Pak vs Eng Test Series 2012: Pakistani off-spinners eye for a Clean Sweep…

With the dawn of 2012, no one expected that World’s #1 test team England will fall like nine pins in front of the fraught Pakistan team in UAE. The magical bowling of off-spinner Saeed Ajmal thrashed the English batting line up, where the introduction of ‘teesra’ a new delivery by him, made everyone stunned. Using of ‘teesra’, as hinted by Saeed Ajmal was considered as a deception and many English batsmen just gave a cheesy smile to it. English batsmen thought that it is just a hoax to let their morale down and to confuse them before the match. However, the bewildering bamboozle of ‘doosra’ and ‘teesra’ bowled by Saeed Ajmal made their mockery into a loud cry. No one expected that there is a secret arsenal hiding in the hands of the Pakistani off-spinner.

Although, Pakistan has won the series by 2-0, the third and last test is just round the corner. Pakistan team is quite hopeful to take the world’s number one test team to task by winning the third test match on the Arabian Soil. English team has already faced too much criticism and trying to recuperate from their current position. Pakistan team, on the other hand, after experiencing so many reprehensible incidents in the recent past, is quite committed to take the front seat. Let’s hope the magic of off spinners continue in the following 3^rd test match to be played in Dubai and Pakistan wins the match by 3-0.

 

Famous cricket players Virendar Sehwag: An ace in the Indian Deck

Records are meant to be broken and Virendar Sehwag did in great fashion by hitting the highest ODI score of 219runs against West Indies at Indore, India. Virendar Sehwag broke the Highest ODI runs record of Sachin Tendulker who registered 200 runs against South Africa on February 24, 2011. Only two men did it in the history or ODI cricket and both are from India. Sehwag has considered his win as the biggest thing in life as he broke the record of his role model Sahcin Tendulker.

Virender Sehwag has a well built career with an inexorable pursuit, and a wunderkind, for hitting the boundaries all over. His specialty lies in his foot work, although it minimal but the intent to strike the ball is optimum. Not only ODIs, he has been the fastest runs scorer in the history for test cricket. As an opener, always a danger man for all kind of bowling attacks. 

Golden Time of Cricket Teams: West Indies 1975-1984

Gone are the days when West Indies aka Windies reigned the ODI cricket in its early days. Those were the days when an ODI match was of 60 overs, without any power plays and fielding restrictions. Holding a red ball, Men dressed in white played the first world cup in 1975 where West Indies under the captaincy of Clive Lloyd lofted the first World Cup trophy.

West Indies during 1975-1984 was one team that was always a hard nut to crack for all the cricketing nations. Windies were blessed with legendary players like Viv Richards, Andy Roberts, Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Rohan Kanhai, Michael Holding, Collis King and Desmond Haynes. All these players who rose from the Caribbean have registered profuse golden memories of the glorious days they spent entertaining the spectators on the cricket grounds – the defeat of Aussies in the 1975 world cup final was not less than stupendous and this performance was repeated in 1979 when England lost to West Indies in a pulsating World Cup final match.

Although there was a major hit to West Indies in 1983 world cup final when they lost playing against India, But it is a reality that Windies enjoyed their supremacy as the best ODI team from 1975 to 1984.

Humaira Asad

The Glitz & Blitz of Muhammad Hafeez

He is pacified, he is unwearied, he is none other than Muhammad Hafeez who has bestowed his excellent skills to Pakistan not only with bat but also with his neat bowling. Furthermore, he has saved so many runs due to his feverish vigilance in the ground.  An under-hyped cricketer with some magnificent performances has finally brought him in limelight on the ICC ODI bowlers ranking table.

In the third ODI against Bangladesh, this Pakistani spinner took three wickets at the most crucial time of the game and turned the match in favor of Pakistan. This is not the first time; he is always a handy bowler and had been supporting Pakistan’s main bowling attack for quite some time. Not only he aided Pakistan in winning the series with a clean sweep, Mohammad Hafeez also got the honor of becoming the third player to register 30 wickets and a double of 1000 runs in the cricket calendar year. Prior to him, Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka was the first player to bag this title in 1997. South African legendary cricketer Jacques Kallis is the second who has achieved this feat in 2000 and 2002. Currently Muhammad Hafeez is on the second slot on the ICC ODI bowlers ranking, following is her peer Saeed Ajmal who is holding the top position on the chart.

Humaira Asad

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 4th ODI: It was Afridi’s Day

 

Afridi single-handedly displayed an impregnable performance both with bat and bowl by winning the Pakistan Sri Lanka series played on the Arab soil. The 4^th ODI out of the five ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Sharjah was a treat to watch. After eight years of cricket drought at the Sharjah cricket ground, Pakistan again registered a memorable success over Sri Lanka which lost its last 7 wickets of just 19 runs. The game was almost in the hands of Sri Lanka but Afridi wrecked the lower batting order with a blend of googlies and legbreaks, successfully preyed five wickets for Pakistan. The juggling of Afridi perplexed the Sri Lankan batting where world class batsmen like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumara Sangakkara were unable to withstand the artifice of Shahid Afridi.

Pakistan batted first, struggled early in the game with 6 wickets down on 97. Afridi came at seventh position and played a magnificent inning of 75 runs off 65 balls. It is the first time ever in ODI history that a player has secured a half century and took 5 wickets in one inning twice in his career. Before that this feat was registered 15 times but none of the cricketers has repeated their performance like Shahid Afridi did.

Humaira Asad

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