Pakistani Cricket Players

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Umar Akmal

Umar Akmal Biography

Source(google.com.pk)
Full name Umar Akmal Born May 26, 1990, Lahore, Punjab Current age 20 years 238 days Batting style Right-hand bat Fielding position Occasional wicketkeeper Relation Brother – Kamran Akmal, Brother – Adnan Akmal Umar Akmal Picture Major teams Pakistan, Lahore...
Umar Akmal (born 26 May 1990 in Lahore) is a Pakistani cricketer. He made his ODI debut on August 1, 2009 against Sri Lanka.
Current age 20 years 238 days

Batting style Right-hand bat

Fielding position Occasional wicketkeeper

Relation Brother - Kamran Akmal, Brother - Adnan Akmal
Playing Roll: Batsman
Batting Style: Right
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Umar Akmal Profile

The runs didn't cease to flow for Umar Akmal, the younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran and Adnan, in his maiden first-class season. In a triumphant 2007-08 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Umar failed to score in his first outing but then went on to amass 855 runs from nine matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, at an average of 77.72 and an impressive strike-rate of 90.18. He showed a penchant for both brisk and big scoring, with knocks of 248 off 225 balls and 186 off 170. In January 2008, he was picked in Pakistan's Under-19 team for the World Cup in Malaysia. He was the leading run-getter - with 255 runs at a strike-rate of 123.18 - in a tri-nation tournament involving England and Sri Lanka in the lead-up to the World Cup. A successful tour of Australia with Pakistan A was followed up a maiden international call-up for the ODIs in Sri Lanka, and Umar started off with a half-century in his second game and a power-packed hundred in his third. A Test call-up was inevitable and he gave an optimistic glimpse into the future of Pakistan cricket, with a century on debut, under pressure followed by a string of consistent scores in New Zealand.
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.
The runs didn't cease to flow for Umar Akmal, the younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran and Adnan, in his maiden first-class season. In a triumphant 2007-08 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Umar failed to score in his first outing but then went on to amass 855 runs from nine matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, at an average of 77.72 and an impressive strike-rate of 90.18. He showed a penchant for both brisk and big scoring, with knocks of 248 off 225 balls and 186 off 170. In January 2008, he was picked in Pakistan's Under-19 team for the World Cup in Malaysia. He was the leading run-getter - with 255 runs at a strike-rate of 123.18 - in a tri-nation tournament involving England and Sri Lanka in the lead-up to the World Cup. A successful tour of Australia with Pakistan A was followed up a maiden international call-up for the ODIs in Sri Lanka, and Umar started off with a half-century in his second game and a power-packed hundred in his third. A Test call-up was inevitable and he gave an optimistic glimpse into the future of Pakistan cricket, with a century on debut, under pressure followed by a string of consistent scores in New Zealand.
Batting and fielding averages
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 15 29 2 988 129 36.59 1481 66.71 1 6 115 17 12 0
ODIs 43 39 6 1249 102* 37.84 1430 87.34 1 8 98 21 18 0
T20Is 22 21 3 571 64 31.72 474 120.46 0 4 41 18 18 1
First-class 46 79 7 3346 248 46.47 4652 71.92 7 20 410 53 41 0
List A 68 63 9 2012 104 37.25 2298 87.55 3 12 150 38 32 0
Twenty20 46 43 8 1114 68* 31.82 861 129.38 0 7 107 30 35 1
Bowling averages
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 15 - - - - - - - - - - - -
ODIs 43 - - - - - - - - - - - -
T20Is 22 - - - - - - - - - - - -
First-class 46 1 6 10 0 - - - 10.00 - 0 0 0
List A 68 2 24 13 0 - - - 3.25 - 0 0 0
Twenty20 46 1 24 36 1 1/36 1/36 36.00 9.00 24.0 0 0 0
Fast Facts

Akmal’s total of 204 runs on his Test debut (against New Zealand) is the 8th highest ever.
It’s also the second highest for a Pakistani debutant behind Yasir Hameed’s 275 in 2003.
Akmal’s 129 on Test debut is the 4th highest for a Pakistani, making him one of only 7 players from his country to score a century on debut. Among those on the list, Akmal is the only centurion to have achieved the feat on foreign soil.
It took Umar Akmal 38 matches (6 Tests, 18 ODIs and 14 T20s) until playing for Pakistan in Pakistan, the third most behind teammate Mohammad Aamer (41) and Sri Lankan Greame Labrooy (53).
Along with brother Kamran Akmal, the Akmals are the 4th blood brothers to feature for Pakistan in the 60-odd years of cricket history.
Among top order batsmen, Akmal has the 4th best strike rate overall (Test, ODI and T20) for Pakistani players. (Minimum of 40 matches).
Umar Akmal Batting, Fielding and Bowling

The above stats are as per date of this post.

Umar Akmal Career

Test:
2009-2010

ODI:
2009-2010

T20:
2009-2010

Umar Akmal Test

Debut:
Pakistan Vs New Zealand at University Oval, Dunedin - Nov 24, 2009
Last played:
Pakistan Vs South Africa at Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, Dubai - Nov 12, 2010

Umar Akmal ODI

Debut:
Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Rangiri - Aug 01, 2009
Last played:
Pakistan Vs South Africa at Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, Dubai - Nov 08, 2010

Umar Akmal T20

Debut:
Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka at R.Premadasa Stadium (Khettarama), Colombo - Aug 12, 2009
Last played:
Pakistan Vs New Zealand at AMI Stadium, Christchurch - Dec 30, 2010
International Debut: 2009
Batting and fielding records
M Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Test 15 29 2 988 129 36.59 1481 66.71 1 6 115 17 12 -
ODI 43 37 6 1201 102* 38.74 1355 88.63 1 8 94 21 17 -
T20I 22 18 3 504 64 33.60 400 126.00 - 4 37 17 13 -

Bowling records
M Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Eco SR 4W 5W 10W
Test 15 - - - - - - - - - - - -
ODI 43 - - - - - - - - - - - -
T20I 22 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Career Statistics
Test Debut: New Zealand v Pakistan at Dunedin, 24-28, Nov 2009
ODI Debut: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Dambulla, Aug 01, 2009
Twenty20 Debut: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo, Aug 12, 2009
The runs didn't cease to flow for Umar Akmal, the younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran and Adnan, in his maiden first-class season. In a triumphant 2007-08 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Umar failed to score in his first outing but then went on to amass 855 runs from nine matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, at an average of 77.72 and an impressive strike-rate of 90.18. He showed a penchant for both brisk and big scoring, with knocks of 248 off 225 balls and 186 off 170. In January 2008, he was picked in Pakistan's Under-19 team for the World Cup in Malaysia. He was the leading run-getter - with 255 runs at a strike-rate of 123.18 - in a tri-nation tournament involving England and Sri Lanka in the lead-up to the World Cup. A successful tour of Australia with Pakistan A was followed up a maiden international call-up for the ODIs in Sri Lanka, and Umar started off with a half-century in his second game and a power-packed hundred in his third. A Test call-up was inevitable and he gave an optimistic glimpse into the future of Pakistan cricket, with a century on debut, under pressure followed by a string of consistent scores in New Zealand.

Umar Akmal Batting, Fielding and Bowling

The above stats are as per date of this post.

Umar Akmal Career

Test:
2009-2010

ODI:
2009-2010

T20:
2009-2010

Umar Akmal Test

Debut:
Pakistan Vs New Zealand at University Oval, Dunedin - Nov 24, 2009
Last played:
Pakistan Vs South Africa at Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, Dubai - Nov 12, 2010

Umar Akmal ODI

Debut:
Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Rangiri - Aug 01, 2009
Last played:
Pakistan Vs South Africa at Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, Dubai - Nov 08, 2010

Umar Akmal T20

Debut:
Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka at R.Premadasa Stadium (Khettarama), Colombo - Aug 12, 2009
Last played:
Pakistan Vs New Zealand at AMI Stadium, Christchurch - Dec 30, 2010
Umar Akmal carried on from where he left off at Lord's by scoring a century on the opening day of Pakistan's first-class three-day tour match against Kent on Monday.

Akmal made 153 out of a total of 360 all out just a day after top-scoring with 51 in Pakistan's tour-opening six-run Twenty20 win over MCC at Lord's.

His innings against Kent was much needed by the tourists as Pakistan slumped to 53 for three with hard-hitting captain Shahid Afridi out for a duck.

Kent's seamers made the ball nip around and the Pakistan top three were dismissed inside the first hour, all lbw, with Umar Amin, Fawad Alam and Salman Butt falling cheaply.

And before lunch Kent triallist Mark Lawson had Shoaib Malik caught at backward point.

All-rounder Alex Blake struck twice after the interval, having Kamran Akmal caught in the gully before Afridi sliced to deep backward point.

Akmal held firm and went to his fifty with a six off Lawson but largely kept himself in check on his way to completing a 150-ball hundred.

However, once he reached the landmark, he opened up and hit four more sixes, three off Lawson before he was stumped off the spinner by Paul Dixey.

Lawson finished with four for 93 on his Kent debut and, in the day's remaining over, the hosts reached two without loss.

Pakistan will play Australia in two Twenty20 internationals on July 5 and 6 at Edgbaston before playing two Tests against the same opponents at Lord's and Headingley.

After playing Australia, Pakistan will feature in four Tests, two Twenty20 and five one-day games against England. The tour ends on September 22.

Brief score
Pakistan 360 ( Umar Akmal 153, Lawson 4-93) by 358 runs with 10 wickets remaining
Kent 2 for 0
Status Kent trail by 358 runs
Recent matches
Bat & Bowl Team Opposition Ground Match Date Scorecard
8 Lahore Lions v R Rams Faisalabad 30 Jun 2011 Twenty20
8 Lahore Lions v Hawks Faisalabad 29 Jun 2011 Twenty20
20 Lahore Lions v Leopards Faisalabad 27 Jun 2011 Twenty20
43* Lahore Lions v S Stallions Faisalabad 25 Jun 2011 Twenty20
60* Pakistan v Ireland Belfast 30 May 2011 ODI # 3158
- Pakistan v Ireland Belfast 28 May 2011 ODI # 3157
56, 30 Pakistan v West Indies Basseterre 20 May 2011 Test # 1993
33, 47 Pakistan v West Indies Providence 12 May 2011 Test # 1992
26 Pakistanis v Guyana BP XI Georgetown 8 May 2011 Other match
24 Pakistan v West Indies Providence 5 May 2011 ODI # 3156
Profile
The runs didn't cease to flow for Umar Akmal, the younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran and Adnan, in his maiden first-class season. In a triumphant 2007-08 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Umar failed to score in his first outing but then went on to amass 855 runs from nine matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, at an average of 77.72 and an impressive strike-rate of 90.18. He showed a penchant for both brisk and big scoring, with knocks of 248 off 225 balls and 186 off 170. In January 2008, he was picked in Pakistan's Under-19 team for the World Cup in Malaysia. He was the leading run-getter - with 255 runs at a strike-rate of 123.18 - in a tri-nation tournament involving England and Sri Lanka in the lead-up to the World Cup. A successful tour of Australia with Pakistan A was followed up a maiden international call-up for the ODIs in Sri Lanka, and Umar started off with a half-century in his second game and a power-packed hundred in his third. A Test call-up was inevitable and he gave an optimistic glimpse into the future of Pakistan cricket, with a century on debut, under pressure followed by a string of consistent scores in New Zealand.
Cricinfo staff
December 2009

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Ahmed Shehzad

Ahmed Shehzad Biography

Source(google.com.pk)
Full name Ahmed Shahzad
Born November 23, 1991, Lahore, Punjab
Current age 19 years 57 days
Major teams Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited, Lahore Eagles, Lahore Ravi, Lahore Shalimar, Pakistan Under-19s
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
Ahmed Shehzad Picture

Ahmed Shehzad aims to be an aggressive batsman like Ricky Ponting, and he is well on his way if his top-order performances for Pakistan Under-19s are any indication. Shehzad made his first-class debut in January 2007, just two months after his 15th birthday, and has since established himself as an opening batsman for the U-19 team. His 167 in the same year helped Pakistan chase down a stiff 342 in the first Youth Test against England in Derby. He backed that up with impressive performances at home, scoring 315 runs – with a highest of 105 – as Australia Under-19s were thrashed 5-0. Another century followed in the Youth Test against Bangladesh, and he carried that form into the triangular tournament in Sri Lanka in 2008, which Pakistan won. He made it to the Pakistan Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka the following year despite not being in the probables. A century in the tour game against the visitors changed his fortunes. He returned to the Under-19 circuit to represent Pakistan in the World Cup in New Zealand.
Major Team: Pakistan Lahore Eagles, Lahore Ravi, Lahore Shalimar, Pakistan Under-19s
Playing Roll: Batsman
Batting Style: Right
Bowling Style: Legbreak
Ahmed Shehzad Profile

Ahmed Shehzad aims to be an aggressive batsman like Ricky Ponting, and he is well on his way if his top-order performances for Pakistan Under-19s are any indication. Shehzad made his first-class debut in January 2007, just two months after his 15th birthday, and has since established himself as an opening batsman for the U-19 team. His 167 in the same year helped Pakistan chase down a stiff 342 in the first Youth Test against England in Derby. He backed that up with impressive performances at home, scoring 315 runs - with a highest of 105 - as Australia Under-19s were thrashed 5-0. Another century followed in the Youth Test against Bangladesh, and he carried that form into the triangular tournament in Sri Lanka in 2008, which Pakistan won. He made it to the Pakistan Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka the following year despite not being in the probables. A century in the tour game against the visitors changed his fortunes. He returned to the Under-19 circuit to represent Pakistan in the World Cup in New Zealand.
Ahmed Shehzad (born 23 November 1991 in Lahore) is a Pakistani cricketer. He plays domestic cricket for Habib Bank Limited. He made his one-day international debut for Pakistan on 24 April 2009 against Australia.

Ahmed Shehzad aims to be an aggressive batsman like Ricky Ponting, and he is well on his way if his top-order performances for Pakistan Under-19s are any indication. Shehzad made his first-class debut in January 2007, just two months after his 15th birthday, and has since established himself as an opening batsman for the U-19 team.

His 167 in the same year helped Pakistan chase down a stiff 342 in the first Youth Test against England in Derby. He backed that up with impressive performances at home, scoring 315 runs - with a highest of 105 - as Australia Under-19s were thrashed 5-0.

Another century followed in the Youth Test against Bangladesh, and he carried that form into the triangular tournament in Sri Lanka in 2008, which Pakistan won. He made it to the Pakistan Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka the following year despite not being in the probables.

A century in the tour game against the visitors changed his fortunes. He returned to the Under-19 circuit to represent Pakistan in the World Cup in New Zealand.
Ahmed Shehzad aims to be an aggressive batsman like Ricky Ponting, and he is well on his way if his top-order performances for Pakistan Under-19s are any indication. Shehzad made his first-class debut in January 2007, just two months after his 15th birthday, and has since established himself as an opening batsman for the U-19 team. His 167 in the same year helped Pakistan chase down a stiff 342 in the first Youth Test against England in Derby. He backed that up with impressive performances at home, scoring 315 runs - with a highest of 105 - as Australia Under-19s were thrashed 5-0. Another century followed in the Youth Test against Bangladesh, and he carried that form into the triangular tournament in Sri Lanka in 2008, which Pakistan won. He made it to the Pakistan Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka the following year despite not being in the probables. A century in the tour game against the visitors changed his fortunes. He returned to the Under-19 circuit to represent Pakistan in the World Cup in New Zealand.
Ahmed Shahzad 100s Ahmed Shahzad 50 Ahmed Shahzad 50s Ahmed Shahzad average Ahmed Shahzad batting Ahmed Shahzad biography Ahmed Shahzad bowling Ahmed Shahzad children Ahmed Shahzad CLT20 Ahmed Shahzad cricket record Ahmed Shahzad family Ahmed Shahzad fastest 100 Ahmed Shahzad fastest century Ahmed Shahzad fielding Ahmed Shahzad highest score Ahmed Shahzad history Ahmed Shahzad IPL Ahmed Shahzad ODI Ahmed Shahzad pictures Ahmed Shahzad profile Ahmed Shahzad ranking Ahmed Shahzad T20 Ahmed Shahzad Test
Ahmed Shehzad aims to be an aggressive batsman like Ricky Ponting, and he is well on his way if his top-order performances for Pakistan Under-20s are any indication. Shehzad made his first-class debut in January 2007, just two months after his 15th birthday, and has since established himself as an opening batsman for the U-19 team. His 167 in the same year helped Pakistan chase down a stiff 342 in the first Youth Test against England in Derby. He backed that up with impressive performances at home, scoring 315 runs – with a highest of 105 – as Australia Under-19s were thrashed 5-0. Another century followed in the Youth Test against Bangladesh, and he carried that form into the triangular tournament in Sri Lanka in 2008, which Pakistan won. He made it to the Pakistan Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka the following year despite not being in the probables. A century in the tour game against the visitors changed his fortunes. He returned to the Under-20 circuit to represent Pakistan in the World Cup in New Zealand.
Ahmed Shehzad Batting, Fielding and Bowling

The above stats are as per date of this post.

Ahmed Shehzad Career

ODI:
2009-2009

T20:
2009-2009

Ahmed Shehzad ODI

Debut:
Pakistan Vs Australia at Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, Dubai - Apr 24, 2009

Last played:
Pakistan Vs Australia at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi - May 03, 2009

Ahmed Shehzad T20

Debut:
Pakistan Vs Australia at Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, Dubai - May 07, 2009

Last played:
Pakistan Vs England at Kennington Oval, London - Jun 07, 2009
International Debut: 2009
Batting and fielding records
M Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
ODI 18 14 1 383 115 29.46 575 66.61 2 - 37 5 7 -
T20I 6 3 0 62 54 20.67 53 116.98 - 1 11 - 1 -

Bowling records
M Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Eco SR 4W 5W 10W
ODI 18 2 15 20 - - - - 8.00 - - - -
T20I 6 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Career Statistics
ODI Debut: Australia v Pakistan at Dubai, Apr 24, 2009
Twenty20 Debut: Australia v Australia at Dubai, May 07, 2009

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Mohammad Yousuf

Mohammad Yousuf Biography

Source (google.com.pk)

Mohammad Yousuf (formerly Yousuf Youhana, born 27 August 1974, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan) is a Pakistani cricketer who has been a member of the Pakistani national cricket team since 1998. He is best known for his achievement in 2006 when he broke the great West Indian batsman, Sir Vivian Richards', world record for the most Test runs in a single calendar year. Prior to his conversion to Islam in 2005, Yousuf was one of the few Christians to play in the Pakistan national cricket team. He made his Test debut against South Africa at Durban and ODI debut against Zimbabwe at Harare. He has scored over 9,000 ODI runs at an average of 43.63 (2rd highest batting average among Pakistani batsmen after Zaheer Abbas and 6,770 Test runs at an average of 55.49 (highest batting average amongst all Pakistani batsmen) with 23 Test centuries. He has the record of scoring the most runs without being dismissed in ODIs, 405 against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe in 2002-03. He has also scored a 23-ball fifty in ODIs, and a 68-ball hundred. In Tests he has scored a 27-ball fifty, which is 3rd fastest by any player. He was top scorer during the successive years of 2002 and 2003 in the world in ODIs. In 2004, he scored a memorable 111 against the Australians in the Boxing Day Test. In December 2005, he scored 223 against England at Lahore, also earning him the man of the match award. Seven months later in July 2006, when Pakistan toured England, he scored 202 and 48 in the first Test, again earning himself the man of the match award. He followed up with 192 in the third Test at Headingley and 128 in the final Test at the Oval. Yousuf was named CNN-IBNs Cricketer of the Year for 2006, ahead of the likes of Australian captain Ricky Ponting, West Indies Brian Lara, Australian spinner Shane Warne, South Africas bowling spearhead Makhaya Ntini and Sri Lankas Muttiah Muralitharan. He was selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in the 2007 edition. Yousuf became the fourth recipient of the ICC 'Test Cricketer of the Year' award for 2007, he scored 944 runs at an average of 94.40 including five centuries and two fifties in just 10 innings and that was enough to be awarded the honour ahead of Kevin Pietersen and Ricky Ponting. Yousuf was also named in the 2007 Test team of the Year alongside compatriot Mohammad Asif. A year that started on a promising note, Yousuf carried it forward to break two world records both held earlier by West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards. The 32-year-old smashed an unparalleled 1788 runs in just 11 Test matches with the help of nine centuries his second record taking him beyond the Windies great yet again. Yousuf is known for his ability to score runs at exceptional rate through his great technique and composed strokeplay. Although capable of hitting the ball hard, Yousuf is quick between the wickets, although he is prone to being run out. Yousuf is a skillful infielder, with a report prepared in late 2005 showing that since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the ninth highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman. He is also distinguished by his characteristic celebration after hitting one hundred runs for his country, where he prostrates in thankfulness to Allah in the direction of Mecca. He has observed this act (known as the Sajdah) recently since his conversion to Islam. Until his conversion to Islam in 2005, Mohammad Yousuf (formely known as Yousuf Youhana) was one of a handful of Christians to play for Pakistan. After a difficult debut against South Africa in 1997-98, he quickly established himself as a stylish world-class batsman, and a pillar of Pakistan's middle order, alongside Inzamam-ul-Haq. He is no sluggard, but gathers his runs through orthodox, composed strokeplay, unlike some of his colleagues who seldom hint at permanence. He is particularly strong driving through the covers and flicking wristily off his legs and brings with him as decadent and delicious a backlift as any in the game. A tendency to overbalance when playing across his front leg can get him into trouble. He excels at both versions of the game, and in one-day cricket can score 20 or 30 runs before anyone notices. He is quick between the wickets although not necessarily the best judge of a single. There had been questions about his temperament as batsman when the pressure is on, but between 2004 and 2005, he began to silence critics. First came a spellbindingly languid century against the Australians in Melbourne, as captain to boot, where he ripped into Shane Warne like few Pakistani batsmen have before or since. A century in the cauldron of Kolkatta followed but he ended the year with possibly his most important knock: a double century against England at Lahore so easy on the eye, you almost didn't notice it. With Inzamam missing through injury for parts of the innings, Yousuf displayed an unusual responsibility, eschewing the waftiness that has previously blighted him. In 2006, Yousuf truly came of age in a record-breaking year. He began by plundering India and continued in England, not just scoring under pressure, but scoring big. A double ton at Lord's was followed by another big hundred at Headingly and the Oval. He rounded off a fantastic year with four hundreds in three Tests against the West Indies, a feat that took him past Viv Richards's long-standing record of most Test runs in a calendar year and also saw him establish the record for most Test hundreds (9) in a year. With Inzamam nearing a natural end, the credentials of Yousuf as Pakistan's premier batsman are impressive.