Showing posts with label CRICKETERS. Show all posts

Sanath Jayasuriya Celebrity Profile

Monday, May 4, 2009

Sanath Jayasuriya
Full name: Sanath Teran Jayasuriya
Born :June 30, 1969,
Birth Place: Matara
Current age :37 years
Major teams: Sri Lanka, ACC Asian XI, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Colombo Cricket Club, Somerset
Batting style :Left-hand bat
Bowling style: Slow left-arm orthodox

Biography:
One of the world's most uncompromising strikers of the ball, Jayasuriya found belated fame as a pinch-hitter at the 1996 World Cup, and then demonstrated that he was also capable of massive scoring in Tests, eventually becoming Sri Lanka's highest Test run-scorer. He remains dizzily dangerous, especially on the subcontinent's slower, less bouncy surfaces. Short in stature and powerfully built, he cuts and pulls with awesome power, and his brutal bat-wielding is at odds with his shy, gentle nature. Wised-up opponents have learned to set traps in the gully and at third man to stem the flow of runs, but on song he can be virtually unstoppable, capable of scoring freely on both sides of the wicket.

Jayasuriya is also an extremely effective and canny left-arm spinner, especially in one-day internationals where his stock leg-stump darts are mixed up with clever variations in pace. Jayasuriya served commendably as Sri Lanka's captain for a successful tenure after the sacking of Arjuna Ranatunga in 1999. His leadership style was consensual in comparison to the Napoleon approach adopted by Ranatunga, and he soon built a happy and unified team. The huge responsibility of leading the team, though, started to show and by the 2003 World Cup, after a myriad of off-field controversies, it was clear that he had become a reluctant captain. He eventually resigned in April 2003.

Having stepped down, his position in the side was more vigorously debated and a one-day slump prompted several pundits to call time on his career. But Jayasuriya was far from finished, and he bounced back in 2004 with his most prolific year in Test cricket since 1997. The year included a blazing second-innings century against Australia at Kandy that nearly levelled the series and a marathon double-hundred against Pakistan at Faisalabad. Twin centuries followed during the Asia Cup 2004 and his form was impressive enough for Somerset to sign him up for a season of County Cricket in 2005. And in the Indian Oil Cup in 2005, Jayasuriya became only the fourth batsman to get to 10,000 runs in one-day cricket.

He retired in 2006, only to almost immediately retract his decision. After behind-the-scenes machinations which hinted at internal power struggles between board and coach, he was shoehorned into the squad for the Test series in England but did not play. He bounced back in typical form, however, in the one-day series that followed, showing he has a few more miles left on the clock.
Sanath Teran Jayasuriya (born 30 June 1969 in Matara) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. An all-rounder, he has been a member of the Sri Lankan cricket team since 1989. He is the only player in the world to score over 13,000 runs and capture over 300 wickets in ODIs. He is also regarded by many critics and supporters as one of the best ODI players to ever play the game. Jayasuriya is also part of the Mumbai Indians team in the Indian Premier League

Zaheer Khan Celebrity Profile

Zaheer Khan
Full name: Zaheer Khan
Born: October 7, 1978
Birth place: Shrirampur, Maharashtra
Height: 6.0 ft
Current age: 30 years 177 days
Major teams: India, Asia XI, Asia XI, Bangalore Royal Challengers, Baroda, Mumbai, Surrey, Worcestershire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Left-arm fast-medium

Biography:
Like Waqar Younis a decade before, Zaheer Khan yorked his way into the collective consciousness of the cricket world: his performances at the ICC Knockout Trophy in Kenya in September 2000 announced the arrival of an all-too-rare star in the Indian fast-bowling firmament. He might just as easily have come from the Pakistani pace stable: well-built, quick and unfazed by a batsman's reputation, Zaheer could move the ball both ways off the wicket and swing the old ball at some pace. After initially struggling to establish himself as a new-ball bowler, he came of age on the 2002 tour of the West Indies, when he led the line with great heart. His subsequent displays in England and New Zealand - not to mention some eye-catching moments at the World Cup - established him at the forefront of India's new pace generation, but a hamstring injury saw him relegated to bit-part performer as Indian cricket scripted some of its finest moments away in Australia and Pakistan. After that, his pace has dropped and his attitude was questioned, as a new breed of pace bowlers pushed him aside to move to the front of the queue. Zaheer's response was to head to Worcestershire and take 78 wickets in the 2006 county season, a performance that earned him a recall for the tour of South Africa. He was the perfect foil for Sreesanth there, and he then regained his status as leader of the pack with a matchwinning display at Trent Bridge, as India won only their fifth Test on English soil.

Yuvraj Singh Celebrity Profile

Yuvraj Singh
First Name: Yuvraj
Last Name: Singh
Born: 12 December 1981, Chandigarh
Nick Name Yuvi
Height: 6'2
Major Teams: Punjab, India.
Known As: Yuvraj Singh
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium

Biography:
Yuvraj born in Chandigarh at 12 December 1981.At 19, Yuvraj is already an all rounder who has proven himself. One need look no further than his performance in the domestic youth competitions and in the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. In the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy in the 1999-2000 season, Yuvraj made 358 against Bihar. Any batsman who has the ability to play an innings of that length is bound to be a force to reckon with. Following that performance up with what was an extremely successful World Cup in Sri Lanka, Yuvraj caught the eye of many a cricket pundit. He was named player of the series for scoring heavily through the World Cup, including a tremendous half century that came off just 20 balls in the semifinals against Australia.

Generously gifted, Yuvraj Singh is looked upon as a strong, fearless natural destined for great things. Two months short of his 19th birthday, he made an almost messianic entry into international cricket, toppling Australia in the Nairobi Mini-World Cup in 2000-01, with a blistering 84 and some scintillating fielding. In time he was to supplement these skills with clever, loopy left-arm spin. While Yuvraj's ability to hit the ball long and clean were instantly recognised, he was soon found to be troubled by quality spin and perceived to lack commitment, traits for which he temporarily lost his place in the one-day side. But on returning, for the last two one-dayers against Zimbabwe in early 2002, he swung the series India's way with a matchwinning innings in each game, and then went to England and played a key role in three Indian chases in their dream run in the NatWest tri-series. It took 15 months more, and an injury to his captain, Sourav Ganguly, for Yuvraj to get a Test look-in. On the third such opportunity, against Pakistan on the first day on a greentop at Lahore, he stroked a stunning century off 110 balls. The 2005-06 season proved to be a watershed for Yuvraj, with 1161 runs at 58 in the one-dayers, as he transformed himself into one of the keystones in India's batting line-up. He was soon preferred over VVS Laxman in Tests when India went in with five batsmen, but a lean series in the West Indies meant that he was still struggling to match potential with performance.

Graeme Smith Celebrity Profile

Graeme Smith
Full Name: Graeme Smith
Birth Date: 1 February 1981
Birth Place: Scotland
Height: 1.91m
Weight: 82.63 kg
Age: 26
Position: Goalkeeper

Biography:
Graeme Craig Smith (born 1 February 1981 in Johannesburg) became the youngest ever captain of the South African cricket team at the age of 22 when he was selected to take over from Shaun Pollock after the 2003 cricket World Cup. He showed his talent as a batsman in the tour of England in 2003 when he made double centuries in consecutive Test matches: a national record of 277 at Edgbaston, and 259 at Lord’s. He is also an occasional off spin bowler who appears to be able to take key wickets.

He joined English county Somerset as captain for part of the 2005 season and scored a century in their notable victory over tourists Australia.

Adam Gilchrist Celebrity Profile

Adam Gilchrist
Full Name:Adam Gilchrist
Date of Birth: 14 November 1971
Birth Place: Bellingen, New South Wales - Australia
Test Cap No: 381
Major Cricket Teams: Australia - Western Australia - New South Wales
Playing Role: Wicketkeeper batsman
Batting Style: Left-hand bat
Bowling Style: Right-arm offbreak
Height: 1.85 m
Test Debut:
Australia v Pakistan at Brisbane - 1st Test, 1999-2000
Age: 37

Biography:
Adam Gilchrist is an aggressive left-handed batsman and outstanding wicket-keeper. Born on November 14 1971, he is the youngest of 4 children to Stan and June Gilchrist. He has a sister Jackie, and 2 brothers, Glenn & Dean, all older. He grew up in Bellingen, New South Wales.
He is considered to be one of the best wicketkeeper/batsmen in the history of the game. His ability to wipe out the competition in a short period of time led him to become 'The Demolition Man'.
Adam lives in Perth. Married to Melinda Sharpe and both are proud parents of Annie (born Aug, 04) and Harrison (born Nov, 01).

Matthew Hayden Celebrity Profile

Matthew Hayden
Full Name: Matthew Lawrence Hayden.
Nickname: Haydos
First Name: Matthew
Last Name: Hayden
Born: 29 October 1971, Kingaroy, Queensland - Australia
Height:188cm.
Weight: 95kg
Age: 37Birth Place: Kingaroy
Test Cap Number: 359
Major Cricket Teams: Australia - Queensland - Northamptonshire - Hampshire
Batting Style: Left Hand
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium Pace

Biography:
Matthew Hayden born as Matthew Lawrence Hayden on October 29th, 1971 in Kingaroy, Queensland is an outstanding Australian cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman and an aggressive run-getter for his side. In any form of the game runs freely flow from his blade. Matthew Hayden holds the record of scoring highest runs by an Australian in Tests and One-day games. He scored his highest 380 in Tests against Zimbabwe in October 2003 and knocked a swift 181 not-out in ODIs against New Zealand in February 2007.

Matthew Hayden also fondly called as Haydos by his teammates, made his Test debut against South Africa in 1994 at Johannesburg in March 1994. In 2001 playing against India in a 3-Test series, Matthew Hayden accumulated 539 runs and sealed his position in the side. Continuing in his best form, Matthew Hayden amassed over 1000 Test runs for five consecutive years from 2001-2005. Matthew Hayden has played over 90 Tests and accumulated 7800 plus runs with 27 centuries including his highest Test score of 380.

Matthew Hayden made his One-day debut against England at Manchester in May 1993. Matthew Hayden became the third cricket player, after Sourav Ganguly and Mark Waugh, to score three centuries in a single World Cup held in 2007. His century against South Africa ranks as the fastest World Cup century as it came off in just 66 balls. Matthew Hayden played 150 One-day games and amassed over 5700 runs with 10 centuries including his highest 181 not out.

Matthew Hayden made his T20 debut against England at Southampton in June 2005. Even in this format of game, Matthew Hayden holds the record of being the top scorer in 2007 ICC World T20 campaign.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Celebrity Profile

Friday, April 24, 2009

Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Full name: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
D.O.B: 7th July, 1981
Place of Birth: Ranchi, Bihar
Nickname: Mahi
Height:
Role: Captain of the Indian ODI and Twenty20 team and Vice captain of the Test team
Batting style: Right hand batsman
Bowling style: Right arm medium
Field position: Wicketkeeper
Clubs played: Jharkhand

Biography:
Dhoni was born and brought up in the city of Ranchi. He has two siblings. A sister who is married and a brother who lives in Almora. Almora is a high-lying town at the foot of the Himalaya which is his father's home town. His father's name is Pan Singh and mother's name is Devki Devi.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni started his first class career in the year 1999-2000. His one day international debut came after playing five years of first class cricket on the 23rd of December 2004 against Bangladesh. The venue of the match was in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Unfortunately, he was run out on the first ball he faced. It wasn't a great debut for him where batting is concerned. Luck wasn't on his side in the first four matches he played. Where as on the fifth match which was played against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam, Dhoni came to the crease one down and managed to score 148 runs from just 123 balls. He hit 15 boundaries and four sixes. He got his first man of the match award that day. Not only a good wicketkeeper but Dhoni proved himself to be a first class batsman too. He is one of the few finest wicketkeeper batsman India has seen after a very long time.
On the 31st of October, Dhoni broke the record of highest runs scored by a wicket keeper by securing 183 runs against Srilanka which was played at Jaipur. Adam Gilchrist was the former record holder with 172 runs.
Before he started playing cricket, he was a football goalkeeper. Its said he drinks around four litres of milk everyday but he denied it by saying that has been exaggerated a bit. He said he loves milk and drinks around a litre on a daily basis.
On the 2nd of December 2005, Dhoni made his Test cricket debut against Srilanka which was played in Chennai, India.

Brett Lee Celebrity Profile

Brett Lee
Name: Brett Lee
Born: 8 November 1976,
Birth Place: Wollongong, New South Wales - Australia
Test Cap Number: 383
Major Cricket Teams: Australia - New South Wales
Known As: Bing
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Fast Pace
Height : 186.5 cm

Biography:
Brett Lee is the name that no cricket lover or the Australian citizen can ever forget. He is one of the best cricketers of the Australian cricket team, having his ups and downs during the course of his career.
Brett Lee was born on the 8 th of November in the year 1976 and is one of the three sons of his parents, Bob and Helen Lee, who are metallurgist and pianist respectively. He is in the middle position amongst his brothers, with Shane Lee being the eldest and Grant the younger brother. Brett Lee had spent his child hood in Wollongong, NSW.
Brett Lee has always regarded his family to the highest positions and esteems. He has several times quoted that his family is a very tightly knit unit, and if anyone had to tell him to choose between the three most loved things in his life, cricket, music, fashion and his family's health and happiness, he would go for his family.
Brett Lee is more famously known for being one of the world's fastest right arm fast bowlers of Australia. The fastest ever deliver that Brett Lee has spelt has reached the value of 160.8 km/h which was bowled against New Zealand to the player Craig Cumming in his very first over on the 5 th of March in the year 2005. He has taken some major wickets in important matches because of his first pace and accuracy which gives the batsman a very less reaction time. Brett Lee has also proved himself to some extent in the field of batting. Brett Lee has various times revealed that he preferred to be an all-rounder; however it was not a basic priority. He has a good physique and aggressive style that can yield many sixes for the team. His most famous six was at Gabba, Brisbane, during a test match against the West Indies team in the year 2005, in which the ball flew out of the stadium and is also known as the biggest hit on that ground ever.
Brett Lee is one of those players who have received great awards in his cricket career, including the prestigious award of Donald Young Player of the Year at the award ceremony in the year 2000, soon after he made his debut.
Brett Lee was also voted as the runner up in the Bachelor of the year annual competition in the year 200, which further elevated his popularity. He is also referred by the female fans as the 'pin up boy' in Australian cricket.
Brett Lee currently lives in the city of Sydney, with his wife Liz Kemp, whom he married in June 2006 and his son Preston Charles who was born on the 16 th of November 2006, a week before the first Ashes Test series.

Ricky Ponting Celebrity Profile

Ricky Ponting
Full Name : Ricky Thomas Ponting
Born : 19 Dec 1974
Place of Birth : Launceston, Tasmania
Country :
Batting : Right Handed Batsman
Bowling : Right-arm medium
Test Debut : Pakistan v West Indies at Lahore - Dec 6-11, 1990
ODI Debut : Pakistan v West Indies at Karachi - Nov 9, 1990

Biography:
Ricky Thomas Ponting was born on 19th December, 1974, in Tasmania, Australia.
He is the captain and star batsman of the Australian Test and one day team.
On January 1, 2006 Ponting started his 100th Test Match with a test record of 7,990 runs at a stunning average of 56.27 with 26 centuries.
In 2006 Ricky Ponting continued his marvellous batting record.
In March 2006 Ponting overtook Don Bradman in the list of all-time century-makers with 30 Test hundreds. The record is held by Sachin Tendulkar who has 35.
Also, in the second test match against South Africa, Ponting became only the second player - the first was India's Sunil Gavaskar - to score centuries in each innings of a test three times.
Ricky Ponting started playing cricket for his local club, Tasmania at the age of 17 and made his Test debut for Australia at 20. It was against Sri Lanka and Ponting was out for for 96 on a doubtful lbw decision.
Ponting played the next 6 tests for Australia but then lost his place and wasn't selected for two years. His comeback match was against England in which Ponting scored his debut test century.
Despite getting excessively drunk on two occasions when on tour, and being involved in a bar fight, Ponting generally kept his place in the Australian team as the no.3 batsman apart from in 2001 when he suffered from an ankle injury.
In 2003 Australia won an emphatic victory in the World Cup Final against India, with Ponting hitting 140 runs.
After this he became the Test captain and Australia white-washed Sri Lanka 3-0.
In 2005 Ponting's Australia came face to face with England for the Ashes.
Australia took the first Test at Lords but England fought back at Edgbaston to tie the series. In the third Test at Old Trafford Australia needed to survive a whole day to draw. Ponting, in effect, saved Australia with a magical 156 runs.
The fourth Ashes match was at Trent Bridge, where Ponting expressed his annoyance at the use of substitutes after he was run out in single figures by England substitute, Gary Pratt. England won the match to lead the series 2-1.
In the final test, England drew, and so won the nail-biting series. Ponting praised the English performance:
"England have played great cricket through the summer and they thoroughly deserve to regain the Ashes ... They've out-played us in every Test match bar the first one."
In spite of losing the Ashes, Wisden named Ricky Ponting one of the top 5 cricketers in the world in 2005.
The plaudits continued for Ricky Ponting in 2006, when he was nominated for four cricket awards by the ICC: Player of the Year, ODI Player of the Year, Captain of the Year and Test Player of the Year.
On the first day of the first Test of the 2006 Ashes, Ricky Ponting showed that he meant business hitting an unbeaten 137. Ponting went on to make 196.
Ponting ended up captaining Australia to a 5-0 drubbing of England and Ricky Ponting was made man of the Ashes series.
He followed up by captaining Australia to the World Cup in 2007.

Shoaib Akhtar Celebrity Profile

Shoaib Akhtar
Dad's Name : Mohammed
Mother's Name : Hammeda
Brother's Name : Shahid, Jahid & Abaid
Sister's Name : Shamaila
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Height : 6 feet
Zodiac : Leo
Best Habit : Stays Quiet
Worst Habit : Trusts people too quickly
Best Asset : Eyes

Biography:
First step towards cricket
Shoaib’s entrance in Cricket was not at all planned, infact it was very dramatic. He started playing cricket at the age of ‘20’ and that too with a tennis ball. As per him, he used to play bet-matches where a bet of 200 rupees was put on a match and the winner could take the money. One day just by chance Isthaq Shah, the President of Rawalpindi Real Cricket association was watching the game. He was impressed with Shoaib’s bowling and offered him to play in a Test match against New-Zealand. Shoaib refused initially as he had never played International Cricket nor had he ever played with the real hard cricket ball but Mr. Isthaq forced him and the rest is history. It is quiet difficult to digest but Shoaib Akhtar played with the actual cricket ball in his very first international cricket match.

How he became a Fast Bowler
During his school days Shoaib used to run the 100-meter races. He was a very good sprinter. That’s how he got his pace ----- doing a fast 35-meter run-up.

Comparison with Imran Khan
Shoaib is often compared to Imran Khan for his winning attitude on and off the field. His performance on the field has helped Pakistan win a number of matches. Off the field too his record is quiet phenomenal. In his words, “I have thousands of girlfriends-although I suppose I should just call them friends. I think they are little more than fans. In the last few months I had to change my Telephone number 20 times because they (female fans) got hold of it. It’s absolute madness in Pakistan. If I go out all the women rush towards me in order to have a chat, they grab me and at times even tear off my clothes.” So it won’t be surprising to learn that the former (playboy) cricketer Imran Khan is Shoaib’s inspiration and mentor. Shoaib loves being compared to his idol.

Life before becoming a cricketer
Before becoming a cricketer Shoaib was a wild, irresponsible and reckless lad who always got into trouble, fighting in streets or running after girls. In his words, “ I didn’t have to work so I would just roam around on my Kawasaki 750 motorbike. I was totally carefree. I wasn’t a very nice guy, infact I was nasty and bad. I was always getting into fights-usually over women. I was a real street fighter. People didn’t like me at all.” Shoaib has a nine-inch scar across his chest and a lot more wounds down his legs. He further added, “I even carried a gun though for my own safety. I would never shoot anyone, but would fire in the air in order to scare the enemies. My mother was always worried about me. At times she slapped me and said, “I am not happy with you. You better be a good man.” And see her wish has come true. Now my mother is very proud of me and wishes me luck before every Match.”

Views on Marriage
Shoaib prefers to have an arranged Marriage. He wants a fair complexioned, simple, clean woman who cares for him, his family and finances. She should be a good housekeeper and not a money waster. As per him, “The woman who run after me presently cannot be trusted because they are attracted towards my fame and not because they love me as an individual. But if I really fell in love before my marriage is arranged then I will follow my heart and marry the woman I love. But if this happened my mother will never forgive me and I would never be able to convince her for accepting the marriage.” Shoaib gets a lot of female attention but is confident that the only woman he will concentrate on would be his wife.

GOD's Importance in his life
Shoaib gives credit to GOD for whatever he is today. In his words, “ My mother didn’t want me to play cricket. She wanted me to finish my studies and look for a good job but I guess God had something else for me. He wanted me to play for my country so he picked me out of so many. I really think it was his will.”

Sachin Tendulkar Celebrity Profile

Sachin Tendulkar
Name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Date of Birth: April 24, 1973
Place of Birth: Mumbai
Major Teams: India, Mumbai
Batting Style: Right -Hand Batsman
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium, Leg Break, Right Arm Off Break
ODI Debut : India v Pakistan at Gujranwala, 2nd ODI, 1989/90
Test Debut : India v Pakistan at Karachi, 1st Test, 1989/90
Height : 5'5

Biography:
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the most famous cricketer ever was born on April 24, 1973 in Mumbai. He had his schoolin at Sharadashram Vidyamandir School in Mumbai. He started playing cricket at a very young age. He played his first international match at the age of 16, which was a record at that time.

Sachin's debut match was against Pakistan in a test match on 1989. His one-day international (ODI) debut was on December 18 against Pakistan. His maiden ODI century came on September 9, 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo, just six years after his debut. Starting there, he has so far scored a record 38 ODI centuries.

Sachin now holds the record for having taken most one-day runs (13500+) and centuries (38). He belongs to the group of rare sportsmen and his records might never be broken. Sachin Tendulkar has also captained India for few years.

Tedulkar had his love marriage with Anjali Mehta, a Gujarati doctor. They have two children Sarah (daughter) and Arjun (son).