Pakistani Cricket Players 2012

Thursday 17 May 2012

The Rock

The Rock Biography
Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, may be one of the most recognizable and popular professional wrestlers in existence. While he certainly held his own in the ring, against numerous talented opponents, Johnson has made a real name for himself as an actor. Born in 1972, The Rock played college football as a member of the University of Miami team that won a national championship. He tried his hand in the Canadian Football League but stayed only a few months.

He followed his grandfather and father into the world of professional wrestling, becoming quite famous and popular under the World Wrestling Entertainment banner. Johnson became “The Rock” early in his career when he was known as part of the Nation of Domination. He wrestled occasionally in 2000 and 2001 but devoted an increasing amount of time to acting in movies and television shows.

But those who know Johnson only from his acting career shouldn’t be misled. He was a world champion nine times (seven WWF/WWE and two World Championship Wrestling). He held the Intercontinental title twice and won the WWF Tag Team Championship on five separate occasions.

Johnson has been in numerous major movies, including The Scorpion King, Get Smart and Race to Witch Mountain, a career that is a long way from his youth in California. Members of Johnson’s family have been involved in professional wrestling for decades. Even his grandmother was a wrestling commissioner in the early 1980s, the Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling organization. Johnson is of Samoan and black heritage. His father’s family traces its roots to Nova Scotia.

Young Athlete

Johnson participated in track, football and other sports in high school, eventually catching the attention of several Division I colleges. He attended the University of Miami, where he played football. Johnson and his wife, Dany Garcia, have donated large amounts of money to their alma mater. Dany is a member of the university Board of Trustees.

At 6’3” tall and 255 pounds, Johnson was a formidable opponent in the ring. He was trained by family members who had extensive experience in professional wrestling. His successes include the USWA tag-team title in 1996. He first appeared in WWF competition as Rocky Maivia, using parts of names from his grandfather and father. He often wrestled as an audience favorite and was generally known as a clean wrestler and a clean-cut sort of man. The Rock won the Intercontinental title by defeating Triple H in 1997.

Feuds with Steve Austin and others highlighted The Rock’s career in the late 1990s and into the new century. He was the first African-American to gain the heavyweight title. Johnson wrestled at the top of the professional game for several years, primarily due to his popularity among fans of all ages. He began to develop a sense of comedy and presented this personality during television interviews.

The years 2000 and 2001 were very busy times for Johnson. His wrestling career was going at full speed, during a time when he was often referred in connection with a Kurt Angle feud. He left wrestling and the WWE for a short time to pursue his career in Hollywood, but returned for a short time. The Rock’s wrestling career has been part-time/retirement since 2004.

The Rock

Wrestlemania 28 - The Rock vs John Cena - "Once In A Lifetime" Match

The Rock Vs. Kurt Angle Vs. Undertaker 3/3

Bikes

Bikes Biography
At first glance, Jesse James is the consummate biker rebel. Tattoos, knives, goatee, black t-shirts and skulls all around him and his world help create that image. That image, in turn, reflects a mere fraction of the man that is West Coast Choppers. The rest of his life reflects his passion as an artist, his love for his children, and the success that naturally flows from a love of custom motorcycles, hard work and a job done well.

Originally from Long Beach, California, Jesse grew up around his father's antiques business. His dad's small shop was quartered in a shared warehouse with a large after market parts manufacturer for Harley-Davidson's and sport bikes. Those childhood influences set the stage for his path in life.

Jesse got his first mini-bike at age 7, and, with that thrill, his passion for two-wheeled machines was kindled. He made his first crude motorcycle exhaust system during his freshman year of high school in his mother's garage. His perfectionist attitude, however, prevented him from keeping it; he threw it away before anyone saw it.

He played college football, but a knee injury ended his athletic career early. The injury forced him to find a new job that would allow him to establish himself. He trained intensely to become a bodyguard and worked for years protecting such notable bands as Soundgarden, Danzig and Slayer, touring the world with them. During this period of his life, he met his former wife, with whom he has two children: 5-year-old (as of Feb. 2003) son, Jesse Jr., and 7-year-old daughter, Chandler. Another career-threatening injury, on the job at a concert, forced him to again reevaluate his professional life. It was then he decided to make a career out of his number one passion: custom motorcycles. Learning his trade from legendary custom hot rodder Boyd Coddington, Jesse immersed himself in the world of hand-crafting bikes.

West Coast Choppers was born in the early 1990s, and quickly established its, and his, reputation as a celebrity motorcycle manufacturing facility. He started the shop in a small dusty corner in a friend's garage, with no loan, no partners, and only a glimmer of the future. Slowly, painstakingly, and with great sacrifice, Jesse built his future empire, and continues to build his bikes the same way. By hand, from the ground up. West Coast Choppers now employs over 50 people, and builds bikes ranging from $50,000-$150,000, for such clients as Shaquille O'Neal and Kid Rock. In 2002, "Monster Garage" (2002) debuted on The Discovery Channel, bringing Jesse squarely to the forefront of reality television. With him as the host and team leader of the show that features custom hot-rodding at its absolute most bizarre, Jesse's West Coast Choppers has become an integral part of the program, as the Monster Garage team often utilizes Jesse's shop and machinery to help them meet the challenges of the weekly show. Conveniently, the warehouse that serves as Monster Garage's set is located mere blocks from West Coast Choppers' Long Beach location.

Bikes

Bikes Wheeling in Pakistan.flv

Stealth Electric Bikes - Electric Mountain Bikes

Cars

The Cars Biography
The Cars were one of the most successful American new wave bands to emerge in the late ’70s. With their sleek, mechanical pop/rock, the band racked up a string of platinum albums and Top 40 singles that made them one of the most popular American rock & roll bands of the late ’70s and early ’80s. The Cars were strictly a rock & roll band, and while their music occasionally sounded clipped and distant, they had enough attitude to cross over to album rock radio, which is where they made their name. Nevertheless, the Cars remained a new wave band, picking up cues from the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, and Roxy Music. Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr’s vocals uncannily recalled Lou Reed’s deadpan delivery, while the band’s insistent, rhythmic pulse was reminiscent of Berlin-era Iggy Pop. Furthermore, the group followed Roxy Music’s lead and had artist Alberto Vargas design sexy illustrations of pinups for their record sleeves. These airbrushed drawings were the group’s primary visual attraction until 1984, when the group made a series of striking videos to accompany the singles from Heartbeat City. The videos for "You Might Think," "Magic," and "Drive" became MTV staples, sending the Cars to near-superstar status. Instead of following through with their success, the Cars slowly faded away, quietly breaking up after releasing one final album in 1987.

Early in 1977, the Cars sent a demo tape of "Just What I Needed" to the influential Boston radio station WBCN [website] and it quickly became the station’s most-requested song. For the remainder of 1977, the group played Boston clubs, and by the end of the year, they signed with Elektra Records. The group’s eponymous debut album appeared in the summer of 1978 and it slowly built a following thanks to the hit singles "Just What I Needed" (number 27), "My Best Friend’s Girl" (number 35), and "Good Times Roll" (number 41). The Cars stayed on the charts for over two and a half years, delaying the release of the group’s second album, Candy-O. It would eventually sell over six million copies.

Recorded early in 1979, Candy-O wasn’t released until later that summer. The album was an instant hit, quickly climbing to number three on the charts and going platinum two months after its release. The record launched the Top Ten hit "Let’s Go" and sent the band to the arena rock circuit. Perhaps as a reaction to their quick success, the group explored more ambitious territory on 1980’s Panorama. Though the album wasn’t as big a hit as its predecessors, it went platinum. Before recording their fourth album, several bandmembers pursued other interests, with Ocasek earning a reputation as a successful new wave producer for his work with Suicide and Romeo Void. The Cars released their fourth album, Shake It Up, in the fall of 1981, and it quickly went platinum, with its title track becoming the group’s first Top Ten single.

The Cars reconvened in 1983 to record their fifth album, Heartbeat City, which was released in early 1984. Supported by a groundbreaking, computer-animated video, the album’s first single, "You Might Think," became a Top Ten hit, sending Heartbeat City to number three on the album charts. Three other Top 40 singles -- "Magic" (number 12), "Drive" (number three), and "Hello Again" (number 20) -- followed later that year, and the record went triple platinum in the summer of 1985. At the end of the year, the group released Greatest Hits, which featured two new hit singles, "Tonight She Comes" and "I’m Not the One."

The Cars were on hiatus for much of 1985 and 1986, during which time Ocasek, Easton, and Orr all recorded solo albums. During 1987, the group completed its seventh album, Door to Door. The album was a moderate hit upon its summer release in 1987, launching the single "You Are the Girl," which peaked at number 17. Door to Door had seemed half-hearted, sparking speculation that the group was on the verge of splitting up. The Cars announced in February of 1988 that they had indeed broken up. All of the members pursued solo careers, but only Ocasek released albums with regularity, and became a much sought-after alt-rock producer by the ’90s (having worked with the likes of Weezer, Bad Religion, Black 47, Hole, Guided by Voices, No Doubt, Nada Surf, Johnny Bravo, D Generation, Possum Dixon, Jonathan Richman, the Wannadies, and solo releases by former Suicide members Alan Vega and Martin Rev, among others). Easton later reappeared with Creedence Clearwater Revisited, while sadly, Orr lost a battle with pancreatic cancer on October 3, 2000.

After Orr’s death, a few new Cars releases appeared on the marketplace, including the concert DVD Live (taped originally in Germany during 1979, it included an interview with the group shortly before Orr’s passing), plus a double-disc deluxe edition of their classic self-titled debut album, and a more extensive hits collection, Complete Greatest Hits. By early 2002, Ocasek was at work putting together a Cars documentary film, comprised of backstage footage and unreleased promo clips that the band filmed itself.

Car

Cars Movie Soundtrack (Sheryl Crow - Real Gone)

Pakistan Cool Cars

kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen Biography

Kevin Pietersen was born on 27th June in the year 1980. He took birth in Pietermaritzburg, which is situated in Natal Province in South Africa. Kevin’s father was an Afrikaner and his mother was from England. His father’s name was Jannie and mother’s was Penny. He has three brothers who were named Greg, Bryan and Tony. Since childhood, he had spent a disciplined and well strict life. His parents were very strict which helped to maintain the discipline in the family. His younger brother Bryan plays second XI cricket and club cricket in England.

Kevin Pietersen was quite attracted towards the game of cricket since his childhood. His parents also gave him great support to get involved with the particular sport. He went to Maritzburg College which is situated in Pietermaritzburg. In the year 1997, at an age of 17, he was introduced to the Natal’s B team. He was included in the team to play the role of an off spin bowler and also a lower order hard hitting batsman. This was how he made his debut in the first class cricket team. He played for this club for two seasons and then went to England. In England, he was introduced to Cannock CC as an overseas player. He helped the particular side to win the District Premier and Birmingham League in the year 2000. He was into the team as bowler but, hardly got the chance to bowl. During this time his batting skills started improving and he started to concentrate on this particular stuff. Kevin Pietersen played very well during the school cricket festival. This was noticed by Clive Rice who then invited him in order to sign for the County Cricket Club of Nottinghamshire. Kevin was quite excited to get trained under the guidance of this great coach.

In the media world Kevin has been described as a self assured personality. Geoffrey Boycott described this personality has confident and cocky. Once Kevin’s team mate Michael Vaughan said that Pietersen obviously has belief in his ability but, he is not at all a confident man and always feels insecure. This particular player has nicknames like KP, Kapes and Kelves. He likes short haircut with streaks. In year 2007, Kevin Pietersen published Crossing the Boundary, which is known as his autobiography. In the year 2009, a journalist named Marcus published a book on Kevin which had many controversial issues about this player’s reign in the England Cricket team as a captain. On 29th December, 2007 this player got married to Jessica Taylor, who is Liberty X singer. His marriage ceremony was organized in the St Andrew’s Church which is situated in Castle Combe. Darren Gough played the role of best man in his marriage. On 11th May 2010, their first child took birth. He has been named Dylan by his parents. Kevin Pieterson captained the England team from the season of 2008 till the January 2009. He was great batsman and could easily change the game at any point of time. Presently, he is the captain the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL Ttwenty League. In this league he also proved himself to be one of the most had hitting and exciting batsman.

Kevin Pietersen Biography

Kevin Pietersen's Switch hitting

Kevin Pietersen talks about the Pakistan test and changing nappies

Saturday 21 April 2012

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik Biography
1993/94 when he attended Imran Khan’s coaching clinics in Sialkot. He began as a batsman only developing on his bowling later. He used to get in trouble with his family for playing cricket, as they wanted him to focus on his education. In 1996, Malik attended trials for the U-15 World Cup. He was selected in the squad for his bowling.[3]
In May 2001, Malik’s bowling action was inspected. The PCB group of bowling advisers concluded that his stock off-spinner was legal, although his delivery going the other way was not. He was encouraged to concentrate on his off-spin and to practice bowling his other delivery without bending his arm.[4] In a One Day International (ODI) against England in June 2001, Malik suffered a fractured right shoulder after falling awkwardly while attempting to take a catch.[5]
Malik was approached by Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in July 2003 to act as a replacement for Ian Harvey, who was on international duty with Australia. John Bracewell, the club’s director of cricket, commented that he was “excited by the prospect of signing an international spinning all-rounder to replace Ian during the Cheltenham Festival and the C&G semi-finals. He will add a new and refreshing dimension to the squad … which is in keeping with our playing philosophy to both win and entertain”.[6] He sufficiently impressed in two County Championship and three one-day matches that resulted in renewing of his contract for the 2004 season. Mark Alleyne, the club’s head coach, remarked that “Shoaib did very well for us last year in the short time he was with us and fitted in very well. He is a gifted all-rounder who is worthy of a place in either discipline and as a 21 year old, he can only get better and I am really pleased at having him in my squad”.[7] Over the course of his two seasons at Gloucestershire, Malik played eight first-class matches, scoring 214 runs at an average of 17.83 with two fifties[8] and taking 15 wickets at an average of 45.06, with best bowling figures of 3/76.[9] He also played twelve one-day matches, scoring 345 runs at an average of 43.12 with three fifties[10] and taking 10 wickets at an average of 47.60, with best bowling figures of 3/28.[11]
In October 2004, Malik was reported to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for having a “potentially flawed bowling action”;[12] eight months later, his action was cleared.[13] In the intervening period, Malik was used mainly as a batsman.[14] He was also given a one-Test ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board after admitting to deliberately losing a Twenty20 match for the Sialkot Stallions against Karachi Zebras to knock Lahore Eagles out of the Twenty-20 Cup. The inquiry concluded that the incident “damaged Pakistan’s cricketing image and had shown disrespect to the crowd”, but that “his actions were not part of any match-fixing with no financial implications, but were an immature attempt to express his disappointment at earlier decisions in the competition that he felt went against his side”.[15]
During his Test career, Malik has batted at 5 different positions and has the unusual record of batting at every position except 11th in ODIs. Pakistan’s problems in finding a reliable opening pair have led to Malik being used as an opener in Test and ODI matches. In Test cricket, he made a big impression with his match-saving innings against Sri Lanka in 2006, during which he batted for the whole day and finished with 148 runs not out. His bowling has been effective at times, especially in one-day cricket where his best bowling figures are four wickets for 19 runs (4/19) in addition to many 3-wicket hauls.
On the international stage Malik struggled in England. In 12 ODIs across four tours between 2001 and 2006 he scored 98 runs at an average of 8.16, with just two scores above 20, far below his career ODI average of 34.35. Of people who have played at least eight ODIs in England, Malik’s is the furthest below his overall average

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik 128 vs India Champions Trophy 2009 *HD*

Shoaib Malik massive six against England 2012

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi Biogrpahy
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi (born 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency), popularly known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani cricketer currently playing for the Pakistani national team in the international circuit. He made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya in Nairobi[1] and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia at Karachi.[2] He is known for his aggressive batting style, and currently holds the highest career strike rate in the history of international cricket. In a recent survey, Afridi was named as the most popular cricketer in Pakistan.[3] He also holds the record for the fastest one day century which he made in his debut innings, as well as scoring 32 runs in a single over, the second highest scoring over ever in an ODI.

Style

His general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname “Boom Boom Afridi” for his fastest One Day International century just in 37 balls. As of 22 May 2007, he has an ODI strike rate of 109.38 runs per 100 balls, the highest in the game’s history. This attitude has been transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.13 in Tests. He has an approach to batting that can change the tempo of a game and inspire the mood of an audience, as shown when a mass exodus of spectators occurred in Pakistan in late 2005 following his dismissal from the crease. He hits many sixes long and high, favoring straight down the ground or over midwicket. A trademark shot is a crossbatted flick to the leg-side to a ball outside off stump.[8]. This explosive style has led to some memorable shots, most notably the first ever 12 in power cricket in 2002, where Afridi successfully hit the roof. [9] However, his aggressive style increases his risk of getting out and he is one of the most inconsistent batsmen in cricket. This is reflected by the fact that he is the only player to score more than 5000 ODI runs at an average under 25.

Bowling-wise, his stock ball is the leg break, but his armory also includes the conventional off break and a ‘quicker one’ which he can deliver at nearly 80 mph in the style of a medium-pacer. He bowls at a high speed for a spinner, resulting in lesser turn, and relying more on variations in speed. He occasionally sends down a bouncer to a batsmen, which is very rare for a spin bowler.

International career

In October 1996 at the age of sixteen he was brought into the ODI team as a legspinner as a replacement for the injured Mushtaq Ahmed. He then gained notability as a pinch-hitter and began opening with Saeed Anwar. He holds the record for scoring the fastest century in one-day internationals (off 37 balls)[12], scored in only his second match and his first ODI innings. He also shares with Brian Lara the record for the third-fastest century in ODIs (off 45 balls). One of Pakistan’s most useful all-rounders, he has an extremely aggressive batting style, which has garnered him over 5,000 ODI runs (including an erstwhile world-record 249 sixes, recently broken by Sanath Jayasuriya), as well as taking over 250 wickets at ODI and 47 at Test level.

For various reasons, including a perception that he lacks patience in his batting, Afridi had limited opportunity in Test matches, although he currently averages in the high thirties and mid-thirties with bat and ball respectively. As it is, Afridi has featured in less than one third of the Test Matches played by Pakistan over the course of his career.[13] However, he made his presence felt in the third Test against India in March 2005, scoring a quick-fire second-innings half-century and taking five wickets in the match (including Tendulkar twice) to help Pakistan to win the game and register a series draw.

It is perceived that his batting struggles on bouncy pitches and against opponents like Australia, although his record against the Australians has improved over time. Although he has had success as an opener on sub-continent pitches, Afridi is often moved into the lower order as well.

Afridi was more consistent with his batting and bowling throughout 2005, starting with the tours of India and West Indies and through to the England tour. The Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer helped Afridi to reach a fuller potential by improving his shot selection and giving him free rein over his batting attitude.

In the 2007 World Twenty20, he performed poorly with the bat but brilliantly with the ball, earning the Man of the Series award, though he failed to take a wicket in the final and was out for a golden duck.

Career Highlights

* On 4 October 1996, playing his maiden international innings, Afridi hit the fastest One-Day century off 37 balls against Sri Lanka in Nairobi. His innings included 28 runs off one of Sanath Jayasuriya’s overs, whose record he broke. [15]

* Youngest player in history to make an ODI century at just 16 years and 217 days with his 37 ball ton against Sri Lanka. It included 11 sixes and 6 fours. [16]

* Made a half-century from 26 balls and took 3 second-innings wickets in Pakistan’s series-drawing Test victory against India in March 2005.[14]

* Holds the joint record with Brian Lara for the third fastest ODI century off 45 balls in April 2005 against India. [17] This actually was the first match that witnessed the Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Ravi Shastri make him the nickname Boom Boom Afridi.

* Equal highest aggregate sixes scored in the 50-over game, shared the legendary Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, and he the most sixes per innings record.

* Scored four consecutive sixes off a Harbhajan Singh over in a Test match against India in January 2006, matching a feat that Kapil Dev achieved in 1990.

* Was the first player to score 12 runs off one ball, by hitting the roof of the Millennium Stadium. This took place in a game of Power Cricket.[citation needed][clarification needed]

* Holds four of the top eight fastest ODI half centuries, twice completed in 18 balls and twice in 20 balls. He has also scored a half century off just 21 balls.

* Made 32 runs off a Malinga Bandara over in an ODI game at Abu Dhabi in 2007. He struck four consecutive sixes and it was the 2nd most expensive over in ODI history.

* Afridi is only third player in ODI history to achieve the combination of 5000 runs and 200 wickets. The other players being Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya and South African Jacques Kallis.

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi makes 32 runs from 1 over vs Sri Lanka

Shahid Afridi's Fastest Century