Arxman - Sports Blog

Vivian Richards - Flamboyant Cricketer

James Coolridge — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 07:18:46 +0000

Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, popularly known as Viv Richards and Vivian Richards, was one of those flamboyant cricketers whom bowlers all around the world feared as he can torn any bowling attack on his day.

The ever-attacking batsman made his Test match debut for the West Indian cricket team in 1974 against India in Bangalore and scored 8,540 runs in 121 Test matches at an average of 50.23 (including 24 centuries). Voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, Vivian Richards was a very powerful right-handed batsman with an extremely attacking style. The West Indian cricketer was an excellent fielder and a handy off-spin bowler. The best thing about this legend was that he played his entire career (1974-1991) without a helmet.

The supremacy of this master batsman can be easily identified by the fact that some of the world’s leading cricketers of all times like Barry Richards, Martin Crowe, Ravi Shastri, Wasim Akram, and Neil Fairbrother, he was the best batsman they ever faced or saw. Richards was also voted the greatest cricketer since 1970. His fearless and aggressive style of play and a variety of cricket shots along with a relaxed and determined demeanor made him a great crowd favorite.

Vivian Richards was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to cricket in the year 1994 and subsequently made a Knight of the Order of the National Hero (KNH) by his native country Antigua and Barbuda in the year 1999.

Gautam Gambhir The New Wall of Indian Team

James Coolridge — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:27:26 +0000

Gautam Gambhir has been the only name that can replace the Wall (Rahul Dravid) to some extent in the Indian cricket dressing room and team. Though not yet successful till now as Dravid was, Gambhir is slowly but steadily making a name for himself with his solid defense, temperament, and captaincy.

The stylish cricketer is the only Indian batsman to score more than three hundred runs in four consecutive test series and the only Indian to score five hundreds in five consecutive test matches. Gautam Gambhir made his one day debut against Bangladesh in the year 2003 and test debut against Australia in 2004.

Gambhir was a part of the Indian cricket team that won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 against Pakistan in the final in South Africa. He was the top run scorer for India in this tournament with 227 runs at an average of 37.83 that included an important 75 runs off 54 balls in the final.

The best phase of Gautam Gambhir’s career came in 2008 when he scored 858 runs at an average of over 61 in 7 matches that included a double century against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He was picked up by the Delhi Daredevils in the first IPL auction in 2009 and became the second highest run-scorer of the inaugural season with 534 runs from 14 matches. He went on to became the captain of Delhi Daredevils in 2010 and was auctioned to Kolkata Knight Riders for $2.4 million making him the highest paid cricketer in the history of the game and is now the team’s captain.

Imran Khan Dashing All Rounder behind Pakistan Success

James Coolridge — Thu, 26 May 2011 10:41:03 +0000

Imran Khan Niazi, popularly known as Imran Khan, is a former Pakistani cricketer who played international cricket for three decades. The right handed batsman and right-arm fast bowler is hailed by many as the world’s best all-rounder till date.

The Pakistan cricket legend made his test debut on 3 June 1971 v England and ODI debut on 31 August 1974 v England. His last test inning was on 7 January 1992 v Sri Lanka and last ODI inning on 25 March 1992 v England. In a career spanning 88 tests and 175 ODI, Imran Khan scored 3,807 and 3,709 runs, respectively besides taking 362 wickets in tests and 182 in ODI cricket.

He was also instrumental in finding talented youngsters and assigning new responsibilities to them so that they can grow up to bring glory to Pakistan.

Imran Khan was shy during his early years as the captain but soon went on to become one of the world’s most successful, tactical, aggressive, yet calm captain. Imran was at his peak when Pakistan played the 1992 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The Pakistan team, under Imran’s captaincy, won a magical World Cup final and Imran became the centre of all eyes with his swinging fast bowling, tactical skills, and measured attacking batting display. Pakistan thumped England in 1992 Cricket World Cup final and Imran had the pleasure of taking the last wicket to fall and was well supported by all his teammates, especially Inzamam-ul-Haq, Moin Khan, Javed Miandad, and Wasim Akram.

Wasim Akram - Best Left-Arm Fast Bowler Of All Times

James Coolridge — Mon, 09 May 2011 05:23:38 +0000

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistani left arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman, has brought many laurels for his country in test and one day cricket. Rated by many as one of the best fast bowlers in the history of cricket, Akram earned the title of ‘Sultan of Swing’ for his lethal pace, variation, and consistency.

Akram is considered by many as one of the founders and perhaps the finest exponent of reverse swing bowling. Wasim Akram holds the world record for most wickets in List A cricket with 881 scalps and is the second best one day international bowler after Muttiah Muralitharan.

Wasim Akram made his test debut on 25 January 1985 v New Zealand and soon became a popular icon in the hearts of cricket fans, especially budding fast bowlers. He created enough buzz with his lethal bowling after taking 10 wickets in his second test match.

The legendary Pakistani speedster was a significant figure during the 1992 World Cup and was the Man of the Match for the final for his batting performance of 33 runs off 19 balls 3 wickets for 49 runs at an economy rate of 4.90.

Akram was the first bowler in international cricket to take more than 400 wickets in both forms of the game and take two hat-tricks each in test and one day international cricket. Wasim Akram made the highest score by a number eight batsman in Test cricket when he scored 257 runs not out from 363 balls against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura, which was featured by 12 sixes that is also a world record for test cricket.

At the age of 36, Wasim Akram retired on May 18, 2003 to the delight of batsmen across the world.

Viswanathan Anand - Brought Chess Back To Every Home

James Coolridge — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 05:27:09 +0000

Viswanathan Anand is one of the very few players who have actually helped sports regain their prominence. The game of Chess, which was not as popular among Indians, as it was before was back to every home after Vishy, as Viswanathan Anand is popularly known, made an entry.

Born in Chennai on December 11th 1969, Anand started chess training at the age of six from his mother, Susheela. At the age of 14, Viswanathan Anand won the National Sub Juniors Championship in 1983 and was given the title of the ‘Lightening Kid’ for his speedy play.

Vishy did his schooling in Don Bosco and earned a degree in commerce from Loyola, Chennai. His favorite chess personalities include Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal and Bobby Fischer.

Anand has the credit of winning the strongest knock out tournament in Groningen in December 1997 and the Linares super Torneo in 1998 and this chess player from India has been ranked as the second best chess player in the world according to the rating lists of PCA and FIDE.

Viswanathan Anand was felicitated with the Arjuna award in 1985, Padma Sri, National Citizen’s award, Soviet Land Nehru award in 1987, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991-1992, Padma Bhushan in 2000, and Chess Oscar in 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2004. The British Chess Federation also felicitated Anand for his book ‘My Best Games of Chess’ in 1998.

Viswanathan Anand has been a great influence and idol for many budding players and is of the view that young entrants to the game of chess should be more aggressive and learn chess from the games of great players.

Sunil Gavaskar - Greatest Opening Batsman

James Coolridge — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:48:14 +0000

Sunil Gavaskar is one of the greatest opening batsmen of all times. The former Indian captain had virtually every stroke in the book and preferred solidity before flair for the Indian cricket team.

Sunil Manohar “Sunny” Gavaskar was born on 10 July 1949 in Bombay and proved his skills as a right-hand batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler. Gavaskar made his test debut on 6 March 1971 v West Indies and ODI debut on 13 July 1974 v England. In 125 tests and 108 one-day internationals, Sunil Gavaskar scored 10,122 and 3,092 runs, respectively. His safe catching skills in the slips made him the first Indian (excluding wicket keepers) to take over a hundred catches in Test matches.

Gavaskar was the first to score 10,000 runs and score 34 centuries in the test cricket version; these records were later bettered by Sachin Tendulkar.

In the 1975 World Cup, Gavaskar stunned his own admirers by scoring just 36 (not out) off 174 balls (scoring just one four) in reply to 334 scored by England in 60 years. It was alleged the master batsman deliberately scored poorly after being annoyed with the promotion of Srinivas Venkataraghavan to captaincy. It is believed that Gavaskar was stripped of captaincy due to his proximity with the World Series Cricket when India toured England in 1979 for a four Test tour. However, his cricket skills were always recognized and the cricketer was an important part of the Cricket World Cup 1983 winning squad, led by Kapil Dev.

Jurgen Klinsmann - One of the Best

James Coolridge — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:06:14 +0000

Jurgen Klinsmann is, undoubtedly, one of the best the game of football (soccer) has ever seen. A part of the winning FIFA World Cup 1990 Germany team that beat Diego Maradona’s Argentina, Klinsmann was one of Germany’s premier strikers during the 90s.

Klinsmann was born on 30 July 1964 in Göppingen and started playing for TB Gingen, an amateur football club in Gingen an der Fils, at the age of eight. Jurgen Klinsmann started his professional career in 1982 with the then second division side Stuttgarter Kickers and he had scored 19 goals by the end of the 1983/1984 season. In 1987, Jurgen Klinsmann got his first cap for the German National Team against Brazil, the match ended in a 1–1 draw.

Klinsmann was named German Footballer of the Year in 1988 when he was just 24. The German striker made a great impact when he played as a lone striker during a match against Netherlands during the 1990 World Cup in Italy in which he occupied the entire Dutch defense and scored a memorable goal. His blond hair and scoring ability earned him the nickname “Golden Bomber.”

Klinsmann earned 108 caps along with 47 international goals and participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics, where his team won a bronze medal; the 1988, 1992, and 1996 European Championships, where his team reached the final in 1992 and became champion in 1996; and the 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups, where his team won the World Cup in 1990. Jurgen Klinsmann retired from professional football in the summer of 1998 after the World Cup.

Lankan Tigers outclass Kiwis to reach Final

James Coolridge — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 06:49:16 +0000

Sri Lanka has reached the final of Cricket World Cup 2011 with a five-wicket win against New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on 29 March 2011.

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat but could not handle the spin of Muttiah Muralitharan (2 for 42) and Ajantha Mendis (3 for 35) who were well supported by Lasith Malinga (3 for 55). The Kiwis set a modest 218 in 48.5 overs before Sri Lanka to win and the Lankans wobbled in the middle before reaching the target in 47.5 overs.

The Lankans, cruising along at 160 for one, lost four wickets for 25 runs to raise fears of an upset before Angelo Matthews and Thilan Samaraweera guided them home. Muttiah Muralitharan, the spin wizard, took his 534th wicket off his last ball on home soil while lending a good hand to bowl out New Zeland for a below-par score of 217.

Kumar Sangakkara, the captain of Sri Lanka cricket team, paid rich tributes to Murali. “It was the last game for Murali in Sri Lanka and we wanted to give him a good send-off,” he said. “Murali is the icon of Sri Lanka, on the field, off the field, a fantastic human being and a great team man.”

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori remarked after the loss, “The top order really set it up but we missed out by not capitalising,” said Vettori. “I think that’s where we lost the game. We’ve been an outstanding fielding side all tournament, we fought hard but it wasn’t enough today.”

Sri Lanka will now face India on 2 April 2011 at Mumbai.

Hashim Amla - Nothing but Rock Solid Hitting

James Coolridge — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 06:14:51 +0000

Hashim Amla was touted by many to be the biggest run-hitter in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2011 and he did not disappoint his fans. The right-handed upper order batsman and occasional medium-pace bowler has been instrumental in success of the South African cricket team.

Born as Hashim Mahomed Amla on 31 March 1983, Amla graduated from the Durban High School and impressed everyone with his dedication, batting style, and approach to the game. Hashim Amla became the first South African of Indian descent to represent South Africa in international cricket when he was chosen for the winter 2004 tour of India at the age of 21.

Amla made his test debut in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on 28 November 2004 against India and made a slow start to his career. Nevertheless, he proved his critics wrong by scoring 149 against New Zealand at Newlands, Cape Town in the year 2006. The year 2008 was a turning point in the career of Amla when he scored 1012 runs against India, England, and Australia and even helped South Africa win a historic Test and one-day series victory over Australia.

In 51 test matches and 42 one-day internationals, Hashim Amla has scored 3,897 and 2,156 runs, respectively. He has also scored 12 centuries and 19 half centuries in test cricket with a top score of 253 not out and 7 centuries and 12 half centuries in one day cricket with a top score of 140. The world is about to notice the illustrious career of Hashim Amla in the times to come.

Shahid Afridi Flamboyant Cricketer

James Coolridge — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:12:30 +0000

Shahid Afridi is one of the most exciting all-rounders in all formats (T20, One-day internationals, and test cricket) of cricket. This hugely talented cricketer from Pakistan holds the record for the fastest ODI century in which he made in his first international innings.

Born as Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi on 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan, the cricketer also holds the record of having hit the most number of sixes in the history of ODI cricket and is presently the leading wicket taker in the Twenty20 format taking 53 wickets from 41 matches.

Afridi made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia. In 27 test matches and 316 one-day internationals, Shahid Afridi has scored 1716 and 6643 runs, respectively. Afridi became the youngest player to score an ODI century when he aged 16 years and 217 days. The batting style of Shahid Afridi is very aggressive, attack oriented, and this earned him the nickname “Boom Boom Afridi”. The fact that Afridi has produced three of the seven fastest ODI centuries of all time is a testament to this fact.

The right-handed batsman and right arm leg spin bowler, Shahid Afridi is also an agile fielder who has made a name for himself by being a part of some of the most successful cricket teams like Pakistan, Deccan Chargers, South Australia, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Habib Bank Limited, and Karachi.

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