Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram Biography

Source(google.com.pk)

Regarded by many to be the greatest left-handed fast bowler in the world, Wasim Akram is known for being the face of cricket and a pioneer in reverse swing bowling. Highly respected by his contemporaries for an impressive career, ornamented by an ICC Cricket Hall of Fame induction and with various records broken, Akram is not free from controversy. Accused of ball tampering and match fixing, the cricket champ has struggled to maintain his reputation. 

Born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan to a middle-class family, Akram attended Islamia College where he performed as an opening bowler and batsman. Displaying tremendous talent and flair in Test cricket, Akram attracted the attention of Pakistani All-rounder, Imran Kahn. Kahn would become Akram’s close friend and mentor at the World Championship of Cricket in Australia.

Throughout the 80’s Akram’s fame grew and the cricket world was forced to take note of the talent that Kahn observed in the young bowler. However, in 1988, Akram suffered a pulled groin, the first of many injuries that would slow his development as an athlete and hinder his career. However, in the early 90’s, Akram appeared on the scene recovered and with a faster, more deliberate bowling swing that made the world focus on him again. At the 1992 Cricket World Cup, Akram’s new style of swing proved deadly and the Pakistan National Team won the tournament. The success of the group and the leadership abilities of Akram garnered him the title of “captain,” a distinction he held until his retirement in 2003 after accusations of match fixing arose.

Following his retirement, Akram found himself as a sports commentator for ESPN and other networks, reporting on a number of sports, not just cricket. However, in 2010, Akram entered back into the world of cricket as bowling coach consultant for the Kolkata Knight Riders and as a couch for a number of training camps. The former cricket champ also found great support and gratification in his work as diabetes advocate and spokesperson for Accu Chek. Akram, who was diagnosed with type I diabetes in 1997, speaks openly about his illness and is determined to use his fame to promote awareness and break the stereotype that diabetes can’t be controlled. Akram, in an interview with Complete Wellbeing, stated,” I wanted to help people become aware of the disease and what is available to deal with it. I took 250 wickets after I was diagnosed with diabetes. I monitor my sugar levels every second day before breakfast and after lunch. If I am stressed about something I check my sugar to see how it is affected by stress. As I am in the know about what affects my sugar levels, I am more able to control it.”

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

                                           Wasim Akram
                                                 

                                 Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram 

 

 

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi Biography

Source(google.com.pk)

Shahid Afridi is a professional cricket player, who was born on March 1, 1980 in Khyber Agency, Pakistan. His parents are of the Afridi tribe in Kohat; he is married to Nadia and has two daughters, Aqsa and Ansha.

Nicknamed ‘Boom Boom Afridi’ for his aggressive batting style, Shahid Afridi is a brilliant all-rounder, as he is also a right-arm leg-spin or medium-paced bowler. In October 1998, he made his Test debut for the Pakistan team against Australia and became a reliable member of his side. Shahid Afridi scored five Test centuries in his career, as of the year 2008; three times against India (1999 and twice in 2006) and twice against the West Indies (2002 and 2005).

His first appearance in an One Day International (ODI) came on October 2, 1996 at Nairobi in a match played against the Kenya cricket team. He rose to become an indispensable member of the Pakistani ODI squad with his remarkable performances since 1996. By making the fastest hundred runs (included six boundaries and eleven 6’s) of 37 balls in an ODI match against Sri Lanka, Shahid Afridi beat the record of Sanath Jayasuriya, a famous Sri Lankan cricketer, on October 4, 1996. He was just 16 years, when he performed this feat and was the youngest player to have achieved such an accomplishment. With Brian Lara, he shares a joint record for scoring the third fastest ODI century out of 45 balls against India in April 2005. By making four of the top eight fastest ODI half centuries, Shahid Afridi has made a mark for himself in the history of ODI cricket. In 2007, he scored 32 runs (including four consecutive sixes) off six balls against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi. The over was bowled by Malinga Bandara which is considered to the second most expensive over in the ODI history.

In March 2005, his Test performance with the bat and the ball played a key role in Pakistan’s encounter against India. Shahid Afridi made 50 runs out of 26 balls and walked away with three wickets in the second innings of a Test match claiming the victory for his team and brought the series to a draw. In January 2006, he smashed four consecutive sixes against Harbhajan Singh’s bowling in a Test match against India. On achieving a combination of 5000 runs and 200 wickets, Shahid Afridi is the third player (after Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis, a South African cricketer) to accomplish such a feat in the ODI history.

 

For his commendable performances as a bowler of the Pakistan team in the international 2007 Twenty20, Shahid Afridi earned the Man of the Series award.

He represented the Deccan Chargers (DC) team under the captaincy of VVS Laxman, an Indian cricketer, in the Indian Premier League (IPL) of 2008. His sign-in price was $675,000 and played thirty matches for the DC team. Shahid Afridi scored 367 runs, which included 32 boundaries and 21 sixes with a strike rate of 171.49. By taking 35 wickets, the bowling average of Shahid Afridi was 20.05 at an economy rate of 6.81.

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi 

Shahid Afridi