced as captain. Later that month he announced his conditional retirement from international cricket in protest against his treatment by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB); in October he reversed his decision.

International Career

In October 1996 at the age of sixteen Afridi was drafted into the ODI team during the four-nation Sameer Cup 1996–97 as a leg spinner as a replacement for the injured Mushtaq Ahmed. Shahid Afridi   made his debut on 2 October against Kenya, however he didn't bat and went wicketless.In the next match against Sri Lanka, Afridi batted at number three in the role of a pinch-hitter. In his first international innings, Afridi broke the record for fastest century in ODI cricket, reaching his hundred from 37 balls. The eleven sixes he struck also equalled the record for most in an ODI innings.[nb 1] Aged 16 years and 217 days, Afridi became the youngest player to score an ODI century.Pakistan posted a total of 371, at the time the second-highest in ODIs, and won by 82 runs; Afridi was named man of the match.

Two years after appearing on the international scene, Afridi made his Test debut in the third game of a three-match series against Australia on 22 October 1998. By this point he had already played 66 ODIs, at the time a record before playing Tests.  Shahid Afridi   opened the batting, making scores of 10 and 6, and took five wickets in the first innings.  Shahid Afridi   played his second Test the following January during Pakistan's tour of India; it was the first Test between the two countries since 1990. Again opening the batting, Afridi scored his maiden Test century, scoring 141 runs from 191 balls. In the same match he also claimed three wickets for 54 runs. After winning the first match by 12 runs, Pakistan lost the second to draw the series.

In 2001, Afridi signed a contract to represent Leicestershire. In five first-class matches he scored 295 runs at an average of 42.14, including a highest score of 164, and took 11 wickets at an average of 46.45; Afridi also played 11 one day matches for the club, scoring 481 runs at an average of 40.08 and taking 18 wickets at 24.04.  Shahid Afridi   highest score of 95 came from 58 balls in a semi-final of the C&G Trophy to help Leicestershire beat Lancashire by seven wickets. Derbyshire County Cricket Club signed Afridi to play for them in the first two months of the 2003 English cricket season. In June 2004 Afridi signed with English county side Kent to play for them in three Twenty20 matches and one Totesport League match.

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Afridi's Test match batting career up to 30 December 2007, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).Afridi made his presence felt in the third Test against India in March 2005, scoring a quick-fire second-innings half-century and taking five wickets in the match (including Tendulkar twice) to help Pakistan to win the game and register a series draw. In April Afridi struck what at the time was the equal second-fastest century in ODIs; he reached 100 off 45 deliveries against India, sharing the record with West Indian Brian Lara. Afridi was more consistent with his batting and bowling throughout 2005, starting with the tours of India and West Indies and through to the England tour. The Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer helped Afridi to reach a fuller potential by improving his shot selection and giving him free rein over his batting attitude.

On 21 November 2005, Shahid Afridi was banned for a Test match and two ODIs for deliberately damaging the pitch in the second match of the three-Test series against England. TV cameras pictured him scraping his boots on the pitch scuffing the surface when play was held up after a gas canister exploded. Afridi later pleaded guilty to a level three breach of the ICC code of conduct relating to the spirit of the game. Inquiries were made and Afridi's antics came into view.  Shahid Afridi    was investigated and banned after the day's play, along with receiving a huge amount of criticism from the cricketing world for bringing the game into disrepute. Match referee Roshan Mahanama said: "This ban should serve as a message to players that this type of behaviour is not allowed." On this Afridi accepted his fault and said that a "senior player like me should set good examples to others because they see us to learn."  Shahid Afridi   behaviour was also condemned by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

On 12 April 2006, Afridi announced a temporary retirement from Test cricket so that he could concentrate on ODIs, with a particular focus on the 2007 World Cup, and to spend more time with his family.  Shahid Afridi   said he would consider reversing his decision after the World Cup. Afridi had played ten Tests since being recalled to the side in January 2005, averaging 47.44 with the bat including four centuries. However, on 27 April he reversed his decision, saying that "[Woolmer] told me that I am one of the main players in the team and squad and that Pakistan really needed me". Before Pakistan toured England in July to September, Afridi played for Ireland as an overseas player in the C&G Trophy. In six matches, he scored 128 runs and took seven wickets.England won the four-match Test series 3–0; Afridi played two matches, scoring 49 runs and took three wickets. It was the last Test cricket Afridi played until 2010.

Afridi was charged on 8 February 2007 of bringing the game into disrepute after he was seen on camera thrusting his bat at a spectator who swore at him on his way up the steps after being dismissed. Afridi was given a four-game ODI suspension, the minimum possible ban for such an offence, meaning that he would miss Pakistan's first two 2007 World Cup matches. The PCB and Afridi chose not to appeal the ban, despite feeling that the punishment was excessively harsh.

In the 2007 World Twenty20, he performed poorly with the bat but brilliantly with the ball, earning the Man of the Series award, though he failed to take a wicket in the final and was out for a golden duck.But in the next ICC Twenty20 World Cup, held in 2009 Afridi performed brilliantly in the series scoring 50 runs in the semi-final and 54 in the final and leading his team to victory.

Captaincy (2009–2011) 

Afridi with his team mates during the 2009 World Twenty20 in June 2009Shortly after Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 the captain Younis Khan announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) subsequently announced that Shahid Afridi had taken over as captain in T20Is; the appointment was initially for one match, with a decision on the permanent replacement to be made later. On 31 January 2010, Afridi was caught on camera biting into the ball towards the end of the 5th Commonwealth Bank ODI series in Australia. Later Afridi pleaded guilty to ball tampering and he was banned from two Twenty20 internationals.

In March 2010 the board announced that Shahid Afridi had been appointed ODI captain in place of the sacked Mohammad Yousuf he led Pakistan in the 2010 Asia Cup and during his first three matches as ODI captain he scored two centuries against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh he finished as the tournaments highest runscorer with 384 runs from 3 matches.

On 25 May 2010, Afridi was appointed captain of the national team in all three formats, after he announced his return to Test cricket.In July 2010, Afridi captained Pakistan in the first Test of the series at Lord's against England.  Shahid Afridi  scored 31 off 15 deliveries in the first innings and 2 in the second but was dismissed succumbing to rash strokes in both the innings. After the match, he announced retirement from Test cricket again citing lack of temperament for Test cricket as the reason. Afridi was officially removed from the Test squad on the England tour, but after the spot-fixing scandal saw Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Test captain Salman Butt temporarily suspended by the International Cricket Council, he stated that he might return to Test cricket if "the team needs it".According a representative of Afridi, he had voiced his concerns about Mazhar Majeed – who had approached Pakistan's players – in June. Majeed also confirmed that he approached Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Younis Khan and Saeed Ajmal but all off them refused to be affiliated with him of his fixing menace. Worth mentioning is that the four names given above were not associated in the original scandal and that no disciplinary action have been taken against them by the sports governing body the International Cricket Council.

In October, Afridi stated in an interview with Express News that the squad had been selected without his consultation; the PCB gave him an official warning for the interview. Coach Waqar Younis also expressed his unhappiness at having no input in selection, however Mohsin Khan, the chief selector, defended the decision, stating "it is not written down in the PCB constitution that the coach and captain(s) must have a say in the selection of any squad".Pakistan lost the series 3–2.

Afridi during Pakistan's tour of New Zealand in December 2010The team toured New Zealand between December 2010 and February 2011 for two Tests, six ODIs, and three T20Is. Pakistan lost the first two T20Is but won the third; in final match Afridi became the first cricketer to reach 50 international wickets in the format.When Pakistan's squad for the 2011 World Cup was announced no captain was named; Afridi, the incumbent ODI captain and Misbah-ul-Haq, the Test captain, were the front runners for the position. Pakistan lost the first match against New Zealand by 8-wickets, the second match got rained out and in the third Mohammad Hafeez scored a century and Afridi scored a blistering 65 from just 25 balls. The following match was a tight game but Pakistan prevailed by two-wickets thanks to three boundaries from Sohail Tanvir, the match was set up by a 93 not out from Misbah-ul-Haq. The fifth ODI was won for Pakistan by 43 runs courtesy of a maiden ODI-century from Ahmed Shehzad. Afridi helped in the lower order by scoring 24 and taking two crucial top order wickets to help guide Pakistan to a 43-run victory and their first ODI series win in two years.

After gaining victory as a captain against New Zealand, the PCB declared Shahid Afridi as Pakistan's captain for the 2011 World Cup. In Pakistan's opening match of the tournament, Afridi took 5 wickets for 16 runs against Kenya, giving him the best bowling figures by a Pakistan bowler in a World Cup. In the following match against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan won, Afridi claimed for more wickets to help his side to victory and became the second player to have scored 4,000 runs and taken 300 wickets in ODIs.[nb 2] He claimed 17 wickets from 6 matches in the first round of the Cup, including a five-wicket haul against Canada, as Pakistan finished top of their group and progressed to the next stage. After beating the West Indies in the quarter-final, with Afridi taking four wickets, Pakistan were knocked out of the semi-finals in a 29-run defeat to India. Afridi was the tournament's joint-leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets, level with India's Zaheer Khan, even though Afridi had played one match less than him.

Soon after the World Cup Pakistan toured the West Indies for a T20I, five ODIs, and two Tests. Pakistan lost the only T20I but won the ODI series that followed 3–2.Afridi took two wickets and scored 28 runs in the series.The coach, Waqar Younis, fell out with Afridi and in his report on the tour criticised Afridi, saying "as a captain he is very immature, has poor discipline, lacks a gameplan and is unwilling to listen to others' opinions or advice". After the series, on 19 May the PCB replaced Afridi as ODI captain with Misbah-ul-Haq for the two-match ODI series against Ireland later that month. In 34 ODIs as captain, Afridi led his side to 18 wins and 15 defeats. Afridi subsequently withdrew from the touring squad, citing the illness of his father.

Conditional retirement and return (2011)On 30 May Afridi announced his conditional retirement from international cricket in protest against his treatment by the PCB. The condition on his return was that the board be replaced. The PCB suspended Afridi's central contract, fined him 4.5 million rupees ($52,300), and revoked his no-objection certificate (NOC) which allowed Afridi to play for Hampshire. Afridi filed a petition with the Sindh High Court to overturn the sanctions. On 15 June, Afridi withdrew his petition after an out of court settlement and the PCB reinstated his NOC. When the PCB's central contracts were renewed in August, Afridi's was allowed to lapse. In October he withdrew his retirement as Ijaz Butt had been replaced as chairman of the PCB. Two weeks after his announcement, Afridi was included in Pakistan's squad to face Sri Lanka in three ODIs and a T20I. In November 2011, Afridi became the only cricketer to score a half-century and take five wickets on two separate occasions in ODIs.Afridi achieved this feat in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka which helped Pakistan to secure the one-day series.

Playing Style 

Afridi bowling his stock leg-spin delivery Batting. Shahid Afridi   general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname "Boom Boom Afridi". Moreover, out of the seven fastest ODI centuries of all time, Afridi has produced three of them. As of 19 April 2011, he has an ODI strike rate of 113.88 runs per 100 balls, the fourth highest in the game's history. This attitude has been transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.97.  Shahid Afridi   has an approach to batting that can change the tempo of a game and inspire the mood of an audience, as shown when a mass exodus of spectators occurred in Pakistan in late 2005 following his dismissal from the crease.

He hits many sixes long and high, favouring straight down the ground or over midwicket and hit the longest ever six in the history of ODIs against Australia.  Shahid Afridi   trademark shot is a cross-batted flick to the leg-side to a ball outside off stump. However, his aggressive style increases his risk of getting out and he is one of the most inconsistent batsmen in cricket. This is reflected by the fact that he is the only player to score more than 6,000 ODI runs at an average under 25. Afridi has moved about the batting order, and this lack of consistency has made it difficult for him to settle. In the Indian subcontinent, where the ball quickly loses its shine, he prefers to open the batting however elsewhere he prefers to bat at number six.

BowlingHaving started as a fast bowler, Afridi decided to start bowling spin after he was told he was throwing.  Shahid Afridi   modelled himself on Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.Afridi began his career as primarily a bowler, however after scoring the fastest century in his maiden ODI innings more was expected of him with the bat.  Shahid Afridi   considers himself a better bowler than batsman.While he is renowned for his aggressive batting, he is also a handy leg-spinner capable of producing a good mix of wicket taking balls.  Shahid Afridi   has over 300 International wickets, most of which are from the ODI format. While his stock ball is the leg break, his armoury also includes the conventional off break and a "quicker one" which he can deliver in the style of a medium-pacer, reaching speeds of around 130 km/h (81 mph). Shahid Afridi   bowls at a high speed for a spinner, resulting in lesser turn, and relying more on variations in speed.  Shahid Afridi   occasionally sends down a bouncer to a batsman, which is very rare for a spin bowler.

Records and Achievements Test Centuries

Test Centuries 

#      Runs   Match    Against          City/Country Venue Year 

[1]   141       2            India                Chennai, India MA Chidambaram Stadium 1999 

[2]   107     12           West Indies      Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Sharjah C.A. Stadium 2002 

[3]   122     18           West Indies      Bridgetown, Barbados Kensington Oval 2005 

[4]   103     21           India Lahore,    Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium 2006 

[5]   156     22           India                 Faisalabad, Pakistan Iqbal Stadium 2006 

ODI Centuries 

#        Runs   Balls   Match    Against       City/Country Venue Year 

[1]     102        37        2        Sri Lanka       Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi Gymkhana Club 1996 

[2]     109        94      65        India              Toronto, Canada Toronto CSCC 1998 

[3]     108*      97      146      India              Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Sharjah C.A. Stadium 2002 

[4]     102        45      204      India              Kanpur, India Green Park 2005 

[5]     109        76      294     Sri Lanka        Dambulla, Sri Lanka Dambulla International Stadium 2010 

[6]     124        60     296      Bangladesh    Dambulla, Sri Lanka Dambulla International Stadium 2010 

Personal Life

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

Pride of Performance Award Recipient 

Shahid Afridi was recipient of the Pride of Performance Award 2010

Presented by Islamic Republic of Pakistan 

Date 2010 Country Islamic Republic of Pakistan 

Yusuf Pathan Biography

Full Name : Yusuf Khan Pathan 
Date of Birth : 17th November 1982
Place of Birth  : Baroda (now Vadodara), Gujarat, India
Nick Name : Lethal Weapon, Steeler, Run Machine, The Beast,
Height : 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Batting Style : Right-Handed
Bowling Style  : Right Arm Off Break
Role : All-Rounder
ODI Debut (cap 172) : 10 June 2008 v Pakistan
Only T20I (cap 18)  : 24 September 2007 v Pakistan
Yusuf Pathan is an Indian cricketer. Pathan made his debut in first-class cricket in 2001/02.  Yusuf Pathan is a powerful and aggressive right-handed batsman and a right-arm offbreak bowler.  Yusuf Pathan brother Irfan Pathan is also an Indian cricketer. Though younger than Yusuf, it was Irfan who entered the Indian team first.
Career
Following his impressive performances in the 2007 Deodhar Trophy and the Inter-state domestic Twenty20 competition held in April 2007, Pathan was made a part of the Indian squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship, held in South Africa in September 2007.  Yusuf Pathan made his Twenty20 international debut in the final against Pakistan.  Yusuf Pathan opened the batting for India in the match, and scored 15 runs in the process.

After a good domestic season in 2007/08, he was signed by the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League for USD 475,000 (INR 1.9 crore). In the 2008 IPL season, he scored 435 runs and took 8 wickets.  Yusuf Pathan recorded the season's fastest half century (from 21 balls) against the Deccan Chargers, and was also the Man of the Match in the final against the Chennai Super Kings. Pathan is considered as one of the finest hitter of the cricket ball.
Following his good showing in the IPL, he was selected for the Indian one-day team. After IPL, though he played all the games in the Kitply Cup and Asia Cup he got to bat only four times.  Yusuf Pathan could not perform very well with both bat and ball in the Asia Cup and the Kitply Cup and so he wasn't selected for the series against Sri Lanka.  Yusuf Pathan performed well in domestic circuit and impressed the selectors and was selected for the England ODI series in November.  Yusuf Pathan scored a fifty off just 29 balls in the second ODI against England in Indore, on his 26th birthday.
Yusuf had made his One-Day International debut for India against Pakistan at Dhaka on 10 June 2008.  Yusuf Pathan  became a regular feature of the national One-Day International team, but is yet to make his test debut.
Even though Pathan could not repeat his first IPL performance in the second season, he was selected in the Indian team to play the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 championships in England. In the second of the Super 8 matches of India, he made an unbeaten 33 from 17 balls against England, despite his team losing the game and crashing out of the tournament before the semi-finals.
In late-2009, Pathan was dropped from the limited overs team after a series of unproductive performances and the allrounder's position was taken over by Ravindra Jadeja.
In the final of the 2010 Duleep Trophy cricket tournament, Pathan scored a hundred in the first innings and a double hundred in the second and led his team West Zone to a three wicket win over South Zone. Pathan made 108 in the first innings and an unbeaten 210 from 190 balls in the second innings. This became a world record in cricket for the highest successful run chase in first class cricket history.
On 13 March 2010, Pathan scored a century off 37 balls, in an Indian Premier League match against Mumbai Indians. The innings also included record 11 consecutive hits to the boundary (6, 6, 6, 6, 4, 4, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4).
After that knock where he scored the fastest IPL century his Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne described his innings as one of the best innings he has even seen in his career and also compared Yusuf Pathan with his country-mate Andrew Symonds as these two are the clear hitters of the ball.
Also Yusuf Pathan was named as the Vice Captain for Rajasthan Royals during IPL 3.
On 7 December 2010 Pathan magic seals win for India. Pathan clobbered the New Zealand attack with his aggressive innings, Yusuf Pathan smashed an unbeaten 123 from 96 balls and shared an unbroken 133-run partnership with Saurabh Tiwary to guide India to a huge target of 316 with seven balls to spare and give the hosts a 4-0 lead in the series.  Yusuf Pathan was named man of the match. The all-rounder clubbed seven fours and seven sixes on the way to his maiden one-day century to help the hosts overhaul New Zealand's challenging 315-7 with seven balls to spare at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
At the awards distribution ceremony he stated that "this knock will boost my career".Indian captain Gautam Gambhir said "I have always said Pathan can finish games on his own, and that's what he did today, I had never seen something like this before. But I knew till the time Pathan was there, we would win the game."
New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori said "It was a great game of cricket, we were in the game, but Pathan was pretty amazing and took the game away from us."
In the 2011 IPL auction, he was bought for whopping $2.1 million by Kolkata Knight Riders.
In the MTN ODI series against South Africa before the 2011 World Cup, he gave a stand out performance in a match against South Africa in Pretoria where he scored a brilliant 105 in 70 deliveries (comprising 8 fours and 8 sixes), even though India lost the match, his performance was complimented heavily. During this knock, he reached his century off 68 balls which is the sixth fastest by an Indian and the second fastest by an Indian outside the subcontinent. Thanks to his stream of good performances, he made it to the Indian team for 2011 World Cup.and also scored 100 for just 37 balls vs Mumbai Indians in IPL 2010 Though Yusuf did not have a great world cup, he ended up having the winner's medal and the honor of holding the world cup aloft.
Yusuf Pathan in IPL 2011 Matches 13 Runs 221 Balls 150 Top Score 47 not out Average 27.62 Strike Rate 147.33
International Centuries
One Day International CenturiesIn
One Day International Centuries of YK Pathan
1 123* 41  New Zealand Bangalore, India M Chinnaswamy Stadium 2010
2 105 45  South Africa Centurion, South Africa SuperSport Park 2011

Zaheer Khan Biography

Full Name : Zaheer Khan 

Date of Birth  : 7th October 1978

Date of Birth  : Shrirampur, Maharashtra, India 

Nick Name : Zak, Zippy Zakky

Batting Style  : Right-Handed 

Bowling Style  : Left Arm Fast-Medium 

Role   : Bowler 

Test Debut (cap 231) : 10th November 2000 v Bangladesh 

ODI Debut (cap 133)  : 3rd October 2000 v Kenya 

Zaheer Khan is an Indian cricketer who has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000. A left arm fast bowler considered as the best of the Indian fast bowling attack, Zaheer is known for his ability to swing the ball both ways, and as a batsman also holds the record for the highest Test score by a No. 11. After leading the Indian pace attack for much of the early 2000s, recurring hamstring injuries in 2003 and 2004 forced him out of the team, and after returning for a year, he was dropped again in late 2005. Strong performances on the domestic circuit have seen him recalled to the team as its leading pace bowler. Zaheer can also use reverse swing.

Personal Life

Zaheer Khan was born in Shrirampur.  Zaheer Khan  Mother Zakiya Khan was a school teacher.  Zaheer Khan  was named after the famous cricketer Zaheer Abbas

History

Career

Zaheer was selected in 2000 for the first intake of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Zaheer Khan  made his Test debut against Bangladesh and ODI debut against Kenya during the ICC KnockOut Trophy in the same year.

In late 2005 pacemen Sreesanth and R. P. Singh made their international debuts and became regular members of the Indian team making it difficult for Zaheer to retain his position in the playing eleven. The Board of Control for Cricket in India demoted Zaheer from a B-grade to a C-grade contract at the end of the year.  Zaheer Khan  returned for the 2006 tour of Pakistan, where India fielded three left arm pacemen and had difficulty dismissing Pakistan with a lack of variety in the bowling attack.

In Indian domestic cricket, Zaheer made his name playing for Baroda. In the 2000/01 Ranji Trophy final against Railways, Zaheer was Man of the Match with eight wickets, including a second innings haul of 5/43, in Baroda's narrow 21-run victory. Zaheer Khan  transferred to Mumbai at the start of the 2006-07 Indian cricket season his debut for Mumbai until the final of the Ranji Trophy in which he took 9 wickets as Mumbai defeated Bengal.

In 2006 Zaheer signed for Worcestershire County Cricket Club in England as one of their two overseas players, replacing Shoaib Akhtar. Although Worcestershire went on to lose the match, Zaheer took ten wickets against Somerset on debut, in doing so he became the first Worcestershire player to take 10 wickets on debut for over 100 years.In June he took the first nine wickets to fall in the first innings against Essex, ending with 9-138; had wicket-keeper Steven Davies not dropped a catch offered by last man Darren Gough he would have become the first bowler ever to take all ten for the county.

Late in 2006, Zaheer was recalled to the Test and ODI team for the tour of South Africa, following Irfan Pathan's slump in form and an injury to Munaf Patel. After consistent performances on tour, his performance in early 2007 in home ODIs against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, including a career best 5/42, saw him named in the squad for the 2007 World Cup.

Zaheer Khan won the Man of the Match award in the first Test between India and Australia in the 2008-2009 series in India for his all round performance with the bat and the ball.  Zaheer Khan  became the third Indian, after Rusi Surti and Kapil Dev, to score a half century and take five wickets in an innings in the same match against Australia.  Zaheer Khan  has since become the strike-bowler and a permanent fixture in the Indian team. Zaheer also won the Man of the Match award in the 2009 T20 World Cup match against Ireland for taking 4/19.

ODI Career

Zaheer Khan has taken 271 ODI wickets at an average of 28.83 runs per wicket taking 4 wickets in a match 6 times (4 times against Zimbabwe) including 32 wickets against Zimbabwe at an average of 17.46 runs per dismissal.  Zaheer Khan  , along with other seamers like Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra helped India to make it to the finals of the 2003 World Cup. Zaheer finished the tournament as fourth highest wicket-taker - 18 wickets from 11 matches at an average of 20 runs per wicket.

Zaheer was the mainstay of Indian bowling attack during the side's victorious 2011 World Cup campaign.  Zaheer Khan  was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, joint with Pakistan's Shahid Afridi on 21

Test Career

Zaheer has taken over 270 Test wickets at an average of just under 32 runs per wicket. In 16 matches from the beginning of the tour of West Indies in April 2002 to the end of the 1st match against Australia in December 2003, Brisbane, Zaheer took 54 wickets from 16 matches at an average of 30 runs. It all turned downhill after the first Test against Australia in Brisbane in December 2003. Having taken 5 of the top 7 Australian batsmen in the first innings (5 for 95), he injured himself in the second during the opening spell. After missing the second Test he returned for the third, but was injured midway through the match and was forced to return home. The injury kept him from the early 2004 tour of Pakistan, India's first Test series victory in the country.

Zaheer holds the world record for the highest Test score by a number 11 when he scored 75 against Bangladesh in 2004.At the time he was batting with Sachin Tendulkar; the pair amassed 133 runs, a new record for India's tenth-wicket.

In July 2011 India embarked on a tour of England. Having bowled 13.3 overs, Zaheer strained his hamstring and suffered an ankle injury in the first Test of the four-match series and as a result was ruled out of the rest of the tour.Zaheer came back in December and played a test match against Australia on Boxing day.  Zaheer Khan  took two wickets in two consecutive deliveries, dismissing Michael Clarke for 31 and Mike Hussey for a duck.IN the second test at sydney. Zaheer Khan   took three wickets only the best figure in that innings.