Michael Andrew Atherton is a broadcaster,journalist and a former England international cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England,and occasional leg-break bowler,he achieved the captaincy of England at the age of 25 and led the side in a then record 54 Test matches. Known for his stubborn resistance during an era of hostile fast bowling,Atherton was described in 2001 as a determined defensive opener who made "batting look like trench warfare". He had several famed bouts with bowlers including South Africa's Allan Donald and Australia's Glenn McGrath. Atherton often played the anchor role at a time when England batting performances lacked consistency.
Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer who represented the Sri Lanka national cricket team. He is a fast medium pace bowler and one of the most successful bowlers in international cricket. He was a part of the Sri Lankan squad which won the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
Courtney Andrew Walsh OJ is a Jamaican former cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001,captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches. He is a fast bowler and considered one of the all-time greats,best known for a remarkable opening bowling partnership along with fellow West Indian Curtly Ambrose for several years. Walsh played 132 Tests and 205 ODIs for the West Indies and took 519 and 227 wickets respectively. He shared 421 Test wickets with Ambrose in 49 matches. He held the record of most Test wickets from 2000,after he broke the record of Kapil Dev. This record was later broken in 2004 by Shane Warne. He was the first bowler to reach 500 wickets in Test cricket. His autobiography is entitled "Heart of the Lion". Walsh was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1987. In October 2010,he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He was appointed as the Specialist Bowling Coach of Bangladesh Cricket Team in August 2016.
The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in men's international cricket. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket history,playing in the first ever Test match in 1877;the team also plays One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket,participating in both the first ODI,against England in the 1970–71 season and the first T20I,against New Zealand in the 2004–05 season,winning both games. The team draws its players from teams playing in the Australian domestic competitions –the Sheffield Shield,the Australian domestic limited-overs cricket tournament and the Big Bash League. Australia are the current ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup champions. They are regarded as the most successful cricket team in the history of cricket.
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally,most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists. Some wicket-keepers have the skills of a specialist batter and have been referred to as all-rounders,but the term wicket-keeper-batter is more commonly applied to them,even if they are substitute wicket keepers who also bowl.
Wasim Akram is a Pakistani cricket commentator,coach,and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Akram is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. He is often revered as The Sultan of Swing. In October 2013,Wasim Akram was the only Pakistani cricketer to be named in an all-time Test World XI to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As captain,he led Pakistan to the finals of the 1999 Cricket World Cup,where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets. He was a part of the Pakistani squad which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Allan Anthony Donald is a South African former cricketer who is also the former bowling coach of Bangladesh national cricket team. Often nicknamed 'White Lightning' due to his quick bowling,he is considered one of the South Africa national cricket team's most successful pace bowlers. He was an integral member of the South African team in its resurgence into international cricket since readmission and played an influential role as a frontline genuine seam bowler to boost South Africa to new heights. During his playing career,he was known for his bowling speed and aggression on the field. He is also remembered for his infamous runout during South Africa's loss in the 1999 World Cup semi-final match against Australia. Donald is the first South African to take 300 Test wickets.
Waqar Younis Maitla HI is a Pakistani cricket coach,commentator and former cricketer who captained Pakistan national cricket team. A right-arm fast bowler,he is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in cricket. He is the former head coach of the Pakistani cricket team. He was a part of the squad which finished as runners-up at the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a South African cricket commentator and former cricketer,who was captain in all formats of the game. A bowling all-rounder,Pollock along with Allan Donald formed a bowling partnership for many years. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team,and also played for Africa XI,World XI,Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2003. Pollock was a member of the South Africa team that won the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy,the only ICC trophy the country has won till date.
Abdul Qadir Khan SI was an international cricketer who bowled leg spin for Pakistan. Abdul Qadir is widely regarded as a legendary leg spinner from the 1970s and 1980s and was a role model for up and coming leg spinners. Qadir was voted the best player in the Group B matches of the 1987 Cricket World Cup and won a car which he donated to Imran Khan for his Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre project. Later he was a commentator and Chief Selector of the Pakistan Cricket Board,from which he resigned in 2009 due to differences of opinion with leading Pakistan cricket administrators.
A partnership is a term used in cricket,that usually refers to the two batters and the runs they score together,including extras. Two batters bat in a partnership,although only one is a striker at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires,or the innings comes to a close,usually due to victory being achieved,a declaration,a time or over limit being reached,the match being abandoned. In exceptional cases,if one of the original batters are injured,a player may run between the wickets on behalf of the injured batter. However,any runs scored by the injured batter will be recorded as being in the partnership of the two original batters. A partnership may also refer to two bowlers bowling from each end of the wicket.
In cricket,the batting order is the sequence in which batters play through their team's innings,there always being two batters taking part at any one time. All eleven players in a team are required to bat if the innings is completed.
Alan Lloyd Thomson was an Australian cricketer,Australian rules football umpire and school teacher. Thomson,who "bowled off his front leg like a frog in a windmill" played in four Tests and one ODI in the 1970–71 season.
Stuart Christopher John Broad is an English former cricketer who played Test cricket for the England cricket team and was One Day and Twenty20 International captain. Broad was a member of the England team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. His longevity,and highly successful partnership with fellow fast bowler James Anderson cemented him as one of England's greatest ever Test bowlers.
Timothy Grant Southee,is a New Zealand international cricketer who captains for New Zealand cricket team in all formats of the game. He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and a hard-hitting lower order batsman. The third New Zealand bowler to take 300 Test wickets,he was one of the country's youngest cricketers,debuting at the age of 19 in February 2008. On his Test debut against England he took 5 wickets and made 77 off 40 balls in the second innings. He plays for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield,Ford Trophy and Super Smash as well as Northland in the Hawke Cup. He was named as New Zealand's captain for the first T20I against West Indies in place of Kane Williamson,who was rested for that game. The Blackcaps won that match by 47 runs. Southee was a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship. Southee currently has the highest (international) test batting strike rate among the batsmen with a minimum of 2000 test runs. His (batting) career strike rate is 83.12. He was also a part of the New Zealand squads to finish as runners-up in two Cricket World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019.
David Andrew Warner is a former Australian international cricketer and a former Test vice-captain. A left-handed opening batsman,Warner was the first Australian cricketer in 132 years to be selected for the national team in any format without experience in first-class cricket. He plays for New South Wales and Sydney Thunder in domestic cricket. Warner was a prominent member of the victorious Australian squad of the 2015 Cricket World Cup,the 2021 T20 World Cup,where he was the Player of the Tournament,the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship,and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Steven Peter Devereux Smith is an Australian international cricketer and former captain of the Australian national team in all three formats of the game. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test batsmen since Don Bradman. Smith was a member of the Australian teams that won the 2015 and 2023 Cricket World Cup,the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup,and the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final.
