RUN STOPING GIANT SHAUN POLLOCK

Full name Shaun Maclean Pollock Born July 16, 1973, Port Elizabeth, Cape ProvinceCurrent age 35 years 27 daysMajor teams South Africa, Africa XI, Dolphins, Durham, ICC World XI, KwaZulu-Natal, Mumbai Indians, Natal, WarwickshireBatting style Right-hand batBowling style Right-arm fast-mediumRelations Grandfather - AM Pollock, Great-uncle - R Howden, Father - PM Pollock, Uncle - RG Pollock, Cousin - AG Pollock, Cousin - GA Pollock

Test debut

South Africa v England at Centurion, Nov 16-20, 1995

Last Test

South Africa v West Indies at Durban, Jan 10-12, 2008

ODI debut

South Africa v England at Cape Town, Jan 9, 1996

Last ODI

South Africa v West Indies at Johannesburg, Feb 3, 2008

Profile

Considering the type of stuff floating around in his gene pool, it would have been surprising if Shaun Pollock had not been an international cricketer - and a very good one at that. Dad Peter led the South African attack through the 1960s; uncle Graeme was one of the finest, if not the finest, left-hander to play the game. Shaun has bits of both in his makeup, but it is as an immaculate, Hadlee-esque, line and length seamer that he has established himself. At the start of his first-class career, though, he was both slippery and aggressive and his Natal team-mates delighted in totting up the number of batsmen he pinned match after match. He was brought into the South African Test side against Michael Atherton's England tourists in 1995/96 and although his father was the convener of selectors, there was never a hint of nepotism and the younger Pollock took quickly to the higher level.
In 1996 he had a spell with Warwickshire cut short because of an ankle injury and missed the tour to India at the end of that year. But he soon returned to resume his new-ball partnership with Allan Donald and this pairing was the springboard of much of South Africa's success during the latter half of the 1990s. Indeed, it is possible to argue that the emergence of Pollock inspired Donald to greater heights as the latter found himself with a partner who both complemented and challenged him. Perhaps the straightest bowler in world cricket, Pollock is able to move the ball both ways at a lively pace. He also possesses stamina and courage in abundance as in proved in Adelaide in 1998 when he toiled on hour after hour in blazing heat to take 7 for 87 in 41 overs on a perfect batting pitch.
If there is a criticism of Pollock, it is that he has underperformed with the bat, but most Test teams would be perfectly happy to have him in their side if he never scored a run. Pollock was thrust into the captaincy in April 2000 when Hansie Cronje was drummed out of the game, and he faced the biggest challenge of his career - to lift a shocked and demoralised South African side. However, after a solid start to his captaincy, he lost some credibility after a 3-0 drubbing in Australia in 2001-02, and was later blamed for South Africa's disastrous World Cup in which they failed to qualify for the Super Sixes. As a result, Pollock immediately lost the captaincy and was replaced by Graeme Smith. Though his nagging brilliance around offstump remains, his pace and ability to take wickets at the top of the order has dipped.
Pollock missed the first Test against Australia at home in early 2006 with a back injury and was relegated from opener to first-change by the third. Four wickets in two Tests, with a new run-up and on pitches tailormade for his style, showed that he has slowed. But with 100 Tests under his belt, Pollock remains an integral part of the side. He missed the first Test against Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second daughter, returned for the second and was a pale shade of his former self. He managed just one wicket, and it was a telling sign of what appeared to be Pollock's decline to see him resort to offspin after being tonked over his head for six by Sanath Jayasuriya. All that was reversed in the Champions Trophy in India, where he showed great form, and against India and Pakistan at home at the end of 2006 and in the new year. Man of the Series in both the ODIs and Tests against India, Pollock was highly impressive with the new ball and chipped in with useful scores down the order. It was fitting that he became the first South African to take 400 Test wickets. Pollock continued his fine form against the touring Pakistanis next, despite being surprisingly rested for the final Test. Thrifty with the ball and useful with bat he offered precious control and breathing space for his captain. In the ODI series, he was the highest wicket-taker on either side and his 5 for 23 in the final game crushed a weary Pakistan. For the second consecutive one-day series in a row, Pollock was adjudged Man of the Series. It was decent form to carry into his fourth World Cup, but his lack of pace was exposed on the small Caribbean grounds, especially by Matthew Hayden, although his miserly spell against England was key in South Africa securing a semi-final berth. He lost his place in the Test line-up late in 2007 but returned against West Indies, on his home ground in Durban, for what turned out to be his final Test. He announced his retirement midway through the match, the following one-day series being his last international commitments.

GLENN MCGRATH A GREAT FAST BOWLER

Full name Glenn Donald McGrath Born February 9, 1970, Dubbo, New South WalesCurrent age 38 years 185 daysMajor teams Australia, Delhi Daredevils, ICC World XI, Middlesex, New South Wales, WorcestershireNickname Pigeon, MillardPlaying role BowlerBatting style Right-hand batBowling style Right-arm fast-mediumHeight 1.95 m Education Narromine Primary; Narromine High School

Test debut Australia v New Zealand at Perth, Nov 12-16, 1993

Last Test Australia v England at Sydney, Jan 2-5, 2007

ODI debut Australia v South Africa at Melbourne, Dec 9, 1993

Last ODI Australia v Sri Lanka at Bridgetown, Apr 28, 2007

Profile

The young Glenn McGrath was described by Mike Whitney as "thin - but Ambrose-thin, not Bruce Reid-thin". Much later, Mike Atherton compared McGrath to Ambrose on a vaster scale. Catapulted from the outback of New South Wales into Test cricket to replace Merv Hughes in 1993, McGrath became the greatest Australian fast bowler of his time. He went on to beat Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in the 2005 Super Test to become the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers and his claim to the title of Australia's greatest fast man is contested only by Dennis Lillee. His obituary was prepared a few times - he was doubted after coming back in 2004 from ankle surgery and there were similar fears following a long lay-off to care for his wife two years later - but he wrote his own farewells. He retired from Tests at the SCG - his home ground - after Australia whitewashed England 5-0 in the 2006-07 Ashes and was adjudged the Man of the Tournament during Australia's successful World Cup campaign in 2007, his final one-day appearance.
McGrath's USP was an unremitting off-stump line and an immaculate length. He gained off-cut and bounce, specialised in the opposition's biggest wickets - especially Atherton's and Brian Lara's - and he was unafraid to back himself publicly in these key duels. He was a batting rabbit who applied himself so intently that while playing for Worcestershire he won a bet with an Australian team-mate by scoring a fifty. The hard work eventually paid off in Tests, when he made 61, the third-highest score by a No. 11, against New Zealand in 2004-05. Only in his occasional fits of ill-temper did he fail himself.
He rewrote the World Cup record-books in 2003 with 7 for 15 against the outclassed Namibians, on his way to adding another winner's medal to a bulging collection. An ankle injury threatened to derail his quest for 500 Test wickets, but after briefly contemplating retirement he bounced back with yet another five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka at Darwin in July 2004. Three months later, at Nagpur, he became the first fast bowler to play 100 matches in the baggy green, and his greatness was further confirmed when knocking down the brittle Pakistanis at Perth with 8 for 24, the second-best figures by an Australian.
Adept at picking his moments, he chose the first day at Lord's to reach 500 and his subsequent ankle and arm injuries were crucial to Australia losing the Ashes in 2005. The following summer was also painfully disrupted with the recurrence of his wife Jane's cancer, which called for immediate treatment and McGrath's full attention. He pulled out of the VB Series finals as well as tours to South Africa and Bangladesh, but he made an emphatic comeback that culminated in him taking a record 26 wickets in the 2007 World Cup.

SAQLAIN MUSHTAQ THE GREAT OFF SIPNER

Full name Saqlain Mushtaq Born December 29, 1976, Lahore, PunjabCurrent age 31 years 225 daysMajor teams Ireland, Pakistan, Islamabad Cricket Association, Lahore Badshahs, Pakistan International Airlines, Surrey, SussexBatting style Right-hand batBowling style Right-arm offbreak

Test debut
Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Peshawar, Sep 8-11, 1995

Last Test

Pakistan v India at Multan, Mar 28-Apr 1, 2004

ODI debut
Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Gujranwala, Sep 29, 1995
Last ODI
Pakistan v South Africa at Faisalabad, Oct 7, 2003

Profile

A trend-setter. Saqlain Mushtaq was perhaps the first offspinner to master the doosra, a delivery that spins away from the batsman even though it is delivered with an offspinner's action. Saqlain has a fast, short-stepping action with a halting delivery, and has a propensity to bowl no-balls, unusually for a bowler with such a short run. He is criticised for attempting too much variation and he often throws in the doosra the first time a batsman faces. Saqlain's international career got off to a splendid start - he was the fastest bowler to 100 one-day wickets, and his phenomenal control meant that he regularly bowled at the death. But his finest moment arguably came in a Test match, at Chennai in 1998-99, when his ten-for allowed Pakistan to sneak nerve-tingling 12-run win against India. However, his stock has fallen a long way since then, with Shoaib Malik, a better batsman than Saqlain, usurping the spinner's spot in the ODI line-up and Danish Kaneria becoming the frontline Test spinner. Saqlain did get an opportunity to have a go at the Indians again in the 2003-04 series, but unflattering figures of 1 for 204 at Multan meant that he was quickly consigned to the scrap heap. He was unable to force his way back ahead of Danish Kaneria and he was blighted by injury after a prolific time with Surrey. However, his career was given a lifeline in 2007 when he joined Mushtaq Ahmed at Sussex and there was even talk of him qualifying for England. That could remain a distant dream, after signing a contract with the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League

SAEED ANWAR THE GREAT OPNER

Full name Saeed Anwar Born September 6, 1968, Karachi, Sind Current age 39 years 339 daysMajor teams Pakistan, Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore, United Bank LimitedBatting style Left-hand batBowling style Slow left-arm orthodox

Test debut
Pakistan v West Indies at Faisalabad, Nov 23-25, 1990
Last Test

Pakistan v Bangladesh at Multan, Aug 29-31, 2001

ODI debut
Pakistan v West Indies at Perth, Jan 1, 1989
Last ODI
Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Bulawayo, Mar 4,

Awards

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997

Profile

Majestic timing and placement were Saeed Anwar's hallmarks. He was an opener capable of electrifying starts in all cricket through graceful strokeplay rather than brute force. He loved driving through the off side with minimal footwork. He annihilated any bowler offering width outside off stump although he too regularly guided the ball straight into the hands of fourth slip or gully. He first came to prominence as a one-day player but soon achieved equal success in Test cricket. Anwar's fielding was weak, he was injury prone, and his footwork became less assured as his career drew to a close. Opting to take a break from the game after the death of his daughter in August 2001, he was a lesser force when he came back, though he still managed a hundred against India in the 2003 World Cup. His batting prowess on the wane, Anwar finally announced his retirement just before Pakistan's home series against Bangladesh. The record for the highest score in one-day cricket still rests with him, and on his day he was one of the most gracefully compelling players on the international stage

Andrew Symonds Great Six Hiter

Full name Andrew Symonds BornJune 9, 1975, Birmingham, Warwickshire, EnglandCurrent age31 yearsMajor teamsAustralia, Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, QueenslandNicknameRoyPlaying roleAll-rounderBatting styleRight-hand batBowling styleRight-arm medium, Right-arm off breakHeight1.87 m
Test debut
Sri Lanka v Australia at Galle - Mar 8-12, 2004

ODI debut

Pakistan v Australia at Lahore - Nov 10, 1998

Profile:-

Andrew Symonds brings gusto to whatever he does, whether firing down offbreaks or mediums, hurling his ungainly bulk round the field or vigorously ruffling the bowler's hair at the celebration of a wicket. He saves his loudest grunt for his batting, where he is that rarest of modern-day creatures - an unabashed six-hitter in the mould of a George Bonnor or a Colin Milburn or a David Hookes. Batting for Gloucestershire at 20, he scythed 16 sixes in the first dig [a world record] against Glamorgan at Abergavenny, 20 for the match [another first], and then announced he couldn't care less about the milestone; he wanted only to help his team. He has been matter-of-factly demolishing attacks ever since. His flaw has been to attempt one six too many - invariably off the wrong ball.

"I used to hate watching him bat," his old coach Toot Byron once lamented. "He wasn't in control of his shot-selection ... he'd get 24 off an over and then go out on the last ball of that over." Legend has it that Symonds, a dreadlocked Queensland larrikin, once turned up barefoot and wearing a cowboy hat for a contract meeting with Cricket Australia's then-chief executive Malcolm Speed. He also graciously ruled himself ineligible for any award at the 2006 Allan Border Medal - he would have been the One-Day Player of the Year - after being suspended for turning up drunk before Australia's embarrassing loss to Bangladesh on the 2005 Ashes tour.

During almost five years in and out of the one-day side he frittered away golden opportunities galore. One day changed everything. Striding out with his team in turmoil against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup, a game and tournament he never expected to play in, Symonds sculpted a masterly 143 not out in 125 balls. Until that day, he had mustered just 762 one-day runs at only 23; ever since he has averaged more than 45 and become a hero to the masses. "In the past," he admits, "I was a man without a map when I went out to bat." Now he understands his one-day role perfectly - he could have claimed to be the side's most valuable player after pounding three hundreds and taking 21 wickets in 2005-06. His impact to the limited-overs outfit was shown last summer after he ripped the tendon from his arm playing a fierce drive. Without him the team struggled to its worst losing streak in a decade. Symonds showed he was an incredibly quick healer by entering the World Cup mid-tournament and was part of his second consecutive triumph.

Born in Birmingham, Symonds could have played for England but dreamed only of wearing the baggy green. In 2004 his fantasy was fulfilled in decidedly unGabbalike surroundings: the crackling minefields of Sri Lanka. He batted gamely without looking altogether comfortable, and was dumped after two Tests. Almost two years later he received an extended run as Australia's selectors searched for an answer to Andrew Flintoff, but he couldn't consistently mirror his one-day performances. Faced with the axe, he cracked a huge six at the MCG to open his scoring in a pressure-relieving 72 from 54 balls, which included a ground record five maximums, but was dropped on the Bangladesh tour after struggling for reliable impact in the previous series against South Africa. Given another opportunity when Shane Watson was injured and Damien Martyn retired, he appeared in his first Ashes series and reached a career high in his second game with 156 at the MCG. Batting with his fishing friend Matthew Hayden, he showed he had the mindset to make it at Test level.

Sanath Jayasuriya The Great Left Hander

Name Sanath Jayasuriya Country Sri Lanka Full name
Sanath Teran Jayasuriya
BornJune 30, 1969, Matara
Current age37 years
Major teamsSri Lanka, ACC Asian XI, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club,Colombo Cricket Club, Somerset
Batting styleLeft-hand bat
Batting Highest
189 in ODIs340 in Tests
Bowling styleSlow left-arm orthodox

Career statistics

Test debut : New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Hamilton - Feb 22-26, 1991

ODI debut : Australia v Sri Lanka at Melbourne - Dec 26, 1989

Awards

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997

Profile

One of the world's most uncompromising strikers of the ball, Jayasuriya found belated fame as a pinch-hitter at the 1996 World Cup, and then demonstrated that he was also capable of massive scoring in Tests, eventually becoming Sri Lanka's highest Test run-scorer. He remains dizzily dangerous, especially on the subcontinent's slower, less bouncy surfaces. Short in stature and powerfully built, he cuts and pulls with awesome power, and his brutal bat-wielding is at odds with his shy, gentle nature. Wised-up opponents have learned to set traps in the gully and at third man to stem the flow of runs, but on song he can be virtually unstoppable, capable of scoring freely on both sides of the wicket.

Jayasuriya is also an extremely effective and canny left-arm spinner, especially in one-day internationals where his stock leg-stump darts are mixed up with clever variations in pace. Jayasuriya served commendably as Sri Lanka's captain for a successful tenure after the sacking of Arjuna Ranatunga in 1999. His leadership style was consensual in comparison to the Napoleon approach adopted by Ranatunga, and he soon built a happy and unified team. The huge responsibility of leading the team, though, started to show and by the 2003 World Cup, after a myriad of off-field controversies, it was clear that he had become a reluctant captain. He eventually resigned in April 2003.

Having stepped down, his position in the side was more vigorously debated and a one-day slump prompted several pundits to call time on his career. But Jayasuriya was far from finished, and he bounced back in 2004 with his most prolific year in Test cricket since 1997. The year included a blazing second-innings century against Australia at Kandy that nearly levelled the series and a marathon double-hundred against Pakistan at Faisalabad. Twin centuries followed during the Asia Cup 2004 and his form was impressive enough for Somerset to sign him up for a season of County Cricket in 2005. And in the Indian Oil Cup in 2005, Jayasuriya became only the fourth batsman to get to 10,000 runs in one-day cricket.

He retired in 2006, only to almost immediately retract his decision. After behind-the-scenes machinations which hinted at internal power struggles between board and coach, he was shoehorned into the squad for the Test series in England but did not play. He bounced back in typical form, however, in the one-day series that followed, showing he has a few more miles left on the clock

Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden
Oct 29, 1971
State of Origin:
QLD
LHB, RM
Test cap No.359
ODI cap No. 111
Test Debut: Mar 04, 1994
One Day Debut: May 19, 1993

He scored a world record 380 against Zimbabwe during the first Test in Perth in October 2003. Along with Justin Langer, he forms Australia's most successful-ever opening pair in Test history. At the start of the 2003/04 season they averaged 68.13 runs per opening stand from 24 matches together including nine hundred-plus stands and seven more partnerships of between 50 and 99. He is the Allan Border Medallist in 2002. He has also made his one-day international debut as a 21 year-old on the 1993 Ashes tour of the UK but lost out to Michael Slater as Mark Taylor's opening partner in the Test series. Made his Test debut in 1996/97 against the West Indies but only became truly established during a stellar Kelvinator tour of India in early 2001 when he scored 549 Test runs including a maiden double hundred (203) in Chennai.