Pakistan Cricket Players: 2011

Monday, 26 December 2011

Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir

Muhammad Aamir (born 13 April 1992) is a Pakistani left-arm fast bowler, hailing from Gujar Khan, Punjab. He is a highly thought of young prospect, making his international debut at the age of just 17 at 2009 World T20 and played in every match in the process of helping Pakistan win the World Cup. Aamir was youngest player to be competing in the tournament.His debut was against England. He is mainly noted for his whippy action which generates notably quick pace and swing. Aamir was first picked out as a pace prospect by the renowned Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram at a pace camp back in 2007. Aamir, then 15 years old, went on a tour of England with the Pakistan U19 side and was one of the leading bowlers, taking regular wickets at a low average. Aamir then played in a tri-nation tournament featuring Sri Lanka and England, he again excelled with his pace and swing bowling. Due to injury he played only a limited part in the U19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008. In March 2008 he made his domestic debut for the Rawalpindi Rams whilst also representing theNational Bank of Pakistan. His debut domestic season resulted in him taking 55 first-class wickets for NBP. He took a lot of top order wickets and those of players in the national side. This strong domestic form resulted in him being selected for the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup. In the final of the Twenty20 World Cup Aamir bowled a wicket maiden in the opening over of the match, taking the wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan who was later named player of the tournament. Pakistan legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram expressed his concerned for the future of Pakistan cricket in the current security situation but says the talent is still being produced in his country. “We all, every Pakistani, is worried,” Akram said in the weekly ICC Cricket World audio show. “Until some teams eventually start touring Pakistan then only Pakistan cricket will flourish. There’s a lot of talent there. We showed that during the ICC World Twenty20. Talent is very much there but first and foremost, they have to play more cricket,” he further said.Pakistan recently introduced a 17-year old Mohammad Aamir in the ICC World Twenty20 and his brilliant show in the tournament has drawn munificent praise and earned him a maiden call up to the Test team for the series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan Cricket Board handed a central contract of category ‘C’.

Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir 6 wickets in 2 overs vs England in Test

Mohammad Amir On Fire in Twenty20 Final { HD }

Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal

ne probably has to date back to Imtiaz Ahmed in the early 50s to find a Pakistani wicket-keeper who doubled up as an accomplished batsman. In Moin Khan and Rashid Latif, Kamran Akmal’s much-rotated predecessors, Pakistan too followed the sport-wide trend of specialists behind the stumps with average batting ability. The arrival of Adam Gilchrist bucked the trend, and Kamran became Pakistan’s own wicket-keeper batsman. Still, doubts are often raised over Akmal’s ability with the glove, in contrast to his assured batting prowess. It rightly indicates towards Akmal primarily being a batsman who was later augmented to a glove-man.

Into just his third Test inning during his debut tour to Zimbabwe in 2002, Kamran Akmal notched his first international half-century. Only in early 2005 against West Indies was Akmal’s batting given additional exposure, sent as an opening partner to Imran Nazir to face West Indies. A century ensued, Akmal’s career-first, and growing doubts over his shoddy wicket-keeping were set aside. Constant pressure to perform well with the bat as to find grace with his keeping shortcomings helped Akmal to 5 international tons between November 2005 and January 2006. He played his first World Cup in 2007, in part of Pakistan’s poor showing at the Caribbean.

Riding on that purple patch between late 2005 and early 2006, Akmal’s form deteriorated, in a slump that witnessed only 2 additional centuries in ODI and Tests each from 2006 to mid-2010. But his knack of scoring runs in quick time saw Kamran’s inclusion in the prolific Pakistani T20 side, helping his team to the T20 World Cup win in 2009. During the tournament, improvements were also evident in his keeping evidenced by his 4 stumpings against Netherlands. After two decades shifting keeping duties, Akmal’s stability behind the sticks is a welcome change for Pakistan.

Kamran Akmal

1 over 17 Runs Required - How Kamran Akmal Survived

Kamran Akmal great turnaround against west indies

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik is a right handed batsman and right arm off spin bowler and former captain of the Pakistan side.

The boy from Sialkot made his debut against the West Indies in 1999 (ODI). He was selected in the team as a bowler (he is a offspinner whose bowling style has striking similarities to Saqlain Mushtaq). His bowling however is no longer as effective as when he started partly due to having to change his action, which was reported twice at International level (October 2004 and November 2005) and due to his changing role in the side where his batting has overtaken his bowling.

Shoaib Malik has played 185 matches in ODI’s in which he has scored 5038 runs at an healthy average of 34.98 and taken 129 wickets at an average of 36.62.

He has batted in every position in ODI’s which is an astonishing feat as he was very much a tailender when he first came on the International scene. This is testament to his versatility and dedication to the cause. He started to show his capabilities with the bat from 2002 onwards but majority of those innings were played at 6 in the batting order. It was in the middle of 2004 when he transformed from a decent batsman to a very good batsman. The captain and coach at the time, Inzamam-ul-Haq and the late Bob Woolmer, made the decision to play Shoaib Malik at one down, he excelled in this role and announced his batting credentials to the world. For the remainder of that year he played 17 innings (15 innings at one down and 2 innings at 4) and he averaged just under 50. The standout innings was his 143 against arch rivals India in Colombo. He continued to play there until around 2006 where he briefly played as an opener and then moved back down the order.

His Test debut came in 2001 against Bangladesh but he didn’t get a run in the test side. It was his ODI form resulted in him being given an opportunity in the Test side as a batsman. He was given a chance against Sri Lanka in 2004 where he performed reasonably well down the order. He was moved up the order and asked to open against the West Indies in June 2005, he was given 6 games as an opener where he did a good job. The highlight was his superb 148* against Sri Lanka in Colombo which helped Pakistan draw the match. However he has moved down the order since then.

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik 125 vs India 2008 Asia Cup

Amazing catch by Shoaib Malik

Mohammad Hafeez

Mohammad Hafeez

Mohammad Hafeez is a right hand opening batsman and right arm off spin bowler.

Hafeez has been in and out of the Pakistan squad since making his debut in 2003, without actually cementing his place in either version of the game. In nearly 5 years since making his debut he has managed to only represent his country on 68 occasions including T20 internationals, the bulk of these being 48 ODIs.

A strike rate of 58.15 seems to indicate where the problem in his batting lies in that he gets "bogged down" and sometimes found it difficult to accelertate the run rate when necessary. A fluent driver of the ball and also a very useful cutter of the ball, Hafeez has in the past had problems with the ball swinging away outside the off stump.

Whilst Hafeez's batting has not been great at international level, his off spin bowling has more often than not been extremely tidy and very handy for the skipper.

Hafeez last represented Pakistan in October 2007 against South Africa and with his strenghts being very similar to former skipper Shoaib Malik its unlikely that he will be selected in the foreseeable future.

Mohammad Hafeez's comeback in the tour of England in 2010 led o a newfound consistency in his game. The new Mohammad Hafeez was performing well with both bat and ball with technical deficiences having been worked upon in his time off. Hafeez became a mainstay in the side and solidified his position as a spinning all-rounder in the team formng a respectable spin trio wth Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi.

Mohammad Hafeez

Mohammad Hafeez 139* vs Zimbabwe 2011 Pt.1

Mohammad Hafeez bolds Ricky Ponting

Misbah-Ul-Haq

Misbah Ul Haq

Misbah-Ul-Haq came into prominence in the 2007 T20 World Cup when he nearly led Pakistan to an improbable victory over arch rivals India in the tournament final. If it wasn't for the mistimed scoop shot, the World Cup could have well been theirs.

At 33, many cricketers are at the fag end of their careers, however for Misbah it was just the start. Many argued that his presence earlier would have given much solidity to a batting order filled with youngsters who have a tendency to be brash. But few remember that in early 2000, Misbah had his opportunities both in Tests and ODIs, and was only dropped after he failed to muster up decent scores even after being granted numerous opportunities.

Despite continuing to score prolifically in the domestic circuit, selectors felt that he had used up his chances and there seemed no way back for the right-hander. But on the eve of the 2007 T20 WC, the selectors did a u-turn and Misbah repaid their faith with a stellar campaign. His performances won him places both in the Test and ODI arena and he continued his rich vein of form with a fine 2007 India tour, where he scored hundreds in back-to-back Tests. In ODIs, he had a fine 2008 series against West Indies and also led Pakistan to victory in a game against the Aussies.

In late 2010 following Salman Butt’s dismissal for the match fixing controversy and with Afridi’s reluctance to take up the post, Misbah was handed Pakistan’s Test captaincy reins. But it remains to be seen if the Punjab-born cricketer has the leadership skills to change the fortunes of a cricketing nation that is going through one of its darkest phases.

Misbah Ul Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq: Afridi has led by example

Misbah ul Haq Direct Hit vs. Zimbabwe

Sunday, 18 December 2011

Umar Akmal

Umar Akmal Biography

As explosive starts to one’s International careers go, few can rival Umar Akmal. He announced his entry with scores of 66 and 102* within his first 3 ODI innings (at Sri Lanka, 2009) in addition to a 129 and 75 on Test debut (at New Zealand, 2009). Those performances weren't a surprise. At first class level, Akmal was renowned for his big scores amassed in quick time. 7 years prior to his debut, Umar’s elder brother Kamran had already gotten his taste of international cricket. By 2010, the siblings featured regularly, in tandem for Pakistan.

As a fearless, middle-order batsman, throughout Pakistan’s disappointing spree of series losses against Sri Lanka in 2009 and later at Australia in early 2010, Umar Akmal’s ascendance was one of their few positives. But as the series in Australia progressed, complacency began to creep into Akmal’s Test form, which started to dip. In ODIs though, a hundred and five fifties by his 18th outing maintained a steady average. It was enough to justify an inclusion in Pakistan’s 2010 T20 World Cup squad. He finished the tournament as Pakistan’s 3rd highest-run getter towards their semi-final run.

While still protected as a batsman, featuring at 3-down, in a Pakistan side that lacks specialist batsmen with the temperament for all forms of the game, Umar Akmal is their most proven rookie to fill the void for the years to come.

Umar Akmal

UMAR AKMAL vs AUSTRALIA HD

Umar Akmal 64(31) v Australia 1st T20 2010

Umar Gul

Umar Gul biography

Full name Umar Gul
Born April 14, 1984, Peshawar, North-Western Frontier Province
Current age 27 years 248 days
Major teams Pakistan, Gloucestershire, Habib Bank Limited, Kolkata Knight Riders, North West Frontier Province, North West Frontier Province Panthers, Pakistan A, Pakistan International Airlines, Peshawar, Peshawar Panthers, Sussex, Western Australia

After speedsters Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif’s date with controversy, heads turned to Umar Gul to spearhead Pakistan’s pace attack in 2006. It had been 3 years since Gul made his debut in 2003 at Sharjah, replacing the Pakistani spell that failed to impress during the World Cup. With a flowing high-arm action, Gul’s precision, panache with swing, and ability to bowl yorkers at will means in him, Pakistan finds its replacement for the legendary Waqar Younis.

Gul’s champagne moment came in 2004, when he ripped through the world class Indian batting line-up on tour to take his first five-for. A multiple stress fracture halted his progress, forcing him to sit through the whole of 2005. He returned in 2006, but unfortunately, it coincided with Pakistan’s slump in Test form. He did help Pakistan to its last Test series victory, against West Indies.

Gul continued to do well for Pakistan in the longer and shorter forms, earning first favour with the rubber in the 2007 World Cup, though poor Pakistani batting performances saw an early exit from the tournament. As the T20 grew popular, Gul soon became the World’s finest in the format. He helped them to a final spot in 2007, eventually lifting the trophy in

2008.

Umar Gul

Umar Gul's best ODI figures - 6/42 - vs England - 2010 - HQ

Umar Gul - Best T20 bowling performance, 2009