Shoaib Akhtar is a Pakistani former cricketer and commentator. Nicknamed the "Rawalpindi Express", he is the fastest bowler to have played the game. Akhtar made his Test match debut in November 1997 as an opening fast bowler and played his first One Day International three months later. He has been involved in several controversies during his career, often accused of unsportsmanlike conduct. Akhtar was sent home during a Test match series in Australia in 2005 for alleged poor attitude and a year later received a ban after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance nandrolone. However, the ban imposed on him was lifted on appeal. In 2008, Akhtar was banned for five years for publicly criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board, although in October 2008, the Lahore High Court suspended the ban and Akhtar was selected in the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 Quadrangular Tournament in Canada. Akhtar retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup. Post-retirement, he began a YouTube career by starting his own channel, where he gives reviews on International and league matches and Pakistan cricket.
The Pakistan national cricket team has represented Pakistan in international cricket since 1952. It is controlled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the governing body for cricket in Pakistan, which is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Pakistan compete in cricket tours and tournaments sanctioned by the PCB and other regional or international cricket bodies in Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20) formats.
The Bangladesh men's national cricket team, popularly known as The Tigers, is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status. It played its first Test match in November 2000 against India with a 9 wicket loss in Dhaka, becoming the tenth Test-playing nation. Bangladesh became an associate member of the ICC in 1977, and competed in six ICC Trophies, the leading ODI competition for non-Test playing nations.
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One-Day International (ODI) cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council. The 2013 tournament was intended to be the final edition of the Champions Trophy, but it was extended to 2017 due to its widespread popularity. In 2018, the ICC decided to replace the tournament with the World Twenty20 championship to be held every two years, and no Champions Trophy was contested in 2021. However, as part of the 2021 Future Tour Programme, the event was reinstated for the 2025 cycle onwards. In November 2021, the ICC confirmed the tournament take place in Pakistan in 2025. It is expected to be played in February and March 2025.
Umar Gul is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who is the current bowling coach of Quetta Gladiators and interim bowling coach of the Pakistan national cricket team. Gul was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, being the highest wicket taker of the tournament, along with being the runner-up of the 2007 tournament, in which he was also the highest wicket taker.
Cricket was included in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. This was the only time cricket was played at a Commonwealth Games until a women's tournament was included in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Matches were played over 50 overs, and had List A status rather than full One Day Internationals. As is normal at the multisports events, the Caribbean islands that entered participated as separate nations, not as the combined West Indies team. Indeed, the Games were the first occasion on which an Antigua and Barbuda side competed at a senior level. Northern Ireland also entered, this occurrence being noteworthy because Irish cricket is usually represented by an all-island Irish cricket team.
Misbah-ul-Haq Khan Niazi PP SI is a former Pakistani cricket coach and former international cricketer. Misbah captained Pakistan in all formats and is former head coach and former chief selector of the Pakistan national team. As captain, he led Pakistan to being the champions of the 2012 Asia Cup. Misbah was a member of the team that won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, two years after the defeat from the final in the previous tournament.
Mohammad Hafeez is a former Pakistani international cricketer. Hafeez was a versatile batsman who could bat anywhere in the top 6 and formed part of the bowling attack. He played as a spin bowling all-rounder for the majority of his career and, along with Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi, formed part of one of the best spin attacks in the 2010's. Hafeez was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, and had a major role in the final, where he scored an unbeaten innings of 57. He retired from Test cricket after the third and final match against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi in December 2018, departing the ground for the final time in white clothing to a guard of honour from his teammates. On 3 January 2022, he announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket, ending a career that spanned more than 18 years.
Daryll John Cullinan is a former South African first-class cricketer who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals for South Africa as a specialist batsman. He was regarded as the most gifted batsman of his generation as he was equally adept against pace or spin. Cullinan has said that his most important batting fundamentals were his balance, knowing where his off-stump was and getting his defence in order. He ended up playing 70 tests and 138 ODIs for South Africa. Cullinan's career Test average of 44.21 is only surpassed by ten South Africans with more than ten Tests. At the time of his retirement, he held the record for scoring the most test centuries for South Africa, with 14. Cullinan was a member of the South Africa team that won the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy, the only ICC trophy the country has won to date.
Mushfiqur Rahim is a Bangladeshi cricketer and the former captain and vice-captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team. He is a right-handed middle-order batsman and wicket-keeper in the Bangladesh Cricket Team.
Mohammad Mahmudullah, also known as Riyad, is a Bangladeshi cricketer and former captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team in T20I. He has played First-class and List A cricket for Dhaka Division and has represented Bangladesh in all forms of the game. An all-rounder, he is a lower or middle-order batsman as well as an off spin bowler. He has almost 10,000 runs and 150+ wickets. He is prominent for his ability to finish a close limited over game. He is the first Bangladeshi to score a World Cup hundred. Like Sanath Jayasuriya, Kevin Pietersen, Shoaib Malik, Steve Smith and many more, Mahmudullah started his career as a bowler and then converted into a batsman who could bowl handy off-breaks.
The 1998 ICC Champions trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in Bangladesh. It was the first tournament apart from the World Cups to involve all test playing nations. New Zealand defeated Zimbabwe in a pre-quarter final match to qualify for the main knockout stage. Future editions of this tournament are now known as the ICC Champions Trophy. Appearing in their only major tournament final, South Africa defeated the West Indies in the final to win the event. This tournament was inaugurated on the basis of FIFA Confederations Cup where the best teams from their respected confederations compete against each other but in this case the top teams in the ICC ODI Championship compete with each other.
The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in South Africa between 22 September and 5 October, at Wanderers Stadium and Centurion Park, both in the Gauteng province. Originally, the tournament was scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in 2008, but due to security concerns it shifted to South Africa. It was the sixth ICC Champions Trophy, and was previously known as the ICC Knock-out. Two teams from two groups of four qualified for the semi-finals, and the final was staged in Centurion on 5 October. Australia successfully defended the title by beating New Zealand by six wickets in the final.
Azhar Ali (Urdu: اظہر علی; born 19 February 1985) is a Pakistani former international cricketer. He also captained Pakistan national team in Test and ODI cricket.
The 2013 ICC Champions Trophy was the seventh ICC Champions Trophy, a One Day International cricket tournament held in England and Wales between 6 and 23 June 2013.
The 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy was a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament held in Bangladesh. It was the first tournament apart from the World Cups to involve all Test playing nations. The winners of the Knock-out stage—India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Indies—reached the semi-finals. South Africa made their way to the final by defeating Sri Lanka in the first semi-final by 92 runs; the match was reduced to 39 overs per innings due to rain. In the second semi-final, West Indies defeated India by six wickets, and qualified for the final.
Mohammad Rizwan is a Pakistani international cricketer who has represented Pakistan in international cricket since 2015 and captains Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans.
The 2017 ICC Champions Trophy was the eighth ICC Champions Trophy, a cricket tournament for the eight top-ranked One Day International (ODI) teams in the world. It was held in England and Wales from 1 to 18 June 2017. Pakistan won the competition for the first time with a 180-run victory over India in the final at The Oval. The margin of victory was the largest by any team in the final of an ICC ODI tournament in terms of runs.
Fakhar Zaman is a Pakistani cricketer who plays for the Pakistan national cricket team and for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League. Zaman rose to fame after a success with his century in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, whereas in the final, he was the man of the match with his innings of 114 runs off 106 balls.
