1.
Emirate of Sharjah
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The Emirate of Sharjah is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates. The emirate covers 2,590 square kilometres and has a population of over 800,000, the emirate of Sharjah comprises the capital city of Sharjah, after which it is named, and other minor towns and exclaves such as Kalba, Dibba Al-Hisn and Khor Fakkan. The emirate is a constitutional monarchy and it has been ruled by Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi since 1972. Historically the emirate was one of the wealthiest towns in the region, around 1727, the Al Qasimi clan took control of Sharjah and declared the polity independent. The first in a series of maritime skirmishes between the Al Qasimi and British vessels took place in 1797, when the British-flagged Bassein Snow was seized and released two days later. The cruiser Viper was subsequently attacked off Bushire, on 8 January 1820, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi signed the General Maritime Treaty with Britain, accepting protectorate status in order to resist Ottoman domination. Like four of its neighbours, Ajman, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah, throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Sharjah was an important pearl fishing port. A British marine survey of 1830 found three to four hundred boats fishing in the season, earning the ruler 100,000 Maria Theresa Dollars, in 1932, Imperial Airways established a regular air service through Sharjah, which was an overnight stop on the Eastern British Empire route. Al Mahatta Fort was built to house the airlines guests, on 2 December 1971, Sheikh Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi joined Sharjah to the United Arab Emirates. On 24 January 1972 the former ruler Sheikh Saqr staged a leftist coup, having previously deposed Saqr, Sheikh Khalid had ordered the demolition of Sharjah Fort to expiate Saqrs memory. Saqr took over Khalids palace, holding him inside and in the ensuing confusion Sheikh Khalid was killed, Saqr was arrested and Khalids brother, Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, an author and historian, came to power. In 1987 Sultans brother Abdulaziz staged a coup while Sultan was abroad, huge state debt was stated as the reason. UAE President Zayed vehemently denounced the coup, and a deal was reached for Sultan to be restored, Sultan, however, dismissed Abdulaziz quite quickly. In 1999, the Crown Prince died while on vacation in their palace in England, Sultan made the decision to testify in front of a UK court. The new Crown Prince was appointed from a branch of the family. Sharjah is the third largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates, the emirate covers 2,590 square kilometres which is equivalent to 3.3 per cent of the UAEs total area, excluding the islands. It has a population of over 800,000, the emirate of Sharjah comprises the city of Sharjah, and other minor towns and enclaves. The city of Sharjah, which overlooks the Persian Gulf, has a population of 519,000, Sharjah City borders Dubai to the south and Ajmân to the north, and the three form a conurbation
2.
Sharjah
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Sharjah is the third largest and third most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula, Sharjah is the capital of the emirate of Sharjah. Sharjah has been ruled by the Al Qasimi dynasty since the 18th century, the city is a centre for culture and industry, and alone contributes 7. 4% of the GDP of the United Arab Emirates. The city covers an area of 235 km² and has a population of over 800,000. This has helped Sharjah increase the number of Islamic tourists who visit the country, Sharjah has been officially named as a WHO healthy city. The 2016 edition of QS Best Student Cities ranked Sharjah as the 68th best city in the world to be a university student. Sharjah is regarded as the capital of the UAE, and was the Islamic culture capital in 2014 Sharjah is the third largest city in the United Arab Emirates after Dubai. The palace of the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi is located about 20 kilometres southeast of the city, the city of Sharjah overlooks the Persian Gulf and has a population of over 800,000. Distinctive landmarks include two major covered souks, reflecting Islamic design, and a number of areas and public parks such as Al Montazah Fun Park. The city is notable for its numerous elegant mosques. After the construction boom took place in Dubai in 2005, towering skyscrapers and modern buildings were constructed in areas like Al Khan. These modern tall buildings and the subsequent increase in population coupled with inadequate infrastructure made Sharjah suffer from traffic jams and this was also due to its location between the northeastern emirates and Dubai. Many Sharjah residents travel 15 km to visit Dubai on the weekend, Sharjah is bordered by the cities of Dubai and Ajmān and is about 170 km away from the capital city Abu Dhabi. In the early 18th century, the Qawasim clan established itself in Sharjah, on 8 January 1820, Sheikh Sultan I signed the General Maritime Treaty with Britain, accepting a protectorate to keep the Ottoman Turks out. Like four of its neighbours, Ajman, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah, on 2 December 1971, Sharjah, together with Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Umm Al Qawain and Fujairah joined in the Act of Union to form the United Arab Emirates. The seventh emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, joined the UAE on 10 February 1972, many of these items feature subjects unrelated to the emirates whose names they bear, and therefore many popular catalogues do not list them. Other researchers link the word Sharqah to the fact that the city is located to the Sharq, or east, of Dubai, hence the Arabic classical form of Sharjah is Al Shareqah. It is the form that is Al Sharjah
3.
United Arab Emirates
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In 2013, the UAEs population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates. The country is a federation of seven emirates, and was established on 2 December 1971, the constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Each emirate is governed by a monarch, together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the monarchs is selected as the President of the United Arab Emirates, Islam is the official religion of the UAE and Arabic is the official language. The UAEs oil reserves are the seventh-largest in the world while its natural gas reserves are the worlds seventeenth-largest, Sheikh Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the first President of the UAE, oversaw the development of the Emirates and steered oil revenues into healthcare, education and infrastructure. The UAEs economy is the most diversified in the Gulf Cooperation Council, while its most populous city of Dubai is an important global city, nevertheless, the country remains principally reliant on its export of petroleum and natural gas. The UAE is criticised for its rights record, including the specific interpretations of Sharia used in its legal system. The UAEs rising international profile has led analysts to identify it as a regional. It appears the land of the Emirates has been occupied for thousands of years, there is no proof of contact with the outside world at that stage, although in time it developed with civilisations in Mesopotamia and Iran. This contact persisted and became wide-ranging, probably motivated by trade in copper from the Hajar Mountains, in ancient times, Al Hasa was part of Al Bahreyn and adjoined Greater Oman. Sassanid groups were present on the Batinah coast, in 637, Julfar was an important port that was used as a staging post for the Islamic invasion of the Sassanian Empire. The area of the Al Ain/Buraimi Oasis was known as Tuam and was an important trading post for camel routes between the coast and the Arabian interior. The earliest Christian site in the UAE was first discovered in the 1990s, a monastic complex on what is now known as Sir Bani Yas Island. Thought to be Nestorian and built in 600 AD, the church appears to have been abandoned peacefully in 750 AD and it forms a rare physical link to a legacy of Christianity which is thought to have spread across the peninsula from 50 to 350 AD following trade routes. Certainly, by the 5th century, Oman had a bishop named John – the last bishop of Oman being Etienne, in 676 AD. This led to a group of travelling to Medina, converting to Islam and subsequently driving a successful uprising against the unpopular Sassanids. Following the death of Prophet Muhammad, the new Islamic communities south of the Persian Gulf threatened to disintegrate, with insurrections against the Muslim leaders. The Caliph Abu Bakr sent an army from the capital Medina which completed its reconquest of the territory with the battle of Dibba in which 10,000 lives are thought to have been lost
4.
Noida
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Noida, short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a systematically planned Indian city under the management of the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority. It is part of National Capital Region of India, Noida came into administrative existence on 17 April 1976 and celebrates 17 April as Noida Day. It was set up as part of an urbanisation thrust during the controversial Emergency period, the city was created under the UP Industrial Area Development Act by the initiatives of Sanjay Gandhi. The city has the highest per capita income in the whole National Capital Region, the Noida Authority is among the richest civic bodies in the country. As per provisional reports of Census India, the population of Noida in 2011 is 642,381, roads in Noida are lined by trees and it is considered to be Indias greenest city with about 50% green cover, the highest of any city in India. Noida is located in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state, the districts administrative headquarters are in the nearby town of Greater Noida. However, the districts highest government official, the District Magistrate, has its official camp office in Noida Sector-27, the city is a part of the Noida Vidhan Sabha constituency and Gautam Buddha Nagar. Minister of State for Culture, Tourism of Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma of the BJP is the current MP of Noida, the current MLA is Pankaj Singh. Noida has emerged as a hot spot for IT and IT-enabled services industry with large companies setting up their businesses here. Noida is located in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state India, Noida is about 25 kilometres southeast of New Delhi,20 kilometres northwest of the district headquarters - Greater Noida and 457 kilometres northwest of the state capital, Lucknow. Noida falls under the catchment area of the Yamuna River, and is located on the old river bed, the soil is rich and loamy. Since Noida can also be termed as being situated on the tail of Aravali, other common trees are Neem, Peepal, Banyan, Sheesham and Teak that grow naturally. Recent urbanisation has introduced laburnam, red cotton, and other trees on the roadsides, people take a lot of interest in planting amaltash and Gulmohar. For these reasons, different trees surround roads of Noida from almost everywhere, There are various types of grasses that grow naturally on the free ground, as this land was perfect for agriculture before construction work took over. Sugarcane, wheat and vegetables were grown in great extent along with Mango, Jamun and you can record a great number of birds in Noida, Sparrows, Crows, Mynahs, Bulbuls, Kingfishers, Prinias, and Bushchats can be spotted anywhere. With careful eyes one can also see barbets, munias, Okhla Bird Sanctuary is one such place to go and do bird watching and it has a great number of birds varying from cormorants to jacanaa and seagulls. More than 55 species are present and around the same number are seasonal. Surajkund Sanctuary, village areas are not far off for nature viewing, the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway is poised to become a self-sustaining urban pocket in Noida with good infrastructure
5.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
6.
2014 Indian Premier League
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The 2014 season of the Indian Premier League, abbreviated as IPL7 or Pepsi IPL2014, was the seventh season of the IPL, established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 2007. The tournament featured eight teams, one fewer than in 2013 after the withdrawal of the Pune Warriors India, the opening ceremony was held in the UAE on 15 April 2014. The Mumbai Indians were the champions, having won the 2013 season. Kolkata Knight Riders won the tournament, defeating Kings XI Punjab by 3 wickets in the final, a part of this season was held outside India after previous Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde denied the provision of security the league demanded as it clashed with the 2014 general election. The tournament was hosted by India and the United Arab Emirates. The opening 20 matches were held in the UAE at three different stadiums in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah with the tournament returning to India on 2 May, the player auction took place on 12 and 13 February 2014. Unlike previous seasons, the auction was in Indian Rupees rather than US dollars, on 14 February, Sanjay Patel, who is the BCCI secretary, told the media after the IPL governing council meeting, As far as possible our interest is to hold the IPL in India. Then, probably, South Africa is the venue at the moment. The initial part of the season was held outside India, to adding to the existing security demands for the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections. South Africa, Bangladesh and UAE were initially shortlisted as alternative venues, on 2 March 2014, it was reported that Sri Lanka, which was under fourth consideration for hosting the matches, has been ruled out due to prospect of rains in the country during the period. On 5 March 2014, when the dates for elections were announced. Also, South Africa as a venue has effectively been ruled out since they wanted to host the entire tournament, leaving chances open for UAE. On 12 March 2014, it was announced that the tournament would begin on 16 April, if it is not possible to play in India during this period, IPL matches will be held in Bangladesh. All matches after 12 May, which is last day of polling for the elections, no matches will be played on 16 May, given it is the day for counting of votes for the general election. The final was played on 1 June 2014, the schedule of the first phase of the IPL2014 was announced on 19 March 2014. The first phase of the tournament consist of 20 matches played from 16 to 30 April 2014 in the United Arab Emirates, from 2 May onwards the 36 games of the regular season and the 4 playoffs will be played in India across 10 venues. Gary Kirsten signed up as Head Coach of Delhi Daredevils, kolkata Knight Riders appointed Woorkeri Raman as batting coach while Wasim Akram returned as bowling coach after taking break for IPL-6. Royal Challengers Bangalore announced Daniel Vettori as head coach and Allan Donald as bowling coach, darren Lehmann was not able to continue with Kings XI Punjab due to his commitments with Australian cricket team
7.
Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second most populous city of the United Arab Emirates, and also capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the UAEs seven emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the western coast. The city proper had a population of 1.5 million in 2014, Abu Dhabi houses federal government offices, is the seat of the United Arab Emirates Government, home to the Abu Dhabi Emiri Family and the President of the UAE, who is from this family. Abu Dhabis rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the high average income of its population, has transformed the city into a large. Today the city is the center of political and industrial activities. Abu Dhabi accounts for about two-thirds of the roughly $400-billion United Arab Emirates economy, Abu Dhabi is the fourth most expensive city for expatriate employees in the region, and in 2014 was the 68th most expensive big city in the world. Abu Dhabi is full of evidence that points to civilizations, such as the Umm an-Nar Culture. Settlements were also found farther outside the city of Abu Dhabi. There is evidence of civilizations around the mountain of Hafeet and this location is very strategic because it is the UAE’s second tallest mountain, so it would have great visibility. It also contains a lot of moisture in its springs and lakes, origin of the name Abu Dhabi The origin of the name Abu Dhabi is uncertain. Meaning Father of the Gazelle, when translated from Arabic. According to Bilal al-Budoor, assistant under-secretary for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, The area had a lot of dhibaa, an old story tells about a man who used to chase deer and was named the father of the animal. Abu Dhabis original name was Milh salt, possibly referring to the salty water of the Persian Gulf, some Bedouins called the city Umm Dhabi, while British records refer to the place as Abu Dhabi. According to some accounts, the name Abu Dhabi was first used more than 300 years ago. The first word of Abu Dhabi is pronounced Bu by inhabitants on the western coast. In the eastern part of the city, the pronunciation is Abu, origins of the Al Nahyan family The Bani Yas bedouin were originally centered on the Liwa Oasis. This tribe was the most significant in the area, having over 20 subsections, in 1793, the Al Bu Falah subsection migrated to the island of Abu Dhabi on the coast of the Persian Gulf due to the discovery of fresh water there. One family within this section was the Al Nahyan family and this family makes up the rulers of Abu Dhabi today
8.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
9.
Jonathan Agnew
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Jonathan Philip Agnew, MBE DL is an English cricket broadcaster and former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Uppingham School and he is nicknamed Aggers, and, less commonly, Spiro – the latter, according to Debretts Cricketers Whos Who, after former US Vice President Spiro Agnew. Agnew had a successful career as a fast bowler for Leicestershire from 1979 to 1990. In first-class cricket he took 666 wickets at an average of 29.25, Agnew won three Test caps for England, as well as playing three One Day Internationals in the mid-1980s, although his entire international career lasted just under a year. In county cricket, Agnews most successful seasons came toward the end of his career, after his last international match and he was second- and third-leading wicket-taker in 1987 and 1988 respectively, including the achievement of 100 wickets in a season in 1987. He was named as one of the five Cricketers of the Year by Wisden Cricketers Almanack in 1988, while still a player, Agnew began a career in cricket journalism and commentary. Since his retirement as a player, he has become a voice of cricket on radio, as the BBC Radio cricket correspondent. He has also contributed as a member of Australian broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporations Grandstand team, Agnews on-air leg over comment on Test Match Special, made to fellow commentator Brian Johnston in 1991, provoked giggling fits during a live broadcast and reaction from across England. The incident has been voted the greatest sporting commentary ever in a BBC poll, Michael Henderson, one of Agnews peers and rivals, has described him as a master broadcaster. The pick of the sports correspondents at the BBC. Agnew was born on 4 April 1960 at West Park Hospital in Macclesfield, Cheshire, to Philip, mcConnell of Hampton Hall, Worthen, Shropshire. Agnews paternal grandmother, Lady Mona Agnew, died aged 110 years and 170 days in 2010 and is on the list of the 100 longest-lived British people ever, driven by early enjoyment of the media coverage of cricket, Agnew developed a love for playing the game. Agnews father, a cricketer, taught him the rudiments of the sport, including an offspin action. Another family connection to cricket was his first cousin, Mary Duggan, from the age of eight, Agnew boarded at Taverham Hall School near Norwich. Agnew attended Uppingham School for his education, and left in 1978 with nine O-levels. From the age of 16 he developed his skills as a right-arm fast bowler out of hours at Alf Govers cricket school at Surrey. He began playing for Surrey County Cricket Clubs second XI in 1977, on his first-class debut against Lancashire in August 1978, the 18-year-old Agnew bowled to England international David Lloyd, an opening batsman with nine Test caps. Reported in Wisden Cricketers Almanack, Lloyd was halfway through a forward defensive push when his off stump was despatched halfway towards the Leicestershire wicket-keeper, Agnew took one wicket in each innings of the match, and did not bat, Leicestershire won by an innings. Illingworth was quoted in The Times as saying that Agnew was the second fastest bowler in England in 1978, all four went on to play Test cricket
10.
Pakistan national cricket team
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The Pakistan cricket team, also known as The Green Shirts or The Shaheens) is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the team is a member of the International Cricket Council. Pakistan have played 871 ODIs, winning 458, losing 387, Pakistan were the 1992 World Cup champions, and were runners-up in the 1999 tournament. Pakistan, in conjunction with other countries in South Asia, have hosted the 1987 and 1996 World Cups, the team has also played 110 Twenty20 Internationals, the most of any team, winning 64 losing 43 and tying 3. Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and were runners-up in the tournament in 2007. Pakistan have played 406 Test matches, with winning 130, losing 118, the team has the third-best win/loss ratio in Test cricket of 1.10, and the fifth-best overall win percentage of 32. 01%. In the 1950s, several Pakistani Test players had played Test cricket for the Indian cricket team before the creation of Pakistan in 1947, as of 31 January 2017, the Pakistani cricket team is ranked sixth in Tests, eighth in ODIs and seventh in T20Is by the ICC. Cricket in Pakistan has a history of even before the creation of the country in 1947, the first ever international cricket match in Karachi was held on 22 November 1935 between Sindh and Australian cricket teams. The match was seen by 5,000 Karachiites, the first captain of the Pakistan national cricket team was Abdul Hafeez Kardar. Pakistans first Test match was played in Delhi in October 1952 as part of a five Test series which India won 2–1. Pakistan made their first tour of England in 1954 and drew the series 1–1 after a victory at The Oval in which fast bowler Fazal Mahmood took 12 wickets. Pakistans first home Test match was in Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dacca, in January 1955 against India, after which four more Test matches were played in Bahawalpur, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi. The team is considered a strong but unpredictable team, Pakistani contests with India in the Cricket World Cup have seen packed stadiums and elevated atmospheres no matter where the World Cup has been held. However the fans love their team, the 1986 Austral-Asia Cup, played in Sharjah in UAE, is remembered for a famous last-ball victory for Pakistan against arch-rivals India, with Javed Miandad emerging as a national hero. India batted first and set a target of 245 runs, leaving Pakistan with a run rate of 4.92 runs per over. Javed Miandad came in to bat at number 3 and Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals, later recalling the match, Miandad stated that his main focus was to lose with dignity. With 31 runs needed in the last three overs, Miandad hit a string of boundaries while batting with his teams lower order, Miandad received a leg side full toss from Chetan Sharma, which he hit for six over the midwicket boundary. At the 1992 World Cup Semi-final, having won the toss, New Zealand chose to bat first, Pakistan batted conservatively yet lost wickets at regular intervals
11.
West Indies cricket team
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From the mid-to-late 1970s to the early 1990s, the West Indies team was the strongest in the world in both Test and One Day International cricket. The West Indies were the first team to win back-to-back World Cups, as of 5 October 2016, the West Indian cricket team is ranked eighth in Tests, ninth in ODIs and fourth in T20Is by the ICC. West Indies has hosted the 2007 Cricket World Cup and the 2010 ICC World Twenty20, the Leeward Islands Cricket Association consists of associations of one sovereign state, the two entities of Saint Kitts and Nevis, three British Overseas Territories and two other dependencies. The Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control consists of associations of four sovereign states, currently, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands, other historical parts of the former West Indies Federation and now British Overseas Territories, have their own teams. National teams also exist for the islands, which, as they are all separate countries, very much keep their local identities. These national teams take part in the West Indian first-class competition and it is also common for other international teams to play the island teams for warm-up games before they take on the combined West Indies team. The official population number for those countries and dependencies is estimated to around 6 million, which is larger than Scotland, Kitts Cricket Association St. Lucia Cricket Association St. In their early days in the 1930s, the side represented the British colonies that would form the West Indies Federation plus British Guiana. The last series the West Indies played before the outbreak of the Second World War was against England in 1939, there followed a hiatus that lasted until January 1948 when the MCC toured the West Indies. Of the West Indies players in that first match after the war only Gerry Gomez, George Headley, Jeffrey Stollmeyer, and Foffie Williams had previously played Test cricket. The West Indies defeated England for the first time at Lords on 29 June 1950 and, on 16 August 1950, by the late 1970s, the West Indies led by Clive Lloyd had a side recognised as unofficial world champions, a reputation they retained throughout the 1980s. During these glory years, the West Indies were noted for their four-man fast bowling attack, in 1976, fast bowler Michael Holding took 14/149 in a Test against England, setting a record which still stands for best bowling figures in a Test by a West Indies bowler. The 1980s saw the set a then-record streak of 11 consecutive Test victories in 1984. West Indies would not play a One Day International after World Cup 2015 until after 30 September, a scheduled Triangular series with Zimbabwe and Pakistan was cancelled after the Pakistan Cricket Board refused to risk their hard-earned spot in the same competition. West Indies first game after World Cup was against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka whitewashed West Indies in both Test and ODI series as 2-0 and 3-0 respectively, which cause them to fall down the rankings. But in 2-match T20 series, West Indies were able to draw it by winning the last match of the tour. With this win, West Indies moved higher in T20I team rankings up to third place, most cricketing nations use their own national flags for cricketing purposes. However, as the West Indies represent a number of independent states and dependencies, the WICB has, therefore, developed an insignia showing a palm tree and cricket stumps on a small sunny island
12.
Scotland national cricket team
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The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They play their matches at The Grange, Edinburgh. Scotland became associate members of the International Cricket Council in 1994 after severing links with the England cricket team two years earlier, since then, they have played in three Cricket World Cups and three ICC World Twenty20 tournaments. However, their first win in either of these events did not come until they beat Hong Kong in the 2016 World Twenty20. Scottish cricket team is governed by Cricket Scotland, Scotland have also played in every ICC Intercontinental Cup tournament, winning the inaugural edition in 2004. Between 2010 and 2013, the competed in the ECB40 as the Scottish Saltires. Kyle Coetzer became captain of the side in November 2016 after Preston Mommsen who had captained the side since September 2014 stepped down, the coach is New Zealander Grant Bradburn, who took on the role in April 2014. The first recorded match in Scotland took place in Alloa in 1785. It would be another eighty years, however, before Scotland played their first full match, against Surrey in 1865, the first Scottish Cricket Union was formed in 1879, and the national team beat Australia by 7 wickets three years later. The cricket union became defunct in 1883, and Grange Cricket Club took over the administration of the game until 1909, the first match against Ireland took place in Dublin in 1888, with the Irish emerging victorious. They also played South Africa, the West Indies, an all-Indian team,1948 saw Australia visit Scotland for two games at the end of their tour of England. These games, both of which were won by the Australians, were to be the last international games for Don Bradman, the Don signed off in typical style, making a fine unbeaten 123 in the innings victory. Scotland first competed in English domestic cricket in 1980, when they competed in the Benson & Hedges Cup for the first time, three years later they took part in the NatWest Trophy. Their first Benson & Hedges win came against Lancashire in 1986, the most famous cricketers to have come from Scotland are probably the former England captain, Mike Denness, Warwickshire all-rounder Dougie Brown, and former England Test player Gavin Hamilton. Another great Scottish cricketer was B. R, hardie, who was a major contributor to the successful Essex side of the 1970s and 1980s. Possibly one of the best spinners and certainly a respected journalist was the aptly named Ian Peebles, who was one of the cricketers of the year in 1931 alongside Don Bradman. The most infamous cricketer, a man who was vilified in Australia, was a Scot, Douglas Jardine, father to and inventor of Body Theory, Jardine was born in British India, and died in Switzerland, spending most of his life in England. He asked for his ashes to be scattered in Scotland and gave his own children Scottish names, in 1992 Scotland severed their ties with the Test and County Cricket Board and England, and gained associate membership of the ICC in their own right in 1994. They competed in the ICC Trophy for the first time in 1997, finishing third and qualifying for the 1999 World Cup, where they lost all their games
Pakistan v 
West Indies
Sri Lanka
Afghanistan v 
Zimbabwe
Scotland