1) Brendon McCullum was named captain of Black Caps in all formats at the start of 2013, where he took over from Ross Taylor
2) Brendon McCullum grew up in a cricketing household. Not only is his brother Nathan McCullum a cricketer, but their father Stuart McCullum played 75 First-Class games for Otago from the late 1970s to the early 1990s
3) Brendon McCullum was first included in the New Zealand ODI team for the 2001/02 season, where he played his first game against Australia. His Test debut came against South Africa in the 2003/04 season
4) On Feb. 18, 2014 McCullum became the first Kiwi batsman to hit a triple century when he scored 302 runs against India. He has also made more double centuries (four) than any of his countrymen
5) Brendon McCullum made his representative Cricket debut in 1996 for Otago U-17s. However, he bagged a pair in the debut game against Northern Districts
6) Brendon McCullum recorded the fastest fifty in a World Cup game when he scored a 20 ball fifty against Canada in 2007. Later, he improvised it by scoring fifty in just 18 balls against England
7) In ODIs, New Zealand have won 30 out of 55 games under Brendon McCullum’s captaincy, which is superior to all his predecessors. Under his leadership, the Kiwis also reached their maiden World Cup final
8) New Zealand have remained unbeaten in 13 tests at home under McCullum
9) Brendon McCullum represented New Zealand at the ICC under-19 World Cup 2000 in Sri Lanka. In that tournament, he featured alongside his brother Nathan, Jamie How, James Franklin and Ian Butler, his future New Zealand teammates
10) Brendon McCullum holds the record for the most runs scored by a New Zealand batsman in an under-19 Test match. He scored 186 against South Africa under-19 at Lincoln in 2001
11) Brendon McCullum, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL), set the tournament on fire after scoring 158* runs in the first ever match of the league. The score is also his personal best in the T20 format of the game
12) In 2014, Brendon McCullum faced 559 balls and scored 302 runs in 775 minutes during a Test series against India in Wellington, New Zealand. It was to become the eighth-longest individual Test innings and the longest by a New Zealander
13) In 2008, Brendon McCullum shared a 274 run stand for the opening wicket with James Marshall against Ireland which is a record for New Zealand. His 166-run stand for the 6th wicket with Craig McMillan was also a record for New Zealand
14) Under his captaincy, New Zealand reached the World Cup final for the first time in 2015
15) With a total of 6,311 runs, Brendon McCullum stands at number 3 in the list of highest scorers in the T20 format. The other two batsman before him are Chris Gayle (8,726) and Brad Hodge (6,993)
16) McCullum wicket-keeping skills are just as good as his batting. McCullum is credited with 194 catches in Test cricket, 262 in ODIs, and 36 in T20 International
17) McCullum was only one of two New Zealand players to be named in the ICC World XI 20-man probables for the Super Series One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against Australia in 2005. McCullum and Daniel Vettori made it into the ODI list alone
18) In 2014, McCullum’s house in Christchurch was sold for over USD 3 million. TVNZ reported that the house contained six bedrooms, four living rooms and a “heated pool
19) In December 2015, Brendon McCullum announced that he will retire from cricket after the second Test against Australia in February 2016, and on Feb. 18, 2016, he won the Sport New Zealand Leadership award during the 2016 Halberg Awards at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
1) Daniel Luca Vettori was born on 27th January 1979 in Auckland, New Zealand
2) Daniel Vettori is the first player of Italian descent to represent New Zealand. He has an Italian father and Kiwi mother
3) The youngest test cricketer for New Zealand, made his debut at the age of 18
4) Daniel Vettori was called “Harry Potter” by fans because of his floppy hair and spectacles
5) Daniel Vettori’s first cousin, is David Hill, a rugby union player who played a Test for the famous All Blacks. In fact, his uncle Tony Hill and cousin Joseph Hill, both played First-Class cricket
6) The youngest spinner to take 100 wickets in tests, Daniel achieved this in the year 2000 when Daniel was just 21 year old
7) Daniel Vettori could bat right, and left-handed, and could also bowl with both hands. This fact was confirmed by TV star Jeremy Wells, who attended school with Vettori and played with him for St Paul’s XI
8) Daniel Vettori was just the eighth cricketer to reach 300 wickets and 3,000 runs in Test matches
9) Daniel Vettori batted at No. 11 at the start of his career. But Daniel improved as a batsman to be good enough to score six Test hundreds and have career batting average of 30.00
10) Daniel Vettori can bat both right and left-handed and interestingly he can even bowl both left and right hand
11) 2227 runs he scored at No. 8 is the most by any batsman in that position in Test history. Overall Daniel scored 4531 at an average of 30.01 from 174 innings that included 6 tons and 23 fifties. His career best was 140 in a losing cause against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2009
12) Daniel Vettori shares his birthday with Kiwi Rugby legend Tony Woodcock
13) Daniel Vettori’s 362 wickets from 113 matches is the most captured by a left-arm spinner in Test history, way ahead of England’s Derek Underwood 297 from 86 matches
14) Daniel Vettori took 305 wickets from 295 matches at an average of 31.71 and scored 2253 runs 17.33. This includes 4 half centuries. His top score was 83 against Australia in Christchurch in 2005 in another losing cause. His best spell of 5/7 though came in a winning cause against Bangladesh in a Queenstown in 2007
15) Daniel Vettori was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to cricket
16) Daniel Vettori served as standby coach for a short while after Andy Moles was sacked. Daniel was appointed as the national selector when he was the captain in 2009. After playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2011, Vettori now serves them as their Head coach
17) Even at the twilight end and with injury prone body, Daniel Vettori was instrumental in New Zealand’s success in the World Cup 2015. In a batsman dominated tournament, Vettori was the most successful spinner, picking up 15 wickets from nine games at an average of 20.5 and an economy rate of four. Vettori was named in ‘Team of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015'
18) Daniel Vettori also led the team brilliantly in the 2009 Champions Trophy guiding them through to the finals. A hamstring injury ruled him out of the summit clash against the Aussies and it turned out to be a big blow as the Kiwis lost the match
19) Daniel Vettori had two children with his wife Mary O'Carroll
20) Major teams - New Zealand, Delhi Daredevils, ICC World XI, Jamaica Tallawahs, Northern Districts, Nottinghamshire, Queensland, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Warwickshire
1) Before bursting onto the international cricket scene, MS Dhoni worked as a ticket collector at the Kharagpur Railway station (between 2001 to 2003) to support his family while he continued to represent Bihar in the Ranji Trophy. Perhaps this explains his humility on and off the field.
2) The wicketkeeper batsman made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2004, and was run out on the first ball
3) According to Forbes, MS Dhoni’s net worth is $30 million, which exceeds Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s net worth
4) MS Dhoni is the only Indian captain to have led his team to victory in all three major ICC tournaments: the Twenty-20 World Cup (2007), 50 Over World Cup (2011) and the Champion’s Trophy (2013). He also led his victorious team Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (2010 and 2011) and Champions League Twenty20 (2010 and 2014)
5) MS Dhoni gained much popularity for his helicopter shot - a new style of hitting the ball in an uppercut fashion. The shot was taught to him by his friend, former Jharkhand cricketer Santosh Lal, who is no more in this world.
6) Dhoni is the only Indian wicketkeeper to have scored a double century in Tests. He achieved this feat against Australia in 2013 in Chennai where he scored 224 off 265 balls. In doing so, he also registered the highest individual score by an Indian captain in Tests.
7) Dhoni is the only captain to score a century at no. 7 in ODIs. He achieved this feat in 2012 when he scored 113* off 125 balls against Pakistan in Chennai. He also has the highest score by a no.7 in ODIs - 139 for Asia XI against Africa XI in Chennai in 2007
8) We had already mentioned that Dhoni had long hair because he wanted to look like his favourite actor and, now, friend John Abraham. But why were those long tresses cut short? Well, it was done for his beloved wife—it was Sakshi's decision to trim his hair. And we might add that he looks quite suave.
9) In 2007, it was Sachin Tendulkar who recommended MS Dhoni’s name for India’s skipper, given Dhoni’s calm nature and friendly equation with the rest of the team.
10) Dhoni was conferred with the honorary rank of Lt Colonel by the Indian Territorial Army in November 2011. Dhoni has, time and again, iterated that he would like to play some role in the Army in the future.
11) MS Dhoni is a huge fan of Adam Gilchrist.
12) Dhoni played as a goalkeeper for his school’s football team, and also dabbled with badminton.
13) Dhoni made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar in the 1999–2000 season as an eighteen-year-old.
14) Dhoni was contracted by the Chennai Super Kings for 1.5 Million USD. This made him the most expensive player in the IPL for the first season auctions.
15) MS Dhoni is the only captain in the ODIs to score a century while batting at number 7. He did it against Pakistan in December 2012.
16) A biographical film based on the life of Dhoni, titled M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, is set to be released in 2015. The film features Sushant Singh Rajput playing the role of Dhoni.
17) Only Shahrukh Khan has more brand endorsements than Mahi in his kitty.
18) Everyone knows about that MS Dhoni was an employee with Indian Railways, but FYI he was an employee for Air-India as well. In 2009, he played for Air India in the BCCI Corporate Trophy.
However, Dhoni gave up his Air-India job in 2013, when he became the Vice-President of India cements.
19) As widely believed, MS Dhoni is not a school drop out. He actually passed his Xth Board Exams with fairly nice 66 percent.
20) Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the highest individual income tax-payer in Jharkhand state and one of the highest in India.
Dhoni paid an income tax worth Rs 20 crore in 2013-14 to emerge as the highest tax payer in individual category in Bihar and Jharkhand region for sixth consecutive year.
21) Mahendra Singh Dhoni was born in a Rajput family to Pan Singh and Devaki Devi. His paternal village Lvali is in the Lamgarha block of the Almora District of Uttarakhand.
22) MS Dhoni's parents, moved from Uttarakhand to Ranchi where Pan Singh worked in junior management positions in MECON. Dhoni has a sister Jayanti and a brother Narendra.
23) MS Dhoni likes bikes. A Hummer to add to many cars and motorcycles already parked in his garage in Ranchi. He endorses nearly 15 brands from clothes to soft drinks.
24) MS Dhoni studied at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali, (now the school is known as JVM, Shyamli, Ranchi) Ranchi, Jharkhand where he initially excelled in badminton and football and was selected at district and club level in these sports. Dhoni was a goalkeeper for his football team and was sent to play cricket for a local cricket club by his football coach.
25) MS Dhoni married Sakshi on July 04, 2010. Sakshi Dhoni, a native of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. At the time of their marriage, she was studying Hotel Management and was working as a trainee at the Taj Bengal, Kolkata. Both, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sakshi Rawat were school-time friends and had studied together at DAV School, Shamily in Ranchi. Dhoni's father worked with Sakshi's dad in MECON, Ranchi. After the retirement of Sakshi's father, their family shifted to their native place, Dehradun.
26) On 31 October 2005 Dhoni scored 183 runs off just 145 balls against Sri Lanka in ODI at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, which is the highest score made by any batsman in the second innings
27) On December 30, 2014, MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket with immediate effect during the tour of Australia after the drawn Test at Melbourne. Dhoni ended his Test innings unbeaten on 24.
Dhoni was often criticised for his defensive tactics as Test skipper. His batting form too took a dip in 2014 and he averaged only 33 in 17 innings.
Though Dhoni is India's most successful captain, (with 27 wins in 60 Tests since 2008) India won only two out of 22 away Tests and lost 13 since 2011, under his leadership.
Overall, Dhoni played 90 Tests with 4876 runs at an average of 38. 224 against Australia in Chennai in 2013 is his best. As a wicketkeeper, he effected 294 dismissals.
28) Dhoni has also been the recipient of many awards including the ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first Indian player to achieve this feat), the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2009.
29) MS Dhoni is also the co-owner of the Chennaiyin Indian Super League team (football), along with bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan.
1) Michael Edward Killeen Hussey was born on 27 May 1975 at Mount Lawley in Western Australia
2) Michael Hussey made his professional debut for Western Australia at age 19
3) Michael Hussey started playing professional cricket with his younger brother David Hussey
4) Michael Hussey was the ICC ODI ‘’Player of the Year’’ in 2006
5) Micheal hussey won a scholarship to the Australian Cricket Academy, where his contemporaries were Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie
6) Michael Hussey is an big fan of Manchester United
7) Michael Hussey had a 19-year long professional domestic career, as well as a 7-year long international career
8) During his early days, Michael Hussey aspired to be a Science professor! Hussey has admitted the same on numerous occasions. If not a professional cricketer, we would have seen Michael Hussey as a science teacher
9) Michael Hussey has four children with his wife Amy Hussey; Mike has a brother named David Hussey, who is also a cricketer.
10) Michael Hussey made a relatively late entry to the international scene, making his debut at 28 years and 30 years in ODIs and Tests respectively
11) Michael Hussey made more than 15,000 runs in first-class cricket before making his Test debut-a record for an uncapped Australian
12) Michael Hussey scored an unbeaten 329 for Northamptonshire in 2001. He then went on to lead the team in the following season. In August 2003, Hussey surpassed his own Northamptonshire record when hussey scored 331 not out against Somerset at Taunton
13) It took just 166 days for Michael Hussey in International cricket to reach the landmark of 1000 runs, the fastest ever in terms of number of days taken. Hussey reached the 2000 mark in just 20 matches (33 innings), the fourth fastest in the history of Test cricket
14) Hussey briefly captained Australia's national team in 2006, while Ricky Ponting was sidelined by injury
15) Michael Hussey is popularly known as Mr. Cricket.Hussey is also called Huss by his teammates
16) Michael Hussey was often found playing with the tailenders. At number 7 position, hussey scored 725 runs at averaged 120.83 in ODI matches. In the T20Is, hussey averages 124 at the same position
17) Michael Hussey was fastest player to reach the top 10 of the ICC ratings
18) Michael Hussey became the 2nd player to score an IPL century when he hit 116 against the Kings XI Punjab in the inaugural edition of the IPL. In the 2013 edition of the IPL, hussey scored 733 runs in 17 matches and was the leading run-getter of the season.
19) Australia played Pakistan in the semi-final match of 2010 World T20. Chasing 192 to win, Australia reached a stage when they needed 17 off the last 5 balls with Hussey on strike. Saeed Ajmal had the ball in hand and Hussey finished things off in herculean style for his team, hitting 6, 6, 4, 6! He remained unbeaten on 60 off just 24 balls
20) Michael Hussey was a part of the Australian cricket team who won the series by 5-0 in the 2006-07 Ashes series. Hussey averaged 105.25 in the Ashes that year
21) Michael Hussey played for Australian cricket team,Chennai Super Kings, Durham, Gloucestershire, Mumbai Indians, Northamptonshire, Sydney Thunder, Western Australia
22) Hussey served as the batting consultant of the South African team when they toured India in 2015. Hussey then went on to be the batting consultant of the Australian team during the 2016 World T20
1) Kevin Pietersen was born on 27 June 1980 at Pietermaritzburg in South Africa to an English mother, Penny and a South African father, Jannie. He developed a love for the game early in his life.
2) After making his first-class debut in 1997 when he was 19 for KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa he moved to England in 2000 to join Nottinghamshire, citing racial quota system in South Africa as a big hindrance to his progress as a cricketer.
3) After qualifying to represent England by playing county cricket for four seasons since moving to the country, Kevin Pietersen was picked for the tour of Zimbabwe, where he scored his first One Day International 50 for England.
4) Earning himself a spot in the England squad for the tour of South Africa, courtesy Andrew Flintoff’s withdrawal, playing for his adopted country, he tormented his motherland with three-stroke filled centuries and a fifty in a 7-match ODI series averaging a massive 151.33.
5) Kevin Pietersen reveals that his trademark shot (switch hit) was due to his school days playing hockey – and playing courtyard cricket with his brothers, when they would switch between left and right handed shots.
6) Miffed by the racial quota in the South African domestic circuit, Kevin Pietersen decided to move to England to pursue a career in English cricket. He started by playing for Cannock CC and later joined Nottinghamshire for a 3-year deal and was well supported by the then coach of the team, Clive Rice.
7) Kevin Pietersen made his Test debut during the 2005 Ashes series at Lord’s and was picked ahead of Graham Thorpe. He came into bat at 18/3 and made 57 on debut in his first innings. In the 2nd innings, he finished making another half-century – 64*, thus becoming only the 4th player to top-score in both innings on debut for England, the 8th England player to score a half-century in each inning on debut, and the 3rd cricketer to do so at Lord’s.
8) Kevin Pietersenalso participated in one of the pioneer domestic tournaments of Indian circuit, the Duleep Trophy in 2003-04. He was a part of the England A team that participated in that season as a guest team. Playing against South Zone, he scored a century in each inning (104 and 115) though in a losing cause as South Zone miraculously chased down 501 to win riding on Venugopal Rao’s 228* in the 2nd innings.
9) It was Clive Rice, South Africa’s legendary all-rounder, who helped him by signing the precociously talented batsman for Nottinghamshire in 2000.
10) Kevin Pietersen equalled Viv Richards’ record for the fastest to 1,000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs). He did it in just 21 innings. He also was then the joint fastest with Zaheer Abbas to 2,000 ODI runs. His record has since been broken by Hashim Amla.
11) Kevin Pietersen became the first England player to win a player-of-the-tournament award in an ICC tournament guiding England to their first ever ICC trophy. It was in the ICC World T20 2010.
12) In England’s tour of India 2008, Kevin Pietersen, after being dismissed by Yuvraj Singh in the second Test at Mohali, called the left-arm spinner as “pie-chucker”. Yuvraj Singh responded by pointing out that he has fallen for a part-timer five times.
13) Kevin Pietersen also held the record for the fastest century by an Englishman. It came at East London, South Africa, when Pietersen’s deadly innings floored the South African bowlers. Pietersen made 100 off 69 balls. His record was broken by Jos Buttler, who scored a 61 ball-ton against Sri Lanka in 2014 at Lord’s.
14) When Kevin Pietersen scored 158 at Lord’s against Sri Lanka in the first Test of the summer in 2006 and followed it up with 142 in the next Test at Edgbaston, and the inclusion of his 158 against Australia to close of the 2005 summer made him the 1st England player since Graham Gooch to make hundreds in three consecutive innings. He subsequently entered the top ten in the world rankings.
15) During South Africa’s tour of England in 2012, which the visitors won 2-0, Kevin Pietersen was controversially dropped from the team for the final Test after it was found that he had texted AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn degrading his captain Andrew Strauss and team director Andy Flower.
16) Kevin Pietersen became a folk hero when he notched up a scintillating 158 at the Oval in 2005-06. During that innings, he also broke Ian Botham’s record for most sixes in a Test innings by an Englishman in Ashes history (7).
17) Kevin Pietersen amassed 533 runs during India’s tour to England in 2011, an effort unmatched by his own personal standards. Kevin Pietersen kick-started the tournament with an unbeaten 202 at Lord’s and finished the tournament with 175 at the Oval.
18) No doubt this man has abundant of talent, but you would be amazed to know that he is a nervy guy. Pietersen admitted that he is a nervous wreck when waiting to bat– he claimed he sometimes went to the toilet every five minutes while preparing to go in.
19) It was the 2nd Test of the England’s tour to Pakistan in 2005-06 when KP clobbered a 95 Mph delivery by Shoaib Akhtar for a six off the front foot. Now that is some class! Pietersen ended up scoring 100 in the 1st innings of the drawn game at Faisalabad.
20) The major team’s that Kevin Pietersen has featured in are England, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, Dolphins, Hampshire, ICC World XI, KwaZulu-Natal, Melbourne Stars, Stars, Natal, Nottinghamshire, Quetta Gladiators, Rising Pune Supergiants, Royal Challengers Bangalore, St Lucia Zouks, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Surrey.
1) Zaheer Khan was Born in Shrirampur, Maharashtra, to a middle class Family. Zaheer father was a photographer while mother was a teacher
2) Zaheer Khan is fondly nicknamed 'Zak'
3) Zaheer khan is India’s most successful left-arm seamer and the third most successful in the World
4) Zaheer did his initial schooling at the Hind Seva Mandal’s New Marathi Primary School and later at the KJ Somaiyya Secondary School. Post schooling, Zaheer got admission to the Mechanical Engineering degree course. But on his coach Sudhir Naik’s advice, Zaheer gave up engineering and focussed on cricket, even as Zaheer was good at academics.
5) Zaheer Khan has played for various teams in domestic cricket such as Baroda, Mumbai, Surrey, Worcestershire and IPL teams Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils
6) In county cricket, Zaheer khan became the first Worcestershire player to take 10 wickets in a match on debut for over 100 years
7) Zaheer Khan made his First-Class debut in the 1999-2000 domestic season for Baroda, as Zaheer couldn’t make it to the Mumbai squad. In his debut season, Zaheer was the third best fast bowler, and best left-arm seamer, behind Ashish Zaidi and Sadagoppan Mahesh
8) In the 2000/01 Ranji Trophy final against Railways, Zaheer Khan was awarded Man of the Match for scalping 8-wickets and helped Baroda win by 21-runs
9) Zaheer Khan was declared Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2008
10) Zaheer khan was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2011
11) Zaheer khan, along with Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra, was instrumental in India’s dream run to the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. However, a nervous Zaheer gave a horrific start to the final, conceding 15 runs in the first over against Australia. India never recovered and lost with a huge margin. With 18 wickets from 11 matches, he finished the tournament as the fourth highest wicket-taker at an impressive average of 20.77 runs per wicket
12) Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni considered Zaheer Khan as the Sachin Tendulkar of Indian bowling attack
13) Zaheer khan has two brothers the elder brother named Zeeshankhan and younger brother named Anees khan
14) Zaheer Khan Made his international Test debut against Bangladesh and ODI debut against Kenya during the ICC Knock Out Trophy in 2000
15) Zaheer khan owns a restaurant “ZK’s” in Pune, which is being managed by his younger brother Anees
16) As a young boy, Zaheer was afraid of travelling by plane. His first experience of boarding a plane was when Zaheer travelled to Madhya Pradesh with the Mumbai Ranji probables. zaheer famously told his coach Vidyadhar Paradkar, “Sir aap mere saath aaoge? Mujhe plane se darr lagta hai (Sir, will you accompany me? I am scared of planes).”
17) Every bowler has a bunny and Zaheer khan had former South African skipper Graeme Smith, whom Zaheer has dismissed 14 times in international cricket, the most times Zaheer has dismissed any batsman.
18) Zaheer khan was dating Bollywood actress Isha Sharvani for 8 years
19) Zaheer Khan was at his best when India won the Cricket World Cup in 2011 claiming 21 wickets in 9 matches
20) Against Australia in 2008, Zaheer became the third Indian after Rusi Surti and Kapil Dev to score a half century and take five wickets in an innings in the same match
21) Zaheer khan first burst onto the scene under the inspirational captain Sourav Ganguly’s tenure. Ganguly, who gave opportunities to a number of youngsters such as Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Mohammad Kaif in his time, also shaped Zaheer’s career
22) Zaheer khan has taken 610 international wickets so far (311 in Tests, 282 in ODIs and 17 in T20 Internationals (T20Is). Zaheer has 652 First-Class wickets to his name, along with 357 in List A and 119 in domestic T20Is
23) As of December 2010, his 75 against Bangladesh in 2004 was the highest Test score by a number 11 batsman
24) Zaheer Khan was hugely inspired by the left-arm-fast bowling legend Wasim Akram since his childhood
25) Zaheer khan dismissed the Sri Lankan legend Sangakkara 11 times (6 times in tests and 5 times in ODIs) in his career
26) Zaheer khan has also officially bowled a few overs as a slow left arm spinner in Tests.
1) Shane Warne’s father Jason picked up cricket after 40, to play alongside his sons at East Sandringham Boys Cricket Club2) During the 1980s, after the Australians lost three out of four Ashes series and four out of five of the Frank Worrell Trophies, the Australian Cricket Board appended a cricket wing to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) program in 1987. In 1990, a twenty-year old Warne was taken in as one of the ‘scholars’ — according to Gideon Haigh, the only time such a term was tagged to this leg-spinner.3) It was at the Institute thatDamien Martynand Justin Langer came across Warne for the first time. He was an overweight youth sitting by himself, tucking into a family-sized pizza and guzzling down a can of Victoria Bitter4) At the Academy, Jack Potter, one of the managers of the cricket programme, taught him the fiendishly difficult skill of the flipper5) When he played his first Test match, against India at Sydney in 1992, Warne weighed 97 kilos6) The first One Day game Warne ever attended was one of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cup matches at VFL Park. The first Test was the 1982 Melbourne affair which Australia lost to England by three runs7) At Colombo, with Sri lanka at 150 for 7, captain Border tossed the ball to his young leg-spinner. At that juncture Wane had a Test bowling record of 1 wicket for 346 runs from 93 overs. And he quickly finished the innings bagging the three remaining wickets. Australia won by 16 runs. They were not great scalps. None of the batsmen he dismissed that day ended his Test career with an average more than 6. However, this faith or hunch or simply a decision that could easily have gone horribly wrong — whatever it was for Border —gave Warne the foothold from which he climbed to the highest of peaks8) Once at Trent Bridge Robert Croft hit him for six and was watching the replay on the giant screen. Warne told him, “Don’t worry mate, you will be able to see the replay again in a couple of minutes.” He was right9) Sachin Tendulkar scored 1209 against Australia in 12 Tests when Warne bowled at him, at an average of 60.45 with five hundreds.Brian Laraplayed eight more Tests against Warne, scored 1837 at 54.02 with the same number of centuries. Kevin Pietersen scored 963 at 53.50 in 10 Tests with two identical scores of 158. No other batsmen came remotely close to matching their feats. Warne prevailed over almost all his opponents10) With his first ball againstEngland, in his first Ashes Test, Warne produced a spectacular delivery thatbowled Gatting. It became recognized as being of considerable significance in not just the context of the match or series, but as "The ball of the century"11) Arriving in England for the first time, he was prevailed over by Border not to deploy any of his varieties when Australia played at Worcester. He was not played in the Texaco Trophy matches as well. The result was that England actually got to see him only when he ran in to bowl to Mike Gatting in the Manchester Test12) One of the famous quotes of Warne was: “Part of the art of bowling spin is to make the batsman think something special is happening when it is not.” His mystery deliveries, always discovered before Ashes series, were often figments of his imagination which preyed on the batsmen’s minds13) Another characteristic quote of Warne ran, “It is the batsmen who worry about combination, not the bowlers”14) There were more tricks than just the rip on the ball. The elaborate field placing, the winces, the facial expressions, the expectant appeals that started with the release of the delivery and stopped with a curious look and hint of smile if nothing happened. If there was an appeal turned down, the umpire was given a startled stare. Warne could sometimes cajole out a shocking decision, he did so from Steve Bucknor against Andrew Strauss at Adelaide in his final Ashes series in 2006-0715) Once Sourav Ganguly patted near half-volleys defensively. Warne walked up to him, pointed at Sachin Tendulkar at the other end and said, “People have come here to watch that man play his strokes, not to see you block.” Soon, Ganguly stepped out, misread a ball horribly and was sprawling on the ground as he was stumped16) For a long time Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne never really got along. In the heat of the battle it couldn’t be picked, they buried their differences for the sake of the team. But beyond the boundary things weren’t good between themIt actually began in the ‘Pura Cup’ game between Victoria and Western Australia in the late 1990s when Warne mercilessly sledged Gilchrist when he was batting17) The problems continued well into his post-international cricket days. Even in early 2013, Warne was fined $4500 and banned for a match for using obscene language, making inappropriate physical contact with Marlon Samuels and showing serious dissent at an umpire’s decision during a Big Bash League Match18) Warne did have the ability to feign innocence, almost literally like the adolescent kid led or laid astray by trusted people in his life. After swallowing Moduretic, he came up with the tale that he had been badgered into taking it by his mother Brigitte, a sterling lady of German descent. He confessed tearfully to his teammates.Ricky Ponting later told the media that Warne was guilty of using drugs, as also stupidity. When Gilchrist said in his reaction, “I think there’s no doubt that people don’t like being deceived,” Warne was bitter enough to proclaim to a mutual acquaintance that he would never speak to Gilchrist again19) Warne was never really a stickler for fitness drills. Ian Chappell tells the story of Warne bounding down to him before a match and saying, “Why are we doing these stupid 45-minute fielding drills? What I need is to bowl a few balls at the nets and then sit in the dressing room, have a smoke, a cuppa tea and think about the guys I have to bowl at today.” Chappell and Warne agreed that the leg-spinner should have played in the former’s era20) Steve Waugh and Warne had a few differences in their time. In his Shane Warne’s Century rating cricketers he had played with, the leg-spinner ranks his captain at No 26, saying he was less aggressive and not a big risk taker. Waugh, in his Out of my Comfort Zone hints at some irritating characteristics of Warne, although they are all but lost in the bulk of the book21) In the 2005 Ashes tour took place, Warne ended with 40 wickets at 19.92 apiece, 249 runs at 27.66. It was perhaps the best of all his Ashes campaigns. Yet, the image that remains embossed in our minds is that edge from Pietersen that flew into his hands and out, that perhaps cost Australia the Ashes for the first time in nearly two decades22) In 2013, during the Ashes, it was painful to watch Nathan Lyon, perhaps in a desperate bid to call on the spirit that had confounded the earlier Englishmen, proceeding to bowl round the wicket as Warne had done. Only neither did he break the ball the same way, nor nearly as much. In between this tale of the Australian struggle, during a lunch interval, the former leg-spinner popped up on the giant screen, demonstrating his esoteric art for a television channel. A few days shy of 44, he had played his last international match six years earlier, having restricted himself to a handful of matches in the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League since then. And here he was, appearing in front of the camera to share the secrets of one of the most difficult crafts of the game. He spoke briefly about a plan, where he would pitch each delivery of an over and how much he would turn each one of them. And casually taking his five walked and three trotted paces to the crease, he proceeded to do bowl his talk. Every ball landed exactly where he had promised, and ended precisely where he had predicted23) With the camera spotting Warne having a chocolate ice-cream bar, Harsha Bhogle remarked on television that it was perhaps the most harmless thing in his hand. He hinted that he could neither bowl leg-breaks nor text with the ice-cream24) Captaining Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after having been acquired for a whopping $450,000, he spiced up the outfit both in terms of glamour and insight. The four overs he bowled in every match were impeccably planned, the strategies on the field threshed out to perfection, and when required he was not averse to hitting a couple of sixes to earn victories. Twelve wins resulted in 14 matches, and the Royals won the first edition of the tournament.Although in the most pungent version of cricket, the results led many to voice the claim that Warne was the best captain Australia never had25) Warne took charge of the Hampshire side, leading it from second division to within striking distance of the county title. And there he struck a close friendship with Kevin Pietersen, the explosive South Africa born batsman knocking on the English cricketing doors, with whom he would form a dashing debonair duo that rivalled the post-War legend of Keith Miller and Denis Compton. The duo could be spotted every evening, drinking themselves to glory in the Southampton pubs
1) Kumar Sangakkara was born to Kumari Surangana and Kshema sangakkara in Matale and grew up in Kandy.
2) Kumar Sangakkara met his wife Yehali when he was about 16-17 and has been with her for well over 20 years now. Without a doubt, it’s been the bestpartnership of his life. The couple has twins, a girl and a boy: Swyree and Kavith.
3) Kumar Sangakkara has done his schooling at Trinity College, an elite private boys’ school situated in Kandy. He was the Head Boy of school and was also awarded the highest honour of Trinity College, the Ryde Gold Medal, for the best all-round student.
4) Sangakkara later pursued a degree in the Arts stream in 1996 and enrolled for a degree in Law at the University of Colombo, but was unable to finish it due to his cricket commitments.
5) Kumar Sangakkara played a number of sports like badminton, tennis, swimming, table tennis and cricket during his school days and even represented his country in badminton, tennis and cricket at his younger age.
6) Despite being good at so many sports, Sangakkara started to look at cricket as a serious option after a timely advice from the then principal of his college, Leonard de Alwis, who advised his mother to encourage Sangakkara to concentrate on cricket.
7) Kumar Sangakkara made his international debut in an ODI match against Pakistan at Galle in 2001
8) The 37-year-old made his Test debut against South Africa at Galle in 2001.
9) Sangakkara has scored 38 Test centuries, which puts him at fourth position behind Ricky Ponting (41), Jacques Kallis (45) and Sachin Tendulkar (51).
10) Sangakkara along with Mahela Jayawardene still owns the record for the highest partnership in Tests (624) for any wicket.
11) Kumar Sangakkara became the youngest person to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture at Lord’s. He was the first active international player to deliver that lecture, which was widely praised by the cricketing community for its outspoken nature.
12) Kumar Sangakkara won three ICC awards in 2012 – Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year and People’s Choice award.
13) In 2012, he became the second Sri Lankan after Mahela Jayawardene to get to the 10,000-run mark in Tests. He became the joint-fastest batsman to get to the landmark.
14) Kumar Sangakkara's highest score in Test is 319, which he scored against Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2014.
15) Kumar Sangakkara scored 11 Test double centuries in his fabulous career, just one behind Don Bradman's record of 12 double tons.
16) Kumar Sangakkara was named the ICC ODI player of the year in 2013.
17) Kumar Sangakkara is the first batsman to score four centuries on the trot in ODIs.
18) As a specialist batsman only Don Bradman has a higher average than him.
19) In the list of batsmen who have scored highest runs in Tests, Sanga lies at number five with 12350 runs, behind Rahul Dravid (13288), Jacques Kallis (13289), Ricky Ponting (13378) and Sachin Tendulkar (15921).
20) With 501 victims behind the wicket, he surpassed Adam Gilchrist’s 472 ODI dismissals by quite a margin.
21) Kumar Sangakkara is the second highest run scorer in ODI matches after Sachin Tendulkar.
22) Kumar Sanggakkara has played cricket from the age of 7 years, when he joined Sunil Fernando’s private coaching classes. Sunil also used to coach Muttiah Muralitharan during the after school classes.
23) Kumar Sangakkara is the first batsman to score four back-to-back centuries in an ICC World Cup.
1) Matthew Lawrence Hayden was born on 29 October 1971, in Queensland Australia
2) Matthew Hayden made his First-Class debut for Queensland just two days after he turned 20. Hayden scored 149 in his very first innings against South Australia. In 1991, hayden played his very first List A match against West Indians A. he was run out for 49 in the match but he impressed all
3) Debuting against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1994 and up against a lineup that included Allan Donald, Fanie de Villiers, Craig Mathews and Brian McMillan, Matthew Hayden found the attack too hot to handle and was promptly dropped from the squad
4) Australia’s India tour in 2001 will go down as one of the greatest series ever between the two sides. The visitors, who were expected to thrash India, lost the series 2-1, but that series marked the turnaround for Hayden. On difficult turning wickets, Hayden amassed 549 runs from just three Tests and ensured hayden was a permanent fixture at the Aussie top order for the many years that followed
5) When Hayden retired his opening partner Justin Langer complemented him as the “best ever opener from Australia.”Hayden and Langer formed a strong pair in Test cricket. They hold fourth rank in the list of highest partnership runs in Test cricket
6) Matthew Hayden made his maiden century 125 against the West Indies at Adelaide but averaged only 21.7 for the series with two ducks
7) Matthew Hayden was dropped from the team, after a wretched tour of South Africa as the selectors favoured other openers, in particular, Mark Taylor and Matthew Elliott, for the next few years
8) Matthew Hayden played youth cricket in Australia as a teenager, before going pro as a 19-year old
9) On October 10, 2003, hayden set an individual Test innings record against the Zimbabwe at Perth in October 2003, scoring 380 runs on just 437 balls, Hayden broke Brian Lara’s record of 375 which was the previous highest individual Test score
10) His numbers looked more than impressive by the time when hayden retired. Hayden became one of the greatest openers. Hayden has 8,625 runs from 103 Tests with an average of 50.73,with 30 centuries. In ODIs, he has 6,133 runs with an average of 43.80. He played only 9 T20’s and averaged 51.33 at a strike-rate of 144
11) Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden both love fishing. In 2000, Hayden, Symonds and another friend went fishing, and the boat sunk. This left the trio in deep water, and they had to swim for more than three hours to reach an island. Not only did Hayden do it, he effectively had to drag Symonds along. Bear in mind, there were sharks in the water
12) Matthew Hayden played three seasons for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and was significant for them. With Hayden CSK won the trophy in 2010. Hayden also won the Orange Cap in IPL 2009. Hayden then played for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL) for two seasons
13) Matthew Hayden was a prolific batsman for the Queensland first-class cricket team. playing 101 matches, and scored 8831 runs at an average of 54.85
14) In front of his home Brisbane crowd, hayden scored 197 and 103 in the first 2002-03 Ashes Test, the match in which Nasser Hussain famously invited Australia to bat
15) Matthew Hayden has involved himself in a lot of charity work. Hayden is often seen donning the role of a cricket commentator. He is recently helping the young cricketers in Noida, India. Hayden also loves to cook
16) Hayden has featured in two World Cup sides for Australia 2003 and 2007 and the team went on to lift the trophy on both occasions. Hayden has scored 987 runs at 51.94 in World Cup games. Hayden was the highest run-scorer in the 2007 World Cup, where hayden amassed 659 runs at 73.22 and a strike-rate of over 101. He smashed three centuries in the tournament as well
17) Matthew Hayden made headlines when he used the long handled Mongoose bat in IPL 2010. It was the talk of the town, but for some reason has not caught on since
18) Matthew Hayden scored over 1,000 Test runs in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, the first man to achieve the feat five times. He was selected as one of Wisden’s five 2003 Cricketers of the Year
19) MatthewHayden form in the 2006-07 Ashes series against England was average hayden failed to reach 40 in the first three innings of the series, but he returned to form with scores of 92 in Perth, and 153 in the Boxing Day Test
20) Hayden will be seen once again. Hayden has signed a contract with Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar’s Cricket All-Stars. In November 2015, hayden will be seen into crease for Tendulkar’s Blasters. It includes 3 T20 games to be played in the United States
21) Matthew Hayden is married to Kellie Hayden and the couple have a daughter named Grace, and two sons named Joshua and Thomas Joseph
22) Matthew Hayden performed well in the 2007–2008 summer against India, aggregating over 400 runs with three centuries in the 4-Test series, to bring his career total to 30 centuries and broke Bradman’s record
23) In February 2007, Matthew Hayden posted his highest ODI score 181 not out against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton. It was the highest ODI innings ever by an Australian
24) Matthew Hayden was Australia’s Test Player of the Year in 2002, ODI Player of the Year in 2008 and ICC’s ODI Player of the Year in 2007
1) Graeme Craig Smith was born on 1st February, 1981 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Smith went to the prestigious King Edward VII School. The school boasts of rich alumni and many top South African sportsmen have attended here. Cricketers Ali Bacher, Adam Bacher, Quinton de Kock and many other international cricketers have attended this school
2) Graeme Smith is Left-handed opening batsman and captain of the South African cricket team Test side and debuted domestically for Gauteng in 1999
3) Smith captained his 100th career Test match on 1 February 2013, against Pakistan, on his 32nd Birthday
4) Smith played three Tests multi-day and seven one day matches for South Africa Under-19s, Smith played the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2000. This tournament was won by India and it marked the rise of Yuvraj Singh and India’s U-19 captain Mohammad Kaif. The South African side was led by Thami Tsolekile, who later played under Smith as a wicketkeeper, Smith emerged as the top scorer in the tournament
5) Graeme Smith made his Test debut for South Africa in 2002 in Cape Town against Australia
6) Graeme Smith was 22 years, 82 days and only eight test matches old when Smith was handed the South African Test captaincy, making him country’s youngest Test captain and number fourth on the list of youngest Test captains all over the world
7) Smith is currently the most successful Test captain, having overtaken Ricky Ponting’s 48 Test victories
8) Graeme Smith is the youngest ever South African cricketer to lead the side
9) Graeme Smith also holds the world record of highest number of wins in Test matches as skipper with 53 wins
10) The 2005-06 ODI series between Australia and South Africa was evenly balanced 2-2 ahead of the final game at Johannesburg. Australia became the first team to cross the 400-run barrier in ODIs as they posted 434. Their record was short-lived, as in a one of its kind match, South Africa chased the total down. Gibbs’ 175 made the difference for the hosts but Smith played a crucial role with his 55-ball 90.
11) In December 2008, Graeme Smith saw his greatest moment as a leader. During a time when dominating Australia at home was unthinkable, Smith’s men achieved this. Riding on hundreds from Smith and AB de Villiers, South Africa chased down 414 at Perth. South Africa then went on to win the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. They ended up winning the series 2-1
12) Despite having won the series in Australia in 2008-09, Smith tried his level best to save the Sydney Test that Australia had dominated. Smith came out to bat with a broken hand in attempt to save the Test but was dismissed with only 10 balls remaining. This act of courage won him hearts of the otherwise ruthless Australian spectators. Smith received a standing ovation
13) Out of Smith’s 27 centuries in Test cricket, 15 came as a captain in Test match wins, the most number of centuries by a captain in wins
14) Graeme Smith is the fastest South African to reach 1000, 3000, 4000, 6000, and 7000 test runs
15) On 24 October 2013, Smith became the second South African and 12th overall to complete 9,000 runs in test cricket in his 112th test match
16) Graeme Smith also hit 105 in the Twenty-20 Cup match against Northamptonshire, which is currently the 15th highest score in the domestic Twenty-20 Cup competition
17) Graeme Smith led South Africa in 150 ODI matches, most by a South African captain
18) South Africa have not lost a Test when Smith has scored a hundred. And the remarkable fact is that he has scored 27 Test hundreds
19) Graeme Smith played 197 ODIs for his country scoring 6989 runs at an average of 37.98 with a career best of 141. Smith made 10 tons and 47 fifties
20) Graeme Smith played 117 matches scoring 9265 runs at an average of 48.25 with a career best of 277. Smith made 27 tons and 38 fifties
21) Graeme Smith played 33 T20Is scoring 982 runs at an average of 31.67 with a top score of 89 not out. Smith made 5 fifties in the shortest format
22) Smith also holds the world record of a non-wicketkeeper taking most catches (82) in test match wins
23) In August 2011, Smith got married to Irish singer Morgan Deane in Cape Town. They have a daughter, Candence Christine Smith and a son, Carter McMorrin Smith
24) Graeme Smith has played in IPL for Rajasthan Royals and Pune Warriors India. Smith has also represented Hampshire, Somerset and Surrey in English county cricket
25) During the second Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong in begun on 29 February 2008 Smith scored 232 and Neil McKenzie 226 put on a world record 415 for the first wicket.The partnership beat the previous first-wicket record of 413 which had been set in 1956 by Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy
26) After South Africa lost to New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup, Graeme Smith resigned as ODI and Twenty20 captain. Smith was replaced by AB de Villiers.
1) Andrew John Strauss was born on 2 March, 1977 at Johannesburg, Transvaal Province, South Africa
2) Andrew Strauss was born in South Africa but relocated to England at the age of six, where Strauss started playing serious cricket and went on to playfor the country
3) Andrew Strauss is commonly known as Muppet, due to his resemblance with the muppet, a famous cartoon character. Other nicknames include Levi, Mareman, The Captain and Straussy
4) An average student with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Durham University, Strauss started playing cricket for the university team and soon made it to Middlesex second XI. The natural progression was to the Middlesex team, for which he started playing in 1998. By 2000, Strauss had become their opening batsman and by 2002, their full-time captain
5) Before Fame, Andrew Strauss was just the fourth batsman to score 100 at Lord's Cricket Ground on his debut
6) During his early career, Strauss spent several years in the cities of Sydney and Adelaide in Australia, and briefly played first-grade cricket alongside Australian bowler Brett Lee
7) Two back to back fruitful county seasons 1,133 and 1,401 First-class runs in 2002 and 2003 respectively saw him picked for the England ODI side to tour Bangladesh
8) Andrew Strauss made his Test debut against New Zealand at Lord’s in May 2004 and turned it into a memorable one as Strauss became only the fourth player and the first Middlesex captain to score a century at Lord’s in his maiden outing. Strauss missed the second innings hundred by a whisker, as he was run out on 83. Had Andrew completed his hundred, he could have become the first Englishman to score two hundreds on Test debut. Later, Andrew scored his maiden ODI hundred as well on the same ground against West Indies
9) Andrew Strauss has written several books on his professional career, Coming Into Play: My Life in Test Cricket (2006), Testing Times: In Pursuit of the Ashes 2010, with Scyld Berry, Winning the Ashes Down Under: The Captains Story (2011), and an autobiography, Driving Ambition, in 2014
10) Andrew Strauss was a part of the English team that won the historic Ashes England’s first in 18 years in 2005. His 106 in the third Test at Old Trafford and 129 in the fifth Test at the Oval ensured that England drew the matches and regain the urn
11) Andrew Strauss has the rare distinction of having his final Test match and his 100th Test coinciding. Strauss also achieved yet another rare feat when he became one of the players to play his debut and final Test at Lords. Strauss scored 20 & 1 in each inning as the visiting South Africans clinched a 51 run win. The match, however, was clouded by a text messaging scandal by Kevin Pietersen
12) Andrew Strauss managed to keep his place for the India tour and immediately rewarded the selectors by making 123 in the first innings of the first Test match with the rest of the batting lagging behind. Andrew followed it up by holding the batting order together after a collapse that saw England 43–3 and shared a 200 run partnership with Paul Collingwood in which Strauss and Collingwood both made 108. He became just the 10th Englishman to make two hundreds in the same Test match, with Marcus Trescothick being the last in 2004
13) England reached the top of the ICC Test rankings in the 2008/09 season for the first time in 31 years. This also included an impressive win in the 2009 edition of the Ashes series under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss
14) In January 2009, Strauss was officially appointed as England’s new Test captain, when Strauss succeeded Kevin Pietersen. In the 50 Tests where he led his team, England won 24, lost 11 and drew 15. Under his captaincy, England won the Ashes twice once each home and away. Another highlight of his captaincy was that England attained No. 1 spot in ICC Test rankings, for the first time in 31 years, during his tenure in the year 2011
15) Andrew Strauss is considered as the most successful England captain of his era. Strauss led the Brits into a golden age during his incumbency as captain. His most notable achievement came during the 2009 Ashes tour when he led his side to victory against a mighty Australian side. He captained England for the final 5 years of his career
16) Andrew Strauss married Ruth McDonald in 2003 and he has two sons, Luca and Sam. He grew up in England, with his family moving there when he was six
17) In 2012 he announced his retirement from the sport, with Alastair Cook taking over captaining duties
18) Andrew Strauss was named the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2005 on the back of his fantastic performance. Later, he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire, which was subsequently upgraded when was promoted as the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2011. The same year, his alma mater, Durham University, conferred the honorary doctorate of DCL upon him
19) Andrew Strauss became the Director of Cricket for England cricket team in 2015, soon before the sacking of Peter Moores. His first assignment was to lead England out of a horrific World Cup campaign.
1) Steve Waugh was born on the 2nd of June 1965 at Canterbury, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, He was born about four minutes before Mark. As a result , Mark got the nickname ‘junior’.
2) Steve Waugh made his professional debut with the New South Wales team in the 1984-1985 season
3) The Waugh twins played cricket and football at a young age and managed to maintain a balance between the two. In Australia, you would find most sportsmen dabbling in different sports before choosing one as a career. The represented Sydney Croatia football team as youngsters before they shifted their focus to cricket
4) Steve Waugh came of age in the 1989 edition of the Ashes in England. The Aussies clinched the Ashes series 4-0 with the victory marking the end of the reconstruction of the Australian side. Waugh smashed two of his 32 centuries in the series as the Aussies under Allan Border, basked in glory
5) Cricket has seen a few pairs of twins, but the Waughs are the first ones to play Test cricket. The only other pair to play Test cricket are Hamish and James Marshall of New Zealand, who are identical twins, unlike Steve and Mark Waugh
6) In the 1990-91 Ashes Down Under,Steve Waugh was dropped from the Test team. The man who took his place in the side was his brother twin Mark Waugh, The younger Waugh celebrated the occasion by scoring a century on debut. However, later in 1991, Waugh returned to the Test team and remained a fixture ever since
7) Steve Waugh was named Australian of the Year in 2004 for his philanthropic work, and inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in front of his home fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2010
8) Steve Waugh was a youngster in 1987 when Allan Border’s team went on to win the World Cup in India. Tom Moody, a young all-rounder from Western Australia, was also a part of the side. In 1999, Steve and Moody were the only two surviving members of the 1987 team that clinched the World Cup in England
9) There isn’t anything in cricket that Waugh hasn’t seen. Waugh has won and lost the Ashes, won and lost World Cups, beaten and has been beat by the West Indies. His experience classifies him as a ‘once in a lifetime cricketer’
10) In 1998, a strong Australia A side featuring Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Brendon Julian, Adam Dale, Jason Gillespie and Andrew Bichel played a few games against Ireland. Interestingly, Waugh played for Ireland in that series against some of his own international teammates. Waugh played one First-Class match and five limited-overs games. Waugh scored only one fifty
11) Steve Waugh took over the captaincy from Mark Taylor in 1999. His first assignment was the World Cup in England, a tournament which they won
12) In 1979, Andrew Hilditch became the first Australian and the second man in Test cricket to be out handled the ball. Steve Waugh entered the unwanted league when Steve deflected a ball away with his glove during the Chennai Test against India in 2001. In a reflex motion, he tried to steer the ball away with his gloves and the Indians appealed
13) Having made his debut against India at the MCG in 1985, Waugh called time on his international career against the Indians in 2004 the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. Waugh was carried around the stadium, draped in the Australian flag as he did
14) Steve Waugh led the Australian team in its era of dominance and his record reflects that. Steve has the 1999 World Cup in his cabinet to show, but his 71.92 percent success rate in Test cricket as skipper is enviable. On that mark, Steve is ahead of Ricky Ponting, who won about 62 percent of his Tests as captain. Waugh captained Australia 57 times in Test cricket and won 41 of those encounters. To top it all, Australia had won 16 consecutive Tests during one of their successful runs
15) Steve Waugh finally retired at the end of the 2003-04 series against India, bowing out with 80, his last shot an untypical heave to backward square leg
16) Steve Waugh was known for his grit and fight through his career. Be it standing up to Curtly Ambrose or fashioning that famous knock against South Africa in the 1999 World Cup, his remarkable character came to the fore. In the Ashes 2001, Steve was injured in the third Test even as Australia won. Steve missed the fourth Test but stayed on to play the fifth despite being advised months of rest. Waugh’s wife asked him to stay on and lift the urn in England. Steve managed to get himself ready and smashed a ton in the fifth Test at The Oval. The picture of him diving to get his ton and raising his bat is one of the most iconic memories in recent times
17) The Waugh twins played their last One-Day International (ODI), First-Class game and List A game together. Both were dropped after the tri-series Down Under in 2002, where they played their last ODI against South Africa at Perth. In 2004, their last First-Class game came when New South Wales played Queensland a few days after their final List A appearance against Tasmania
18) Steve Waugh was awarded the Australian Sports Medal on 14 July 2000
19) On 3 February 2009 Steve Waugh became the 30th cricketer inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
1) Yuvraj's father Yograj Singh is a former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie actor.
2) Yuvraj’s father, Yograj Singh, has played cricket for India for a few years. But when he couldn’t achieve the dreams in his youth he pushed his son to do the same. So while Yuvraj wasn’t interested in playing cricket his father made sure he cultivated the interest and would do all sorts of tricks to make him play. Yuvraj said, “I was not allowed more than 30mins each day to hang out with friends. All weekdays I was forced to play cricket and no other sport. Guess, today whatever I’m as a cricketer the credit goes to my father. You can say he was like a Hitler to me in my childhood!”
3) Yuvraj is the only Indian crickter after Sachin Tendulkar to have been signed by English county Yorkshire, an honor few overseas players are bestowed upon.
4) Yuvraj Singh was signed by Microsoft as a brand ambassador when the Xbox 360 video game console was launched in the Indian market way back in 2006.
5) As a kid, Yuvraj was very fond of roller-skating. In fact, he won theNational U-14 Roller Skating Championship. But Yograj Singh, his father, threw away the medal and told his son to focus on cricket. Yuvraj was also good with tennis. But both his love had to be sacrifice who commanded him to pursue cricket.
6) As a teenager, Yuvraj was sent to Mumbai to train at the Elf-Vengsarkar Cricket Academy. During his stay in Mumbai, Yuvraj lived with cricket writer Makarand Waingankar’s residence in Andheri, which is miles away from the academy. Waingankar recalls in his book Yuvi that Yuvraj was intimidated by the number of people in Mumbai so much so that he told him, ‘Mac uncle. Bombay is full of people. Chandigarh is full of trees.
7) As a child, Yuvraj acted in a couple of movies. Yograj Singh, Yuvraj’s father, had also got into films after his retirement.
8) Playing for the Punjab under-19s in a Vijay Merchant Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir under-16s in 1996, Yuvraj smashed 279 out of a team score of 498. Jammu and Kashmir under-16s managed only 65 and 149 in their two innings. This meant that Yuvraj alone had outscored the opposition’s match tally by 65 runs.
9) laying for the Punjab under-19s against Bihar under-19s in the Cooch Behar Trophy final in December 1999, Yuvraj smashed 358 off 404 balls. His innings featured 40 fours and six sixes. Interestingly, future Indian skipper MS Dhoni was a part of the opposition and had scored 84 when his team batted.
10) T20 cricket began in England in 2003 and that year three Indians — Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and Virender Sehwag — were a part of the county cricket. On June 14, 2003, both Yuvraj and Kaif became the first Indians to play T20 cricket when Yorkshire faced Derbyshire. Yuvraj scored 44 in that match. A couple of days later, Yuvraj hit 71 against Sehwag’s Leicestershire to become the first Indian to score a fifty in T20 cricket.
11) YUVI created a memorable innings with Mohammed Kaif in the NatWest series 2007
12) DURBAN, September 19. 2007: Yuvraj Singh smashed fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over as India piled
up 218-4 in a must-win match against England in the Twenty20 world championship.
13) Yuvraj is a huge Sachin fan since childhood. Yuvraj cherishes those moments he spent on the crease with the master blaster, and rates that test in Chennai in 2008 when he had a crucial partnership with Sachin to win India the match as one of his greatest cricketing moments.
14) Yuvraj Singh has also been part of an animated Bollywood film Jumbo, produced by Akshay Kumar. While Akshay became the voice of Jumbo, the elephant, in the Hindi version of the film, Yuvraj did so for the Punjabi version. In Hindi version, Yuvraj was Rajkumar Vikramaditya’s voice.
15) Yuvraj Singh was just 15 or 16 when his parents got divorced. While the school-going Yuvi wanted to live with his mother, financial problems forced him to stay with his father. He reminisced how from his first paycheck of Rs 21 lac, he had bought his mother a house and quickly moved in with her. He also recalled that the budget allowed him to buy a house only in Chandigarh and that a house in Delhi was still out of his reach.
16) In 1985, Ravi Shastri had famously won an Audi for helping India clinch the World Series Down Under. In 2011, when Yuvraj Singh’s all-round performance helped India lift the World Cup, Audi presented a Q5 to him. This was not the first time he had been presented a car for his feats on the field of play. In 2007, his breathtaking performances in the ICC World T20 won him a Porsche 911. The then Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Lalit Modi had announced the prize.
17) Through the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj battled with health issues. Unknown to anyone, a tumour had developed in his left lung. He continued to play until the end of the year when it was diagnosed as a malignant growth. Yuvraj flew to the United States of America for treatment in early 2012. Through his ordeal, he took inspiration from Lance Armstrong, the cyclist who overcame cancer to win the Tour de France numerous times. Only months after his chemotherapy cycles, Yuvraj returned to the Indian side and made his comeback during a T20 against New Zealand in September 2012. Since his comeback, Yuvraj has been a part of cancer awareness drives, which includes his own initiative named YouWeCan.
18) It was difficult for Yuvraj to accept that he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He revealed that while he was playing ICC World Cup 2011, he had no idea that he was suffering from the dreadful disease. Then came the IPL, but Yuvi continued to ignore the feeling of being sick. It was one day, he saw a doctor and a 14 cm tumor was detected above his left lung. Yuvi was worried about his mother during his days of battling the cancer. The thought whether or not he would ever be able to play cricket again haunted him too. But the treatment at the right time and Yuvi's positive energy soon restored his health. Post his recovery, Yuvi has started YouWeCan, an initiative to help cancer patients across the globe.
19) When he was 7 years old, he kept insisting his mother to buy him a bicycle. When she finally agreed, Yuvraj jammed the bicycle onto a rickshaw on the very first ride and ended up with 10 STITCHES.
20) When one of Yuvraj's friends brought an air gun when they were young, and nobody could figure out how it worked, Yuvi took the matter into his own hands and accidently shot his friend in the stomach! Thankfully no damage was done.
21) Yuvraj,being from a Punjabi film, was born aggressive. On field, he expresses his anger by hitting extraordinary shot! He used to throw his bat if he got out. Sachin Tendulkar told him "the bat you just threw, that brings food to your home. Never do that again." Yuvi never repeated the same mistake again.
22) He was playing World Cup in 2011, so he ignored the chest pain and continued playing. Like a lion he brought victory to team India. Later, It was his patience and strong spirit that helped him win the game of life.
1) Muttiah Muralitharan was born in a Tamil family on the 17 April 1972 at Kandy, Sri Lanka.
2) Muttiah Muralitharan was the Bata Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year with St Anthony's College.
3) Muttiah Muralitharan finished with 430 wickets in wins from just 53 Tests, a staggering average of eight wickets per match
4) In terms of matches played, Muttiah Muralitharan is the fastest to 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650 and 700 wickets, and trivially so for 750 and 800.
5) Muttiah Muralitharan retired from Test cricket in 2010, registering his 800th and final wicket on 22 July 2010 from his final ball in his last Test match.
6) Muttiah Muralitharan was the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2000 and 2006.
7) In his first Test series against the Australian , Murali proved to be much more than a handful for the bamboozled Australians. Muttiah Muralitharan executed the top-spinner to such perfection that a bamboozled Australian skipper Allan Border failed to pick it up.
8) Muttiah Muralitharan has a child named Naren with Madhimalar Ramamurthy.
9) Muttiah Muralitharan holds the world record for the most wickets in both test and one-day cricket.
10) John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia began the mind games against the Lankans when he described Muttiah Muralitharan as a ‘chucker’ in 2004. Muttiah Muralitharan cited that he would sit out of future tours to Australia.
11) Muttiah Muralitharan and Glenn McGrath were both crowned as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World during their careers.
12) Muttiah Muralitharan took the wicket of Gautam Gambhir on 5 February 2009 in Colombo to surpass Wasim Akram 's ODI record of 502 wickets.
13) Muttiah Muralitharan became the highest wicket- taker in Test cricket when he overtook the previous record-holder Shane Warne on 3 December 2007.
14) Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha became Muttiah Muralitharan’s 800 and final Test match wicket. Incidentally, Ojha’s was dismissed by Murali’s final delivery in Test cricket.
15) Muttiah Muralitharan became the highest wicket- taker in Test cricket when he overtook the previous record-holder Shane Warne on 3 December 2007.
16) Muttiah Muralitharan had previously held the record when he surpassed Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in 2004, but he suffered a shoulder injury later that year and was overtaken by Warne.
17) The Warne Muralidharan Trophy is a tournament that is contested between Australia and Sri Lanka. It was unveiled in 2007. 18) One of Cricket’s greatest moments came in the 1998 tour of England. Muttiah Muralitharan picked up a mammoth 16 wickets in the match as the Lankans cruised to a 10-wicket win, their first Test win on English soil.
