Richie Richardson - Destructive West Indies Batsman

Richie Richardson was a flamboyant batsman and superb player of fast bowling. Richie Richardson normally bats as Number Three for West Indies. In the fifth match of the ODI series against Australia at Georgetown in 1991, he smashed all Australian bowlers and scored a superb 94 runs off 88 balls in 112 minutes with the help of 11 fours and 1 six at the strike rate of 106.81. Richie Richardson's innings comes to an end by Merve Hughes, when Ian Healy took a stunning catch behind the wicket.

West Indies set the target of 251 in the allotted 50 overs. Australia chased the target in 48.3 overs and won the match by 6 wickets. Geoff Marsh scored 106 not out and was declared man of the match. Australia also won the 5-match ODI series by 4-1. This was ODI # 675. Let's watch short highlights of his innings. 

Asad Rauf Death, Age, Family, Profile, Stats,

 Former Pakistani umpire AsadRauf, who was a part of the ICC Elite Panel from 2006 to 2013, died after suffering a cardiac arrest in Lahore. He was 66. "Saddened to hear about the passing of Asad Rauf. Not only was he a good umpire but also had a wicked sense of humour. He always put a smile on my face and will continue to do so whenever I think about him. 

Many sympathies with his family for their loss," Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ramiz Raja tweeted. Rauf's brother Tahir put forth the development about the legendary umpire. Tahir said that the veteran was returning home after closing his clothing shop at Landa Bazaar in Lahore when he felt some sort of discomfort in his chest. The Punjab-born Rauf was taken to the hospital on an immediate basis, but he couldn't be revived.

His career as an umpire really started in 1998 when he made his first-class debut, and in 2000 he stood in his first ODI. He was elevated to the ODI panel in 2004 and officiated in his first Test the following year. Rauf umpired his first ODI in 2000 and his first Test in 2005. In 2006, he was named in ICC's Elite Panel, which he was a part of until 2013.

He was a popular figure on the circuit who, alongside Aleem Dar, improving the reputation of Pakistani umpires before the neutral umpires era. But his career came to an abrupt halt in 2013 when he was named as a "wanted accused" by Mumbai police in their investigation into the IPL spot-fixing scandal, where Rauf had been umpiring. Asad Rauf left India before the end of that IPL season and but was withdrawn from the Champions Trophy that followed by the ICC and later that year would be dropped from the ICC's elite panel, though the ICC insisted it wasn't because his name had come up in the investigations. 

Rauf protested his innocence throughout and said he would be happy to cooperate with the ACSU. In 2016, the BCCI banned Rauf for five years on four charges of corruption and misconduct.

Asad Rauf officiated 64 Tests, 139 ODIs, 28 T20Is and 11 women's T20Is as either umpire or TV umpire. He also officiated in 40 First Class matches, 26 List A matches and 89 T20s overall, including IPL matches. Asad Rauf was a right-hand batsman who enjoyed a solid but unglamorous career in the 1980s, which he has best season in 1986-87 when he made 672 runs at 35.36, including one hundred and five fifties. 

But he lost form the following season and played little first-class cricket thereafter. As a middle-order batsman, Asad Rauf played 71 First Class matches, scoring 3423 runs at an average of 28.76 including three hundred and 22 fifties and 29 catches. He played 40 List A matches, scoring 611 runs at 19.70 including 4 fifites and 16 catches. 

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Carl Hooper was a terrific middle order batsman and off spinner.

CarlHooper was a terrific middle order batsman and off-spinner, who was known for his lazy elegance with both bat and ball. 

Brendon Kuruppu Sri Lankan Dashing Opening Batsman

In the first match of Asia Cup 1984 at Sharjah on April 6, 1984, Sri Lanka stun Pakistan to win the match by 5 wickets. Brendon Kuruppu who was considered a slogger at that time. A prolific opening batsman scored useful 25 runs with help of three fours. He provides a useful start to the chase of 190 runs. In those times, Sri Lanka was considered minnows but they produced superb small innings to help Sri Lanka route Pakistan. Interestingly, despite scoring the slowest double century in First-Class cricket, Kuruppu was known more as a dasher with the bat in hand.

Rajan Madugalle - The Stylish Lad of Sri Lankan Cricket

In the 2^nd match of Rothmans Asia Cup on April 8, 1984, between India vs Sri Lanka. India won the toss and was elected to field first. The right-handed Rajan Madugalle was the only batsman, who resist the Indian seam bowling. He scored 38 runs off 76 balls with the help of 5 fours. The entire Sri Lanka team bowled out only for 96 runs in 41 overs.

Chetan Sharma picked 3 for 22, Manoj Prabhakar 2 for 16, Madan Lal 3 for 11, and Ravi Shastri 1 for 13.

Roger Binny and Kirti Azad didn’t have any wickets.

India reach the target in just 21.4 overs, as Surinder  Khanna scored 51 runs not out, and Ghulam Prakar 32 not out. Surinder Khanna won the match of the match award and was also a player of the series with 107 runs in the tournament. Ravi Shastri was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament picking 4 wickets in two matches.

Manoj Prabhakar made his ODI debut.

India won the match by 10 wickets.

Let's watch the Madugalle innings, who is currently a match referee from long long times.

The ODI # was 260, and the match was supervised by Dickie Bird and Shakoor Rana. 

Kapil Dev - The Finest All rounder India has Ever Produced

Kapil Dev is the finest all-rounder India has ever produced. His greatest feats were leading India in the 1983 world cup and winning in style.  Kapil Dev was outstanding in his accuracy and ability to swing the ball, usually away from right-handers. And he could hit a ball even more brilliantly than he bowled it, with uncomplicated flair. Kapil Dev was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. 

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test at Kandy 1994

The Pakistan national cricket team toured Sri Lanka in August and September 1994. Those days it was considered outside the normal cricket season, for a three-match Test series and five Limited Over’s International matches. Pakistan won the Test series 2–0.

On the first day of the 3^rd Test match played at Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy in August 1994 (Test Match # 1267). Pakistan beat Sri Lanka with the super performance of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram. Both bowled superbly and bowled out Sri Lanka just 71 runs without being unchanged. At one stage Sri Lanka was 48 for 9, but the last wicket added a few precious runs to reach the score of 71. This was the lowest Sri Lanka score at those times.

Pakistan wins the toss and is elected to field first on the tricky track. Sri Lanka handed Test cap to Chaminda Vaas, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sanjeeva Ranatunga, while Kabir Khan made Test debut for Pakistan.

Waqar Younis declared Man of the Match of 6 for 34 and 5 for 85. He also made 20 useful Runs in the first innings. Waqar Younis dismissed Roshan Mahnama, Sanjeeva Ranatunga, Arjuna Ranatunga, Hashan Tillkaratne, Kumar Dharmasena, and Chaminda Vaas.

Sri Lanka Bowled bowled out 71 Runs in 28.2 overs. Wasim Akram 4 for 32, Waqar Younis 6 for 34.

Pakistan First Innings 357/9d Inzamam-ul-Haq 100, Aamer Sohail 74, Basit Ali 52, Saeed Anwar 31, and Captain Salim Malik 22.

Ravindra Pushpakumara 4 for 145 and Kumar Dharmasena 4 for 75.

Sri Lanka 2^nd innings 234 all out. (Hashan Tillekeratne 83 not out, Ruwan Kalpage 62 and Arjuna Ranatunga 32.

Waqar Younis 5 for 85, Mushtaq Ahmad 3 for 35, Wasim Akram 1 for 70, and Kabir Khan 1 for 39.

Pakistan won the match by an innings and 52 runs.

Pakistan also won the test series by 2-0.

The test match supervised by Sri Lankan B.C Coorey, and Ian Robinson of Zimbabwe., while T.V umpire was K.T Francis. Match Refree was Camie smith. 

Imran Khan - The Greatest Cricketer

Imran Khan is the greatest cricketer ever produced by Pakistan. A great leader, a Captain, and a true man make history to won the 1992 cricket world cup. 

 

Willie Watson Former England Batsman

Willie Watson the former Yorkshire and England batsman died on April 24 at his home in Johannesburg, in South Africa. He was 4A Watson, a graceful and correct left-hander, scored over 25.000 runs in a first-class career that spanned 25 years but will probably be best remembered for a match-saving century in the 1953 Lord's Test against Australia when his 109 runs — and his long _ partnership with Trevor Bailey — staved off what had seemed to be certain defeat. Willie Watson was born in Bolton-on-Dearne Bolton in 1920.

Watson was a fine all-around sportsman. Apart from cricket, in which he made his debut for Yorkshire in 1939, he was also a fine footballer. He played for Huddersfield, Sunderland, and Halifax, and won four England caps. He was part of the first England squad in Brazil in 1950, although he took part in the World Cup, he didn’t actually play the match. The following year he made his England Test debut, against South Africa at Trent Bridge, scoring 57 in his first match and 79 in his second, But Watson was jostling for a position with the likes of Len Hutton, Denis Compton, Bill Edrich, Peter May, Tom Graveney, and Colin Cowdrey, in a golden era of English batting, and found it difficult to nail down a regular place in the side.

Even after that hundred on debut against Australia at Lord's in 1953, when his four-hour stand of 163 with Bailey saved the game, Watson wasn't secure: he was dropped before the end of the series and missed the deciding final Test at The Oval, Which England won to recapture the Ashes after 19 years. Football commitments at an end, Watson toured West Indies in 1953-54 and added a second Test century in Jamaica. He flitted in and out of the Test side until the end of the decade, playing his last Tests in Australasia in 1958-59, when one of his teammates was another double cricket/football international, Arthur Milton. Watson finished with 879 runs from his 23 Tests, at an average of 25.85.

By then Watson was playing his county cricket for Leicestershire, whom he’d joined as assistant secretary and captain in 1958. He played on to 1964, finishing with 25,670 runs in all (39.86), including 55 centuries. His highest score was 257, for MCC against British Guiana at Georgetown in 1953-54, when he shared a stand of 402 with Tom Graveney, who made 231. In England Watson’s best was 217 not out, for Leicestershire against Somerset at Taunton in 1961, when he shared an unbroken third-wicket stand of 316 with Alan Wharton, which remained a county record until 2003. And he carried his bat for his new county against his old one in 1959, scoring 79 not out in Leicestershire’s total of 132 against Yorkshire at Grace Road.

That season — which ironically followed what turned out to be his last Test appearance — turned out to be his most prolific one, as he passed 2000 runs for the first time and finished with 2,2 12 at 55.30. Watson was a Test selector for three years from 1962 and immigrated to South Africa in 1968 to coach at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg. He saw out his twilight years in South Africa in somewhat straitened circumstances, although he was always keen to join in the various reunions of England players over the years.

Imran Khan - The finest all-rounder the game has seen. Now, the prime minister of Pakistan.

 

Walter Hadlee - The Father of Richard Hadlee, who also represented New Zealand in Test matches.

 

England Great Batsman Denis Compton playing towards leg side.

 

Aamir Nazir - Former Pakistan Fast Bowler Learnt the art of Reverse Swing from Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

Aamir Nazir - Former Pakistan Fast Bowler Learnt the art of Reverse Swing from Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. But unfortunately, he didn't perform up to the selectors' expectations and being dropped after few years. Though, he has the reverse swing class. At one time, he was being a future prospect of a Pakistan attack. He had his runup problems at the start of his career, but later on, he rectify his issue.