Mohammad Azharuddin

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Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin.jpg
Personal information
Full name Mohammad Azharuddin
Born (1963-02-08) 8 February 1963 (age 61)
Hyderabad, Telangana State,
Nickname Azhar, Ajju, Azzu[1]
Batting style Right-handed batsman
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Role Batsman
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 169) 30 December 1984 v England
Last Test 2 March 2000 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 51) 20 January 1985 v England
Last ODI 3 June 2000 v Pakistan
Domestic team information
Years Team
1981–2000 Hyderabad
1983–2000 South Zone
1991–1994 Derbyshire
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 99 334 229 433
Runs scored 6,216 9,378 15,855 12,941
Batting average 45.03 36.92 51.98 39.33
100s/50s 22/21 7/58 54/74 11/85
Top score 199 153* 226 161*
Balls bowled 13 552 1,432 827
Wickets 0 12 17 15
Bowling average – 39.91 46.23 47.26
5 wickets in innings – 0 0 0
10 wickets in match – n/a 0 n/a
Best bowling 0/4 3/19 3/36 3/19
Catches/stumpings 105/– 156/– 220/– 200/–
Source: CricketArchive, 13 February 2009
Mohammad Azharuddin
Personal details
Political party INC
Residence Hyderabad,India
Religion Islam
As of 1 July, 2009

Mohammad Azharuddin <phonos file="Mohammed_Azharuddin.ogg">pronunciation</phonos> (born 8 February 1963 in Hyderabad, Telangana State, India) is a former Indian cricketer and a politician. He was an accomplished batsman and captained the Indian cricket team for much of the 1990s. For his achievements he was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1986.[2] He has been member of the Indian National Congress political party, and was elected as a member of Indian Parliament from the Moradabad constituency of Uttar Pradesh.

Azharuddin was implicated in a cricket match-fixing scandal in 2000, and banned by BCCI for life. On 8 November 2012, the Andhra Pradesh High Court lifted the ban, describing it as "unsustainable".[3]


A biopic Azhar (film) is being produced where Emraan Hashmi plays Azharuddin.

Early life

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Azhar, as he is popularly known, grew up in Hyderabad and attended All Saints High School, Hyderabad in Hyderabad, of which fellow cricketers Venkatapathy Raju and Noel David are also alumni. While playing cricket, he graduated from Nizam College, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana State with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

Family and personal life

Azhar was first married to Naureen,[4][5] with whom he had two sons, Asad and Ayaz, and whom he divorced after nine years of marriage. He then married model-actor Sangeeta Bijlani in 1996. The couple separated in 2010.[6] The former Indian cricket star has reportedly got married for a third time to Delhi-based Shannon Marie Talwar, originally from Los Angeles, US.[7]

On 16 September 2011, his son Ayazuddin, aged 19, died following a road accident.[8]

International cricket career

After induction into the Indian cricket team as a middle order batsman, Azharuddin quickly gained international fame by scoring 3 test centuries in the first 3 test matches he played. As a cricketer, he was known for a graceful and fluid batting style - John Woodcock, a noted cricket writer, said of him, "It's no use asking an Englishman to bat like Mohammad Azharuddin. It would be like expecting a greyhound to win the Epsom Derby."[9] He also won praise elsewhere, with umpire Venkataraghavan stating that "Azharuddin had the best wrists in the game".

Highlights

Azhar scored a final total of 22 centuries in test cricket, at an average of 45, and 7 in ODIs, at an average of 37. To date, he is the only cricketer with the distinction of scoring a century in each of his first three tests. As a fielder, he took 156 catches in ODI cricket. His highest test score is 199, gained against Sri Lanka, and in 1991 he was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

Captaincy

Azharuddin was captain of the Indian team for most of the 1990s. He has been one of India's most successful captains, winning 90 ODIs. Later this achievement was surpassed by M.S. Dhoni on 2 September 2014 against England overtaking him as the most successful Indian ODI captain with 91 victories .[10] His 14 test match wins as captain was a record until it was bettered by then Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly with 21 test match wins.

Match fixing scandal

Towards the end of his career Azharuddin was accused and found guilty of match-fixing;[11] and a life ban on Azharuddin's participation in cricket (as a player and in an officiating capacity) was imposed. South African captain Hansie Cronje, in his confession to match-fixing, had indicated that Azharuddin was the one to introduce him to the bookies.[12] India's premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, conducted an investigation and published a report.[13]

The ICC and the BCCI banned Azharuddin for life in 2000. The BCCI lifted the ban on Azharuddin in 2006, even honouring him along with other Indian Test captains in a ceremony in Mumbai during the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy. The ICC, however, has stated that it alone has the right to revoke the ban, despite playing no role in handing out the original ban.

Ban lifted

On 8 November 2012 a Divisional Bench consisting of Justice Ashutosh Mohanta and Justice Krishna Mohan Reddy of the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed the ban imposed upon him after the allegations.[14][3][15]

Feel Relief

"It was a long drawn out legal case and it was painful. We fought in the court for 11 years. There were lots of adjournments, changes in the case. But, finally, the verdict has come and I am happy that the ban has been lifted by the court," Azharuddin told a hastily called press conference at his residence in Delhi.

In one of his interviews, Azhar later claimed that he was being targeted because he was from a minority community.[16]

Political career

Azhruddin formally joined the Indian National Congress party on 19 February 2009. He contested the Indian general election, 2009 from Moradabad in western Uttar Pradesh.

Test statistics

Mohammad Azharuddin's career performance graph.

By opponent

Australia

  • 780 runs at an average o 39.00 with 5 hundreds

England

  • 1978 runs at an average of 58.09 with 6 hundreds

New Zealand

  • 1152 runs at an average of 61.23 with 2 hundreds

Pakistan

  • 1089 runs at an average of 40.47 with 3 hundreds

South Africa

  • 915 runs at an average of 41.00 with 4 hundreds

Sri Lanka

  • 1215 runs at an average of 55.23 with 5 hundreds

West Indies

  • 539 runs at an average of 28.37 with 0 hundreds

Zimbabwe

  • 59 runs at an average of 14.75 with 0 hundreds

Total

  • 6215 runs at an average of 45.04 with 25 hundreds

See also

References

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External links

Preceded by Indian National Test Cricket Captain
1989/90 – 1996		 Succeeded by
Sachin Tendulkar
Preceded by Indian National Test Cricket Captain
1997/98 – 1998/99		 Succeeded by
Sachin Tendulkar

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  1. ↑ Sport / Cricket : Of comparisons and imitations. The Hindu (2011-03-01). Retrieved on 2012-07-14.
  2. ↑ [2]
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ http://www.bollywoodmantra.com/news/azharuddin-breaks-up-with-wife-sangeeta-bijlani/6101/
  7. ↑ http://www.indiatvnews.com/sports/cricket/meet-azharuddin-s-latest-friend-shannon-marie-talwar--7401.html
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Magazine, Pradeep. "Azharuddin and 4 Others Are Punished for Cricket Match Fixing : Former India Captain Banned", The New York Times, 6 December 2000, accessed 30 March 2011.
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