Friday, 13 November 2015

Ahmed Shehzad

Ahmed Shehzad Biogrphy

Ahmad Shehzad, Pakistan's opener, is known for his ability to play eye-catching shots. His introduction to competitive cricket came at an early age of 15 when he made his First-Class debut. He went on to be a regular opener for his side, Lahore, and also got a chance to play for the Pakistani Under-19 side, where he enjoyed tremendous success. With strong performances in domestic cricket, a national call up was only a matter of time as the Pakistani side struggled to find stable openers. Shehzad found himself making his debut against Australia in April 2009, but he was in and out of the team for lack of consistency. Despite not having a great start, Shehzad was picked in the squad for the 2009 World T20 Championships, but he played only one game. 

For the next one year, he remained on the sidelines as Pakistan continued their search for a stable opener. His big break came in New Zealand in 2010, where he made his first T20 international half-century. The knock helped him gain a spot in the ODI leg of the tour, and this time he grabbed it with both hands as he scored an aggressive 115 to bring up his maiden ODI century. The good show earned him a place in the squad for the World Cup 2011, but Shehzad failed to impress. He managed to retain his spot for the West Indies tour that followed, and even made his second ODI century there, but was left out of the squad for the tour of Zimbabwe. 

He played well in the ODI series against South Africa in late 2013 by scoring consecutive fifties in the UAE, but was not able to convert good starts into a big one. When Pakistan toured South Africa immediately after that, Shehzad hit a brilliant 102 at Port Elizabeth. His strong performance continued even against Sri Lanka, scoring another century and a fifty in the five-match series. Shehzad played an integral part in giving good starts to Pakistan in the 2013 Asia Cup but unfortunately failed to make a mark in the final against Sri Lanka. Shehzad also scored a hundred against Bangladesh in the 2014 T20 World Cup, but Pakistan were knocked out in the group stages. 

Shehzad had to wait for almost five years to play his first Test. Even though he had made his ODI and T20I debut in 2009, he only got his first Test cap in December 2013. Shehzad gave a good account of himself in the longest format of the game, too. In only his third Test, he scored his maiden ton against Sri Lanka and accumulated 693 runs in the eight Tests he played in 2014. He scored hundreds against Australia and New Zealand, but had to miss two Tests against New Zealand after being struck on the head by a Corey Anderson bouncer. He returned in the subsequent ODI series and smashed his sixth ODI century in the third game. Shehzad is an integral part of the team that was picked for the 2015 World Cup. 

Ahmed Shehzad

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Ahmed Shehzad

Imran Farhat

Imran Farhat Biography

Imran Farhat came into the international arena as a teenage opener for Pakistan in the 2001 tour to New Zealand but was left out immediately after a poor start to his career. He returned in the 2003-2004 season where he impressed in the home series against South Africa. He scored 235 runs including a maiden Test century in a 1-0 series win, being the second highest run scorer behind opening partner Taufeeq Umar. The season became better in the coming months as Farhat scored 348 runs at close to 70 in the series against New Zealand, which Pakistan won 5-0. He finished the season on a high, scoring an important Test century against arch rivals India. 

However, the following season turned out to be a poor one for Farhat. His average dropped drastically and aggregated only 199 at an average of around 25 runs, forcing the selectors to drop him from the Test and ODI squads. He returned to the domestic circuit and scored heavily, staying in the reckoning for the opener's spot. After a century in the tour game against the visiting Indians, he got into the Test squad again and scored an important fifty in the Karachi Test in 2006. It helped him retain his spot for the next few tours, where he produced some mixed results. In 2009, he scored a brilliant unbeaten century against New Zealand in Napier, but a poor show in England in the following year saw him get the axe again. Farhat was recalled back to the Test side after 3 years, but the joy was short lived for the opening batsman, as he was dropped only after one game against South Africa where he scored 30 and 43. 

Farhat's ODI career followed a similar pattern, as he was tried out as an opener in the 2010 series against South Africa, but failed to earn a spot in the World Cup. He made a return to the ODI squad in the September 2011 tour to Zimbabwe, and scored an unbeaten 75 in his return game. His comeback to the ODI team in March 2013 lasted a bit longer than Tests, he played the bilateral series against the Proteas and was also selected for the Champions Trophy in August 2013, a string of poor performance saw him being dropped again. 

Imran Farhat

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Umar Akmal

Umar Akmal Biography

Umar Akmal, Cricketers is famous for Cricket, Pakistani celebrity. Born on 26 May, 1990

Umar Akmal is a Pakistani cricketer. He made his ODI debut on August 1, 2009 against Sri Lanka and made his Test debut against New Zealand on November 23, 2009.

Personal life

Umar is the youngest brother of Adnan Akmal and Kamran Akmal who are also cricketers. While his brothers are wicket keepers, he is a right-handed batsman and a part time spinner.

Early career

Umar represented Pakistan in the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. After his success at the U-19 level he earned himself a first class contract and played the 2007-08 season of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, representing the Sui Southern Gas team. He is considered a future asset for Pakistan cricket. He is an aggressive style cricketer. In only his sixth first class match he smashed 248 off just 225 deliveries, including four sixes. He followed that up with an unbeaten 186 in his 8th first class match, off just 170 balls. He fared less well in his second season of first class cricket, with a string of low scores batting at number 3. He found form in the final few matches of the 2008/09 season and then in the RBS T20 tournament thus getting the selectors nod to play for Pakistan A side on their tour to Australia A.

Australia A tour

Umar came to prominence during the Australia A tour in June/July 2009. In the two Test matches he recorded scores of 54, 100*, 130, 0. In the ODI series that followed Umar continued his fine form with a century in the opening ODI encounter off just 68 deliveries. These performances made him gather considerable praise from the media who were there to witness him and calls began to grow about his inclusion in the ODI series for the main Pakistan side against Sri Lanka.

Test career

Umar made his Test debut against New Zealand at Dunedin on November 23, 2009. On the third day of his debut test, Umar Akmal hit 129 runs from 160 balls becoming only the second Pakistani to score a hundred on debut away from home after Fawad Alam. This feat also made him the first Pakistani batsman to score both his maiden Test and ODI century away from home, following his ODI century against Sri Lanka. The innings was noted as special due to Pakistan's tough position in the match and the hundred partnership which Akmal was involved in alongside his elder brother Kamran. He followed up the century in the first innings with a fifty in the second innings.

In only his second Test match he was moved up the order to the crucial spot of number 3, where he struggled initially but managed to counter-attack the hostile bowling with his natural flair, making 46 before he was undone by an inswinger by Daryl Tuffey. In the second innings he was moved down the order to his usual batting spot of number 5 as captain Mohammed Yousuf chose to bat at number 3 himself, and Akmal looked his usual aggressive self throughout his innings of 52 which came off only 33 balls. He had his first failure in the first innings of the third test at Napier where he was caught in the gully for a duck but scored a rearguard 77 in the second, promoting him to the leading run scorer of the series. Akmal finished the tour with 400 runs at an average of 57.14.

ODI and Twenty20 career

In an interview, Umar said "My own dream is to one day play for Pakistan alongside Kamran Bhai (Brother) and I'm working hard to try and achieve that goal". Akmal was selected in Pakistan's squad for the One Day International Series against Sri Lanka in July/August 2009. Having missed out on the first ODI Umar made his debut in the second match of the series replacing Mohammad Yousuf in the middle order. In only his second career ODI Umar scored his maiden ODI fifty. Umar followed up his maiden fifty by scoring a century in the very next match. For this match winning effort he was awarded his first career Man of the Match award. His exploits in Sri Lanka earned him a place in Pakistan's champions trophy squad. He played two good innings. His 41 not out against West Indies was a match winning knock and landed him his second career Man of the Match award. His next big innings came in the semi final against New Zealand, where he scored a brisk 55 in a losing effort, before he was wrongly given out by umpire Simon Taufel, who later apologized. Despite the fact that Umar Akmal is not a wicket-keeper he kept wicket for Pakistan temporarily in the third ODI against England in 2010 from the 27th Over onwards because his elder brother Kamran was being diagnosed for an injury to his finger. Umar Akmal cracked 71 runs in 52 balls including 8 boundaries and 1 six in his debut World Cup match, he was also announced Player Of the match.

Controversy

Umar Akmal's early success was briefly tarnished by a controversy during Pakistan's 2009-10 tour of Australia. It was widely reported that Umar had feigned an injury to protest the dropping of older brother Kamran for the final Test match against Australia. Umar denied such rumors and played in the final match without his brother. He was later fined 2-3 million rupees by the PCB for breaching his contract and speaking to the media without approval.

Umar Akmal

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Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal Biography

Kamran Akmal, Cricketers is famous for Cricket, Pakistani celebrity. Born on 13 January, 1982

Kamran Akmal is a Pakistani cricketer who has played Tests, ODIs and T20Is for Pakistan as a wicket-keeper.

International career

He is a quick-scoring batsman and a wicket-keeper, who has achieved 6 centuries in Test innings. However, his first century was vital - his 109 from the number eight position at Mohali, coming in with Pakistan in a lead of 39 against India in the first Test, ensured that the visitors could draw the match. His form against the touring English in 2005 made him one of the most important players in the team. Naturally, he is a batsman that plays lower down the order but has sometimes opened in both Test and One-day cricket. As an opener he has scored two back to back centuries in ODIs against England. Coming in lower down the order in Test matches, he played one memorable innings. He saved Pakistan from a score of 39/6, scoring a century, to a competitive 245 which helped Pakistan win the match and the series.

His batting was highly productive in early 2006 as he scored seven international hundreds within the space of 6 months. Since his tour of England in Summer 2006 however his batting form dwindled and steadily become worse. His wicket-keeping also worsened and dropped many catches on both the England tour and on a tour to South Africa in early 2007. He then scored an international hundred in the Bangladeshi tour of Pakistan in 2008. He later moved to have some injuries and did not play for some days but later he was again brought into the team.

Akmal was dropped for the Asia Cup 2008 as a result of his poor wicket-keeping. He was replaced by Sarfraz Ahmed who performed very well at the domestic level and also because of Sarfraz's strong showing in the U-19 World Cup. Akmal was named in the 30 man probable squad for the 2008 ICC Champions Trophy.

Akmal was part of the Pakistan team that won the T20 World Cup in 2009. He was notable for his quick stumpings, dismissing 4 batsmen in one match against Netherlands.

On 12 November 2008, Akmal hit two consecutive 6s in the last over. As a result Pakistan won the first ODI in Abu Dhabi against West Indies.

On 17 July 2010, Akmal was appointed the vice-captain of the Pakistani test squad but later removed because of his alleged involvement in spot fixing.

Match fixing allegations

In the 2nd Test match on the 2009-10 tour of Australia, Akmal dropped four catches in the Australian innings, three of those coming from Michael Hussey. Hussey went on to score 134* and was involved in a massive 9th wicket partnership stand of 133 runs with Peter Siddle. Pakistan eventually went on to lose the match by 36 runs, after being dismissed for just 139 in the second innings. Later it was alleged that he, along with pace bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were involved in match fixing, and were questioned by Pakistan Cricket Board and subsequently dropped for the twenty20 series against England.

In early September 2010 The International Cricket Council sent an official notice to Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal telling him that he is under investigation for allegedly fixing the Sydney Test. For the subsequent series against South Africa in October 2010 Akmal had an operation to remove his appendix and was unavailable for the limited-overs squad. Akmal was able to recover from the operation to participate in the two-match test series but Zulqarnain Haider was selected ahead of him Another reason also emerged that Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin and Yasir Hameed were not selected for the tour due to the fact that suspicions were raised that they were involved with the spot-fixing scandal that included Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. Another player Wahab Riaz was under investigation for fixing but the ICC had interrogated him and he was no longer part of the investigation therefore he was allowed to take part on the tour of South Africa that included two Twenty20 Internationals, five ODI matches and two Test matches. Though this has not been confirmed by the board, it is believed that the reason they were not picked was that the suspicion had not been cleared. The ICC confirmed that Akmal had been barred from entering the team. Once his investigation was completed he was available for national selection.

Wicket-keeping

Kamran Akmal has been constantly criticized for his lack of consistent wicket-keeping. After another horrendous series behind the stumps against Sri Lanka in January 2009 journalists and former players called for his removal from the national team. His wicket-keeping steadily improved, with a very strong showing in the 2009 T20 World Cup, including a world-record performance of four stumpings in a single match against the Netherlands. However during the second test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground he dropped four catches, including three chances from Michael Hussey in one session on Day 4. Hussey went on to score a match winning century with the Pakistan team losing in a shock result after dominating the first three days of play. He was subsequently dropped for the third test, being replaced by Sarfraz Ahmed. After this tour Akmal saw a steady improvement in his wicket-keeping for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20, 2010 Asia Cup and against Australia in July 2010 however the next test series against England saw Akmal drop three easy catches and miss a stumping. The match as a consolation saw Akmal take a superb catch of Kevin Pietersen before dropping a catch on the very next ball against Paul Collingwood. In the first innings Akmal dropped a catch of Eoin Morgan when he was on 23 who then went on to score 130. Despite having another keeper, Zulqarnain Haider, in the squad, Pakistani captain Salman Butt announced it was too early in the series as only one match had been played to decide the fate of Kamran Akmal. However the team decided to give him a break and placed in reserve-keeper Zulqarnain Haider; Haider scored a match-saving 88 in the second innings. However a finger injury ruled him out for the fourth test and the rest of the series. Therefore Akmal returned.

Personal life

Akmal has two brothers, Adnan Akmal and Umar Akmal, who are also professional cricketers. The former being a keeper-batsman and the latter being a batting all-rounder. He married in 2006 and lives with his wife, Aaiza, and their young daughter. He is a graduate of Beaconhouse School System Garden Town,Lahore. On 14 November 2010 it emerged that Akmal and his family had been robbed at gunpoint. The family were heading to wedding near their home when two unidentified people came and held them at gunpoint. The family were safe but the robbers ran away with a thousand dollar diamond ring, jewellery, expensive watches and cash

IPL career

Akmal was signed on to the Rajasthan Royals, and played in the inaugural season of the IPL. He played five matches in the tournament, as wicket-keeper and top-order batsman, including the final of the tournament against the Chennai Super Kings. He took two catches in the first innings, however he was run out for six runs during the Royal's chase. The Royals went on to win the tournament after a thrilling finish. He did not play in 2009 because Pakistani players were not allowed to participate as a result of the tense atmosphere after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Kamran Akmal

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Kamran Akmal

Umar Gull

Umar Gull Biography

Umar Gul, Cricketers is famous for Cricket, Pakistani celebrity. Born on 14 April, 1984

he slightest-overvalued but the largest part flourishing and guaranteed Pakistan velocity creation of the preceding only some years, Umar Gul is the most recent in Pakistan’s congregation-line of swiftness-bowling aptitude. He had played just nine first-class matches at what time called up for national duty in the rouse of Pakistan’s deprived 2003 World Cup. On the smooth tracks of Sharjah, Gul performed commendably, maintaining tremendous regulation and being paid appreciable out swing with the new ball.
He is not articulate although bowls an extremely swift profound ball and his outstanding have power over and capability to take out line of stitching movement symbols him out. Auxiliary, his height enables him to haul out bounce on the majority outsides and from his natural back of a length, it is a constructive attribute. His first immense moment in his profession came in the Lahore Test in opposition to India in 2003-04. Unfazed by a intimidating batting line-up, Gul slashed all the way through the Indian top order, affecting the ball both ways off the ridge at a jagged velocity. His 5 for 31 in the first innings gave Pakistan near the beginning proposal which they troop home to win the Test.
Unluckily, that was his final cricket of any kind for over a year as he exposed three pressure fractures in his back right away later than the Test. The wound would have wrecked several an international professions, although Gul came back, fitter and sharper than previous to in late 2005. He came back in a Pakistan shirt in opposition to India in the ODI series at home in February 2006 and in Sri Lanka given an idea about further signs of treatment by permanent both Tests but it was in actuality the second half of 2006, where he completely came of era. Leading the harass in opposition to England and then the West Indies as Pakistan’s main bowlers endured injuries, Gul stood tall, finishing Pakistan’s best bowler.
Since after that, as Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar have struggled, Gul has turn out to be Pakistan’s forefront and one of the most excellent swift bowlers in the world. He is smart sufficient and good adequate to achieve something in all three set-ups and 2009 proved it: he put collectively a scrap of wicket-taking in ODIs, on departed pitches in Tests (together with a profession-best six-wicket haul in opposition to Sri Lanka) and recognized himself as the world’s most excellent Twenty20 bowler, coming on later than the early overs and firing in Yorkers on demand.
He had oblique at that by being most important wicket-taker in the 2007 World Twenty20; over the after that two years he overwhelmed wherever he went, in the IPL for the Kolkatta Knight Riders and in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 tournament. Corroboration came on the grandest phase: having poleaxes Australia in a T20I in Dubai with 4-8, he was the best bowler and leading wicket-taker as Pakistan won the second World Twenty20 in England. The best part was 5-6 in opposition to New Zealand, the uppermost quality demonstration of Yorker bowling. He is not a one-format pony, on the other hand, and will hang about a vital component in Pakistan’s attack across all formats.

Umar Gull

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