Pakistani Cricket Players: May 2012

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar Biography receives strong comments from Wasim Akram, Shahrukh, BCCI, PCB, Shoaib Malik, Tauqeer Zia and several others. Wasim Akram has termed it as a cheap publicity move by Shoaib Akhtar. He further said that Shoaib was a “problem” when he was an active player and remains just that even in retirement. Wasim Akram rubbished Akhtar’s claims of making Sachin Tendulkar uncomfortable with his pace in the Faisalabad Test in 2006 as has been claimed by Akhtar in his book titled ‘Controversially Yours’.

“I remember Sachin’s one innings when he was 16 and touring Pakistan. Sialkot Test was Sachin’s 4th Test. He made his debut in that series. There was a lot of grass on the pitch. Waqar and I bowled very fast. Waqar, I think, was 19 and Sachin was 16. Waqar hit him (Sachin) on the helmet just below the chin and he got hurt. But he put a plaster and he came back to score a 50. If a 16-year-old kid wasn’t scared, I don’t think any of the top batsmen in the world is scared of any bowler,” Akram said.

“Maybe he might play on the back foot to block the delivery or maybe he might just see it off. But I don’t think a player like Sachin can get scared of any bowler. He (Shoaib) can write anything to sell a book, but it does not affect me or Sachin,” he said. Cricblogger totally agrees with Wasim on this one. Even though we have critically analysed Tendulkar’s performances and have written about his centuries and of him not being the best of match finishers, we stand with Wasim on this one. Tendulkar is a great batsman and no top batsmen can be scared by any bowler, Ganguly included (pun intended). Cricblogger has also praised Tendulkar’s world records in another article.

Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar 9 Wickets 1999 Tri Series Vs India & Sri Lanka

Shoaib Akhtar Best Top Wickets & Bouncers.

Hammad Azam

Hammad Azam Biography

Has yet to make his debut for Pakistan in any form of the game.

A promising all rounder, he made his first class debut in 2008 for Rawalpindi v Islamabad at Islamabad, scoring 62 in the second innings.

Represented Pakistan at ICC U19 CWC 2010, scoring 173 runs while being dismissed only once in six innings, including 92 not out in the semi-final against West Indies.

His brother, Haseeb Azam, has played first-class cricket for Rawalpindi as a medium-fast bowler.Debut:

Pakistan Vs West Indies at Beausejour Cricket Ground, St Lucia - Apr 23, 2011

Last played:

Pakistan Vs West Indies at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados - May 02, 2011

Hammad Azam

Hammad Azam Huge Six to Ravi Bopara - 2nd T20

Hammad Azam 6 & 4 in 2 Balls 1st T20 Eng v Pak Feb 2012

Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz

Full name Wahab Riaz

Born June 28, 1985, Lahore, Punjab

Current age 25 years 205 days

Also known as Vicky

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Left-arm fast-medium

Major teams Pakistan, Hyderabad (Pakistan), Hyderabad Hawks, Lahore, Lahore Lions, Lahore Ravi, National Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan A, Punjab (Pakistan).

Wahab Riaz Profile:

Wahab Riaz’s left-arm fast medium has benefited from Pakistan’s chronic poor luck with fast bowlers. With Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif missing more than they play and Umar Gul injury-prone, Riaz came into national reckoning earlier than he might have reasonably expected. His early start was promising though it came in ODIs against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh early in 2008. His first real test came against India in Bangladesh, where after 9.2 expensive overs, he was taken out of the attack for bowling two beamers. But as Pakistan misses its leading bowlers Riaz’s brisk pace remains in national contention.

Wahab Riaz Batting, Fielding and Bowling

Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz 5 Wickets & 1 Run-out v India

Wahab Riaz Double Wicket Over vs Surrey Lions

(July.14.2010)

Sohail Tanvir

Sohail Tanvir

Full name Sohail Tanvir

Born December 12, 1984, Rawalpindi, Punjab

Major teams Pakistan, Federal Areas, Federal Areas Leopards, Khan Research Laboratories, Rajasthan Royals, Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi Rams, South Australia, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited

Playing role Bowler

Batting style Left-hand bat

Bowling style Left-arm medium-fast, Slow left-arm orthodox

The Rawalpindi born allrounder made his first-class debut against Peshawar in October 2004 but failed to impress with bat or ball. However, in his second match, against Multan, Sohail Tanvir scored an unbeaten 97 while taking three wickets but has played only 17 first-class matches since (a total of 19 in three seasons).

Tanvir has established himself as a batting allrounder and his unbeaten 124 (his second first-class century) in the Pentangular Cup 2007 match against Sind further established that point. He also represented Pakistan Academy on their tour of Bangladesh and his fine all-round performance on that tour and against Australia A in the ODI series at home prompted the selectors to name him as Shoaib Akhtar's replacement in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. The decision came as a surprise, however, as Tanvir was yet to take a wicket in the ten Twenty20 matches he had played.

His wrong-footed action, however, caused batsmen a lot of problems and emerged as the surprise package in the ICC World Twenty20. Although not picked for the Test team, Tanvir was back in Pakistan colours in the ODI series against South Africa. He went on to record a stunning 6 for 14 for Rajasthan in the IPL - the best figures in a Twenty20.He also bowls occasional left arm orthodox spin, as demonstrated in his second career Test, against India at Kolkata.

Sohail Tanvir

Sohail Tanvir's 6 Wickets In IPL vs CSK

Sohail Tanvir Double Swing ! !

Abdul Razzaq

Abdul Razzaq

Full name Abdul Razzaq

Born December 2, 1979, Lahore, Punjab

Current age 31 years 48 days

Major teams Pakistan, Asia XI, Hampshire, Hampshire 2nd XI, Hyderabad Heroes, ICL Pakistan XI, Khan Research Labs, Lahore, Lahore Lions, Middlesex, Pakistan International Airlines, Surrey, Worcestershire

Also known as Abdur Razzaq

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

Abdul Razzaq Profile

Abdul Razzaq was once rapid enough to open the bowling and remains composed enough to bat anywhere, though he is discovering that the lower-order suits him nicely. His bowling - the reason he was first noticed - is characterised by a galloping approach, accuracy, and reverse-swing. But it is his batting that is more likely to win matches. He boasts a prodigious array of strokes and is particularly strong driving through cover and mid-off off both front and back foot. He has two gears: block or blast. Cut off the big shots and Razzaq gets bogged down, although patience is his virtue as he demonstrated in a match-saving fifty against India in Mohali in 2005. Just prior to that he had also played a bewilderingly slow innings in Australia, scoring four runs in over two hours. When the occasion demands it though, as ODIs often do, he can still slog with the best of them: England were pillaged for a 22-ball 51 at the end of 2005. and then again for nearly 60 runs in the last three overs of an ODI in September the following year.

It has hardly been smooth sailing though through his career. He suffered a slump, particularly in his bowling, between 2002 and 2004 when, though his place in the team wasn't under threat, there was uncertainty over how best to use him. But there were signs he was rediscovering some of his old guile if not his pace and nip. And if the pitch is in anyway helpful to seam - as it was in his first and only Test five-wicket haul at Karachi in 2004 or against India at the same venue in January 2006 - he can be a proper danger. Though Kamran Akmal's hundred overshadowed all in the Karachi win over India, Razzaq's performance was easily his most emphatic as an allrounder: he scored 45 and 90 as well as taking seven wickets in the match. A combination of injuries and poor form put his Test place into question and a knee injury days before the 2007 World Cup meant Pakistan missed his presence in a disastrous campaign.

A lackluster comeback to international cricket against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi and mediocre performance in the practice matches saw Razzaq being omitted from the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship and consequently announce his retirement from international cricket. He then went on to sign for Worcestershire towards the end of the county season as well as signing up with the Indian Cricket League, which ruled him out of Pakistan contention. He took back his decision to retire but committed himself to the ICL for two seasons, during which he served the Hyderabad Heroes as one of their star players.

After a global amnesty and quitting the ICL, he was welcomed back to the Pakistan fold for the World Twenty20 in England and made an immediate impact as Pakistan won the tournament. His Test comeback also looked set to be complete after he was included in Pakistan's 15-man squad for the tour of Sri Lanka in June. Early in his career he promised to be Pakistan's most complete allrounder since Imran Khan, and though for a variety of reasons he hasn't translated that into achievement, his country wouldn't mind having just a very solid allrounder.

Abdul Razzaq