Greatest ever Cricket match

Since my last post was related to Cricket, this one's also describing the greatest Cricket match (One Day International) ever played. It features the national teams of South Africa and Australia. I'm not a fan of these two teams but when in 2006 it was played, Australia were the top team in the world having won two consecutive World Cups and sitting at top of ODI rankings with a big margin. As always the South Africa vs Australia bilateral series has been nail biting, this final ODI was evenly poised. It was a series decider. Just for a brief summary, batting first, Australia made a massive 434 in their allotted 50 overs. That was the first time a team had crossed 400 run mark in ODI history. South Africa were required to chase 435, and the way their chase begin was disastrous. But then, it had everything to keep the Cricket lovers glued to their TV screens. Watch the highlights here.

Ricky Ponting cannot believe it. Who'd have thought that Australia will lose after scoring 434 runs.

I remember I had my O levels exams in a couple of weeks' time and my tutor was giving me extra classes. I made excuses every 15 minutes to come to my home to watch and witness this amazing victory by South Africa.
Download the torrent to watch full match.

Sharjah !!!

I've never been to Sharjah and I also do not have any intentions or plans to visit it in near future. The purpose of this post is basically, Cricket. The moment I'm composing this post, Sharjah Cricket Ground will be hosting first One Day International after more than a decade in a few hours (between Test playing nations) . In the 90s, every year people used to anxiously wait for the Sharjah Cup, a Tri nation series. The history goes back to late 1980s and Pakistan Cricket Team was a regular participant in it. Javed Miandad's famous six on the last ball of Chetan Sharma, Aaqib Javed's and Wasim Akram's hattricks and many more achievements have been accomplished at the Sharjah Cricket Ground.

As described earlier, there have been many moments at Sharjah. Afridi's long sixes to earn the prize if the ball hits the board, crunch matches but the memory that will always be in my brain goes back to 1999. It was a group stage match against Srilanka and they were well on top.  But as it is said 'Pakistan never do it the easy way', they proved it. The young Abdur Razzaq saved the match for Pakistan. Re live those moments here.

I still remember that I was screaming my heart out after that last wicket and nobody cared about it. I usually watched Cricket matches with my father but he was not there at that moment.

Sharjah was regarded as 'Second home of  Pakistan Cricket Team'. Lets just hope that current Pakistani team remember the history of Sharjah and wrap up the series against Srilanka today in an emphatic way.

Be Green, Feel Green, Bleed Green <3

p.s. Read full history of cricket in Sharjah, here

Bakra Eid !!!

Looks weird, isn't it?

 Bakra Eid, Baqra Eid or Eid ul Adha, whatever you call it, for me it'll always be 'Bakra Eid' because since the day I have gained my senses, I've seen my father bringing goats every year for slaughtering. preparations have been made for this Eid too. The main purpose behind this blog is to tell why its important to me. Look at my size (in older posts) :p, and you'll know why. My meal is incomplete without meat, any type of meat. As much as I like cooked meat, I like raw meat too. That is why, I turn into a butcher every year on Eid day. Because we have soft hearts, we call a professional butcher just to slaughter the goat. Once the skin is removed, me and my father deals with the rest. I take care of cutting Liver, Heart and Kidneys. After its done, the attention is turned towards cutting boneless pieces for roasted mutton. I could go a long way detailing everything that happens usually every year but I thinks its already so much boring.

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Eid Mubarak :)

P.s. I never re read or ask anyone to check if I've not made any mistakes Pardon me if there are grammatical, punctuational or spelling mistakes.

Manchester United Greatest Ever comebacks

Continuing with my last blog, Manchester United are remembered for their 'Never Say Die' attitude. There are thousands of videos on YouTube of Manchester United's comebacks over the years, here I have decided to share what in my opinion, are the best ever comebacks in MUFC's history.

5. Manchester United vs. Tottenham 2009 (at Old Trafford)
In the first half, United were down 2.0 after goals from Darren Bent and Luka Modric. What happened next, just watch it !!!

4. Tottenham vs. Manchester United  2001 (at White Hart Lane)
It was way before the last one and that too on Spurs' home. United were down 3.0 at the half time but they never gave up on their 'Never Say Die' attitude.

3. Manchester United vs. Arsenal 1999 (Fa Cup Semifinal replay)
After the first tie was drawn 0.0 after 120 minutes of play, United came into the second leg with an aim for victory and to continue towards their quest for the treble, but it wasn't as easy as it was thought.

2. Manchester United vs. Juventus 1999 Champions League Semi Final, 2nd leg
After a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford United traveled to Turin needing a win to see their way into the final. As always, it was not easy for United. They were down 2.0 after just 11 minutes in the game. Captain Roy Keane, who had received his Yellow card that had banned him from competing in the next match, gave his one of the best performance in the Red shirt.

1. Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich 1999 Champions League Final at Nou Camp

They say, 'Leave the best till the last'. Having won the League and FA Cup in 1999, there was only one match between united and the Treble but as said earlier, they never do it the easy way. I'll not describe what happened, the commentary tells everything about it

To wrap it up, here's a famous quote from Sir Alex Ferguson after the 1999 final. "Football, bloody hell !!!"