Michael John Clarke

Full name    : Michael John Clarke
Born    : 2 April 1981 (age 31)
Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
Nickname :    Pup, Clarkey, Top Dog, Nemo, Eminem[1]
Height    : 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Batting style :    Right-hand
Bowling style:     Slow left-arm orthodox
Role    : Batsman, Australian Captain
National side:     Australia
Clarke married model and presenter Kyly Boldy on 15 May 2012,

During the Australian Cricket tour of New Zealand in March 2010, Clarke left the tour to return to Sydney for "personal reasons". Clarke's management confirmed he and then-fiance, model Lara Bingle, had decided to terminate their engagement in a late night press conference on 12 March 2010. Speaking to GQ Australia  in November 2010, Clarke said of his decision to leave the tour of New Zealand, "My decision that I made there, was what I thought was right. I respect playing for my country that much that I thought, if I’m going to let anybody down, I shouldn’t be here — there’s somebody else who could be doing a better job than me. Going home was the right decision at the time for me. I don’t regret that decision."

Ricky Ponting

Full name      : Ricky Thomas Ponting
Born              : December 19, 1974, Launceston, Tasmania
Current age    : 37 years 282 days
Major teams  : Australia, ICC World XI, Kolkata Knight Riders, Somerset, Tasmania
Nickname      : Punter
Playing role    : Top-order batsman
Batting style   : Right-hand bat
Bowling style  : Right-arm medium
Height      : 1.78 m
Education     : Mowbray Primary; Brooks Senior High School, Launceston
Relation   : Uncle - GD Campbell

Ricky Ponting, the most uncompromising player of his generation, grew into Australia's most successful run-maker and only sits below Bradman in the country's overall ratings. It takes an extremely critical eye to diminish his run-scoring achievements, which seem to collect new records in every series. Like spotting a celebrity, it's necessary to look twice when analysing Ponting, first as the archetypal modern batsman, then as the country's 42nd Test captain. There is no doubt about his greatness after taking guard, but his leadership has been under scrutiny for much of his reign. While his blade has sparkled, his stewardship is pock-marked by three Ashes defeats - two in England and one at home - and stumbles to South Africa and India.

Graeme Craig Smith

Full name              : Graeme Craig Smith
Born                     : February 1, 1981, Johannesburg, Transvaal
Current age           : 31 years 238 days
Major teams         : South Africa, Africa XI, Cape Cobras, Gauteng, Hampshire Cricket Board, ICC World XI, Pune Warriors, Rajasthan Royals, Somerset, Western Province
Playing role           : Opening batsman
Batting style           : Left-hand bat
Bowling style         : Right-arm offbreak

Meaty, muscular and mighty, that's Graeme Smith, who looms even larger than all that as South Africa's colossus of a captain. His achievements as a batsman are significant, but the most important monument to his career is the fact that under Smith, the confidence of South Africans, both within and outside of the national team and its structures, has been rebuilt.

Wayne Dillon Parnell

Full name           : Wayne Dillon Parnell
Born                  : July 30, 1989, Port Elizabeth, Cape Province
Current age        : 23 years 58 days
Major teams      : South Africa, Delhi Daredevils, Eastern Province, Kent, Pune Warriors, South Africa Under-19s, Sussex, Warriors
Nick name         : Pigeon, Parny
Playing role        : Bowler
Batting style       : Left-hand bat
Bowling style     : Left-arm medium-fast
Education       : Grey High School

Wayne Parnell is a naturally gifted allrounder who bats and bowls left-handed, and who seems to have been earmarked for success from a young age. Parnell began playing for Eastern Province's U-13 side when he was 12 and was captain the following year. He didn't make the U-15 side initially, but at the age of 15 began to play for Eastern Province and South Africa at the U-19 level. He made his first-class debut for Eastern Province in 2006-07 and was also part of South Africa's Under-19 squad for the 2006 World Cup in Sri Lanka. The experience he gained over the years brought him the captaincy for the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008 and he led by example: taking 18 wickets, the most in the tournament, and scoring useful runs in the middle-order to steer South Africa into the final. His best performance came in the quarter-final against Bangladesh, when he took 6 for 8 after scoring 57. The South Africa selectors were already taking note and he went on the Emerging Players tour of Australia before a call-up to the senior one-day squad for the series in early 2009. After a modest debut against the Australians, he became the youngest player to be handed a national contract by Cricket South Africa (CSA). He soon repaid their faith in him with a terrifically impressive performance in just his second ODI in April 2009. Parnell demolished Australia in partnership with Dale Steyn, picking up 4 for 25 and a well-deserved Man-of-the-Match award. He put in a stand-out performance at the Twenty20 World Cup later that year, picking up 9 wickets at an economy rate of under 6 runs an over. After a successful stint with county Kent, Parnell's star continued to rise when he made his Test debut against England in the fourth Test at the Wanderers in January 2010. Later that month he also found himself with a new IPL contract, snapped up by Delhi Daredevils for $610,000 .

Mark Verdon Boucher

Full name          : Mark Verdon Boucher
Born                 : December 3, 1976, East London, Cape Province
Current age       : 35 years 298 days
Major teams     : South Africa, Africa XI, Border, Cape Cobras, ICC World XI, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Warriors
Playing role       : Wicketkeeper batsman
Batting style       : Right-hand bat
Bowling style     : Right-arm medium
Fielding position : Wicketkeeper

A man to go to war with, but never against, Mark Boucher packed all the archetypical attributes of the South African cricketer into his short, stocky frame. He was relentlessly competitive, invariably aggressive, and as hard and uncompromising as the new ball. After an international career that lasted almost 15 years, the end was desperately unfortunate, as Boucher was forced to announce his retirement after being hit in the eye by a bail in a warm-up game on the tour to England in 2012, which would have been his last series anyway. Boucher finished with 998 international dismissals as a wicketkeeper, including 555 in 147 Tests.

Vernon Darryl Philander

Full name            : Vernon Darryl Philander
Born                   : June 24, 1985, Bellville, South Africa
Current age         : 27 years 93 days
Major teams        : South Africa, Cape Cobras, Devon, Middlesex, Somerset, South Africa A, South Africa Under-19s, Western Province, Western Province Boland, Western Province Under-19s
Also known as Pro
Playing role         : Allrounder
Batting style        : Right-hand bat
Bowling style      : Right-arm fast-medium

Vernon Philander is a powerful allrounder who has had stunning success in his first five months in Test cricket, reaching 50 wickets in only seven matches, the second-fastest ever in Test history. Philander hails from a country famous for producing high-quality fast bowlers, and he has done everything in his first few games to keep up that tradition. His strength isn't extreme pace, but he has everything else going for him: the ability to move the ball both ways at a sharp speed, and relentlessly attack the stumps over long spells.

Kamran Akmal

Full name       : Kamran Akmal
Born              : January 13, 1982, Lahore, Punjab
Current age    : 30 years 256 days
Major teams   : Pakistan, Asia XI, Lahore, Lahore City, Lahore Eagles, Lahore Lions, National Bank of Pakistan, Punjab Stallions, Rajasthan Royals
Playing role        : Wicketkeeper batsman
Batting style      : Right-hand bat
Fielding position : Wicketkeeper

Relation Brother - Adnan Akmal, Brother - Umar Akmal
Kamran Akmal may well be the most emphatic proof of cricket's changed priorities post Adam Gilchrist. Sides now search for an explosive batsman who can change a day, an innings, a phase with the bat and so long as you can identify right wicketkeeping glove from left, the place is yours.

Mohammad Junaid Khan

Full name         : Mohammad Junaid Khan
Born                : December 24, 1989, Matra, North-West Frontier Province
Current age      : 22 years 276 days
Major teams    : Pakistan, Abbottabad, Abbottabad Rhinos, Lancashire, Pakistan Under-19s
Playing role     : Bowler
Batting style    : Right-hand bat
Bowling style  : Left-arm medium-fast

At U-19 level Junaid Khan was among of a crop of the most promising young fast bowlers in recent years, alongside Mohammad Amir. Good pace and better stamina and an ability to move the ball around if the conditions are right, Khan finally made it to national contention when he was called up for Pakistan's 2011 World Cup squad as a late replacement for Sohail Tanvir. His Test debut, against Zimbabwe in 2011, was uneventful, but in his second Test he showed his class with a five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka on a flat surface in Abu Dhabi.

Mohammad Hafeez

Full name          : Mohammad Hafeez
Born                 :  October 17, 1980, Sargodha, Punjab
Current age       :  31 years 344 days
Major teams      :  Pakistan, Faisalabad, Faisalabad Wolves, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sargodha, Sui Gas Corporation of Pakistan
Playing role        :  Allrounder
Batting style       :  Right-hand bat
Bowling style     :  Right-arm offbreak

An opening batsman and handy offspin bowler, Mohammad Hafeez first played for Pakistan in 2003, but it was only in 2011 that he finally became a regular in the side in all formats.

Awais Zia

Full name          :  Awais Zia
Born                 :  September 1, 1986, Bhown, Chakwal, Punjab
Current age       :  26 years 24 days
Major teams     :  Pakistan, Dhaka Gladiators, Federal Areas, Khan Research Laboratories, Pakistan Television, Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi Rams
Batting style      :  Left-hand bat
Bowling style    :  Right-arm offbreak

A middle-order batsman in the first-class format and also an opener in Twenty20 cricket, Awais Zia won a call-up to the national side for the first time in 2012, when he was picked in the T20 squad for the series against England in the UAE. By then, Zia had already spent four years on the domestic circuit and was with Rawalpindi at the time of selection. His T20 team, Rawalpindi Rams, made it to the final of the Faysal Bank T-20 Cup in 2011 and Awais delivered a fitting start to their chase of 181 - it ended in a 10-run defeat, but Awais smashed 32 in just 13 balls while opening the batting. That potential to make an impact at the top of the order won him his first international stint.

Mohammad Younis Khan

Full name       :  Mohammad Younis Khan
Born              :  November 29, 1977, Mardan, North-West Frontier Province
Current age    :  34 years 301 days
Major teams  :  Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited, Nottinghamshire, Peshawar Cricket Association, Rajasthan Royals, South Australia, Surrey, Warwickshire, Yorkshire
Also known as  : Younus Khan
Playing role       :  Middle-order batsman
Batting style      :  Right-hand bat
Bowling style    :  Right-arm medium, Legbreak

One of Pakistan's modern batting greats, Younis Khan is the kind of man who responds best in adversity. A Test average of over 50, a triple-hundred, a famous double-hundred against India in India, and a brilliant rearguard partnership to clinch Pakistan's 3-0 Test whitewash over England, leave no doubt about his quality and class. He is also one of the most successful fielders for Pakistan, and can bowl respectable slow-medium. As a captain, Younis has enjoyed success in leading Pakistan to the world Twenty20 title in 2009. Much of his persona evokes the idea of the quintessential Pathan warrior - committed, inspired, capable, and bearing the burden of conflict with fortitude and poise. Born in Mardan, a prominent city in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Younis moved at an early age to Karachi, where he caught the eye of Rashid Latif and Saeed Anwar at Malir Gymkhana, one of the city's renowned sports clubs. The relationship with Latif blossomed into a nurturing mentorship, guiding Younis towards entry onto the world stage. After two impressive domestic seasons, he got a Test call-up, and marked it with a century on debut. Style and aesthetics are not his strongest points. His technique relies on a good deal of bottom hand, which deprives it of the fluidity and grace that is typical of Asia's best batsmen. Yet when Younis gets going, he produces results in the face of steep odds. Indeed, the steeper the odds, the more Younis seems to thrive. His match-winning 267 and 84 not out in Bangalore came after a string of low scores prompted a sarcastic comment from the team manager that leaked into the media. His greatest captaincy feat - the world Twenty20 championship in England - was achieved weeks after Pakistan cricket had been devastated by the terror attacks in Lahore. And though his triple-century came at home on a flat track, the innings began under pressure when Younis, eschewing the nightwatchman, stepped out himself in the dying moments of the second day with Pakistan staring at a huge Sri Lankan total. Unsurprisingly for a rearguard specialist, Younis has emerged a master of the fourth innings. Among players with 1000 or more fourth-innings Test runs, his average is among the highest. Along with these accomplishments, Younis's career has also seen turmoil. Inability to control infighting within the team and display tact with the PCB led to him losing the captaincy in late 2009, and he effected a moody refusal when circumstances changed and it was offered again. His nature is to be inward-looking and intensely focused, quietly fighting his way through. While this makes for a reclusive personality that shuns the media and runs afoul of officialdom, it has also been the source of Younis's batting strength and his extraordinary resilience as a cricketer.

Shoaib Malik

Full name               :  Shoaib Malik
Born                      :  February 1, 1982, Sialkot, Punjab
Current age            :  30 years 237 days
Major teams          :  Pakistan, Asia XI, Delhi Daredevils, Gloucestershire, Gujranwala Cricket Association, Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan Reserves, Sialkot Cricket Association, Sialkot Stallions
Batting style           :  Right-hand bat
Bowling style         :  Right-arm offbreak
Relation Brother - Adeel Malik

There is almost no role in a cricket side that Shoaib Malik hasn't filled, so much so that over ten years into his career, nobody is sure what his precise and best role is.

Misbah-ul-Haq Khan Niazi

Full name       : Misbah-ul-Haq Khan Niazi
Born              : May 28, 1974, Mianwali, Punjab
Current age    : 38 years 119 days
Major            : teams Pakistan, Khan Research Labs, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sargodha
Playing role    : Middle-order batsman
Batting style   : Right-hand bat
Bowling style : Legbreak

The most remarkable aspect about Misbah-ul-Haq is his unflappable temperament. It shows in his batting, which reached unprecedented levels of consistency in 2011, and in his captaincy, which helped lift Pakistan from the depths of the spot-fixing saga in England in 2010. Taking over as leader immediately after that episode at the age of 36, Misbah's calm approach was exactly what Pakistan cricket needed after the tumultuous period it had gone through.

Chamith Kosala Bandara Kulasekara

Full name        :  Chamith Kosala Bandara Kulasekara
Born               : July 15, 1985, Mavanalle
Current age     : 27 years 71 days
Major teams    : Sri Lanka, Galle Cricket Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Ruhuna, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Academy XI, Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI, Sri Lanka Cricket President's XI, Sri Lanka Under-17s, Sri Lanka Under-19s
Playing role     : Allrounder
Batting style    : Right-hand bat
Bowling style   : Right-arm fast-medium
Height             : 6 ft 1 in
Education        : Vidyartha College, Kandy

Kosala Kulasekara is a big-hitting 6' 1" batting allrounder who has been a regular performer in domestic cricket for Nondescripts CC in the Premier tournament and Ruhuna in the Inter-provincial tournament. His approach to the game is more suitable for the one-day and T20 formats where he has excelled in domestic matches. In 2010 he hit a whirlwind 43 off 15 balls against Basnahira North in the inter-provincial T20 match and captured four wickets for 26 with his nippy deliveries to help Ruhuna convert a losing cause into a winning one.

Warushavithana Upul Tharanga

Full name      : Warushavithana Upul Tharanga
Born             : February 2, 1985, Balapitiya
Current age   : 27 years 235 days
Major teams  : Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Ruhuna, Singha Sports Club, Sri Lanka Board President's XI, Sri Lanka Board XI
Playing role : Batsman
Batting style : Left-hand bat
Fielding position : Occasional wicketkeeper
Upul Tharanga's call-up to the national one-day squad in July 2005 brightened a year marred by the Asian tsunami, which washed away his family home in Ambalangoda, a fishing town on the west coast. From an early age he was tipped for the big time, playing Premier League cricket for Singha CC at the age of 15 and passing seamlessly and successfully through the Sri Lanka under-15, under-17 and under-19 development squads. He first really caught the eye during the under-19 World Cup in 2004 when he cracked 117 against South Africa and then 61 in 42 balls against India in the next game. Then, after a successful tour with the under-19 team to Pakistan, during which he scored half-centuries in each of the two Tests and two one-day matches, the Sri Lankan board sent him to play league cricket in Essex, where he starred for Loughton Cricket Club. He soon graduated to the A team and after accomplished performances against West Indies A earlier he was selected for the national squad a week later. However, it was on the 2006 tour of England that he really began to develop, especially in the one-day game, with an outstanding century at Lord's in the first match of Sri Lanka's 5-0 whitewash. Back-to-back centuries followed in the Champions Trophy and he was formed a destructive partnership with Sanath Jayasuriya without having to compromise his natural flair. He is also a skillful wicketkeeper.

Angelo Davis Mathews

Full name            : Angelo Davis Mathews
Born                   : June 2, 1987, Colombo
Current age         : 25 years 114 days
Major teams       : Sri Lanka, Basnahira North, Colts Cricket Club, Combined Provinces, Kolkata Knight Riders, Pune Warriors, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Under-19s
Playing role          : Allrounder
Batting style        : Right-hand bat
Bowling style      : Right-arm fast-medium

Angelo Mathews is one of Sri Lanka's finest all-round cricketers, and has been praised for his ability to handle pressure. He is a product of St Joseph's College, Colombo, where he teamed up with Thisara Perera to bring several honours to the school. After a quiet debut first-class season, in 2007-08, he made big strides with 696 runs at 58. He made it to the national side for the tour of Zimbabwe in 2008, but it was at the World Twenty20 the following year where he announced himself with an acrobatic save at the boundary, and a three-wicket opening over. He made his Test debut later that year and has since established himself as a reliable middle-order batsman and third seamer. He made his first Test century against Australia in Colombo in 2011, after he was named vice-captain. In one-dayers, Mathews has impressed with his ability to bat with the tail in tight situations, most notably in Melbourne in 2010, and against Pakistan in 2012. Injuries remain his biggest concern and as a result he has had to cut down on bowling on occasions.

Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan

Full name                    : Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan
Born                           : October 14, 1976, Kalutara
Current age                 : 35 years 346 days
Major teams                : Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Basnahira South, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Delhi Daredevils, Kalutara Town Club, Northern Districts, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club, Singha Sports Club
Also known as             :Tuwan Mohamad Dilshan
Playing role                  : Allrounder
Batting style                 : Right-hand bat
Bowling style               : Right-arm offbreak
Fielding position          : Wicketkeeper

With his relentless aggression, strong wrists and natural timing, Tillakaratne Dilshan is one of the most exciting batsmen in the game today. He is technically sound, but, much like Virender Sehwag, he uses the defensive option only as a last resort, after all the attacking alternatives have been explored. He loves to make room and thrash the ball through the off side, but the stroke that bears his signature more than any other is the one he developed for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 - the eponymously named "Dilscoop" shot over his head, which confounded bowlers and experts alike.

Ajantha Mendis

Full name        : Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslow Mendis
Born               : March 11, 1985, Moratuwa
Current age     : 27 years 197 days
Major teams   : Sri Lanka, Combined Provinces, Hampshire, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Board President's XI, Wayamba
Playing role    : Bowler
Batting style    : Right-hand bat
Bowling style  : Right-arm offbreak, Legbreak
Ajantha Mendis reintroduced mystery to spin in the era of video analysts and super-slow-motion replays. Much like the original mystery spinner, Jack Iverson, and the other practitioner of the "Iversons", John Gleeson, Mendis stunned the world with his finger-flicked legbreaks. His Iversons came with a new name, the "carrom ball", taken from the way the striker is flicked in the popular board game in the subcontinent.

Mohamed Farveez Maharoof

Full name        : Mohamed Farveez Maharoof
Born               : September 7, 1984, Colombo
Current age     : 28 years 17 days
Major teams   : Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Colombo Cricket Club, Delhi Daredevils, Lancashire, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Schools XI, Sri Lanka Under-15s, Sri Lanka Under-19s, Wayamba, Wesley College
Also known as : Fara
Playing role : Allrounder
Batting style : Right-hand bat
Bowling style : Right-arm fast-medium

Farveez Maharoof is a young fast-bowling allrounder of exciting potential, and bowls lively seamers from an upright, open-chested action. Sri Lanka's selectors, impressed by his performances as under-19 captain, fast-tracked him into the national squad for the Zimbabwe tour as they looked towards the future. Faced with a weak opposition, Maharoof picked up a bunch of wickets, but then came up against better competitors during the Asia Cup. He performed reasonably well, and made a mark with his swinging deliveries when South Africa came visiting. He had worked his way up through the representative ranks, playing for Sri Lanka under-15, under-17 and under-19, and led the under-19 team on four tours, including the 2004 Youth World Cup in Bangladesh. He enjoyed a prolific school career for Wesley College, with a highest score of 243 and best bowling figures of 8 for 20. Opportunities in the Test team have been limited but in the one-day side he has started to cement a permanent spot. A mean display during the ICC Champions Trophy in England, when he exploited the end-of-summer conditions expertly, suggested he could be especially useful when Sri Lanka play in seamer-friendly conditions. His batting has taken longer to click for the senior team but his talent is obvious and a middle-order position for the under-19 team suggests that with time he has the raw ingredients to become one of Sri Lanka's finest allrounders. Most importantly, he has also indicated that he is comfortable under pressure, the traditional Achilles Heel of Sri Lanka's recent fast bowling allrounders. A useful series with bat and ball against Pakistan in early 2006 suggested he was ready to push on, but his bowling failed to impress on the tour of England - in conditions that should have suited him. Then came an astonishing display at the Champions Trophy in India when his 6 for 14 skittled West Indies for 80. He performed creditably with bat and ball for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL's first season. A regular in the one-day side, he's yet to cement his place in the Test side.

Yusuf Khan Pathan

Full name     : Yusuf Khan Pathan
Born            : November 17, 1982, Baroda, Gujarat
Current age  : 29 years 312 days
Major teams  : India, Baroda, India Green, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals
Playing role  : Allrounder
Batting style   :  Right-hand bat
Bowling style  : Right-arm offbreak
Relation Half-brother - IK Pathan

Yusuf Pathan first made his mark as a hard-hitting batsman and offspinner for the Baroda Under-16 team in the Vijay Merchant Trophy in 1999-2000. His impressive showings saw him quickly climb the rungs to the Baroda U-19 and the West Zone U-19 sides. He made his Ranji debut against Saurashtra in 2001-02, but it wasn't until the 2004-05 season, by when younger brother Irfan Pathan was donning the national colours, that he established himself as a regular in the Baroda squad. Pathan ended the 2004-05 season as Baroda's fourth-highest scorer and third-highest wicket-taker.