Azhar Ali (Pakistan cricketer): Age, Wife, 300, Records, Controversy, Run Out

Current Pakistani Test captain Azhar Ali was born in Kot Radha Kishan, Lahore in the Punjab province of Pakistan. He broke into the national setup on the back of solid and consistent seasons in domestic cricket starting from 2006. He is known to have a technique suited for any conditions as he comes behind every ball with a solid defence.

His game-plan is fairly simple: first to wear down the bowlers and then cash in when they are tired and ball is older apparently. That was the reason why his coach at Khan Research Laboratories asked him to open the innings for the side and he hasn’t looked back since then. He scored two hundreds and two fifties in five games during that season.

Then came the season of 2009-10 when Azhar Ali was in sublime touch during the domestic season and selectors acknowledged the same with his selection for Pakistan A tour to Australia. He had a couple of really good outings against the likes of Doug Bollinger, Clint McKay and Jason Krejza. During that time, Pakistan selectors were looking to prepare for the life beyond Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf. And Azhar Ali came to them as a prime contender with a comprehensive technique as he was selected for the Australian series to be played in England.

Azhar Ali made his test debut as a middle-order batsman at Lord’s against Australia in July 2010 and made impact soon in his second test when he guided Pakistan to a rare victory against Australia in a tense chase with testing conditions at Headingley. As a result, he retained his place for the following England test series. His career turning point came when he slammed an unbeaten 92 in the first innings of The Oval test against the hosts. Only minor disappointment for him initially in his career was that he couldn’t able to convert into a test ton until he scored ten fifties.

Azhar Ali was named ODI captain for Pakistan after 2015 cricket world cup but under his captaincy, Pakistan struggled in limited-overs cricket. Pakistan slipped to their lowest no. 9 ranking and just managed to qualify for the Champions trophy in 2017. Azhar Ali called time on his ODI captaincy after 4-1 hammering at the hands of Australia in February 2017. Azhar Ali announced retirement from ODI cricket in the year 2018 to focus only towards leading Pakistan in test cricket.

Name: Azhar Ali

Nickname: Ajju

Role: Right-handed batsman & Leg-spinner

Physical Appearance

Height: 5’ 11” (180 cm)

Eye Colour: Black

Hair Colour: Black

Tattoo: NA

Personal Life

Date of Birth: 19 February 1985

Azhar Ali Age (as on May 2020): 35 Years

Birth Place: Kot Radha Kishan, Punjab, Pakistan

Zodiac sign: Aquarius

Nationality: Pakistani

School: NA

College: NA

Educational Qualifications: NA

Signature:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk0rAbvFvZG/?igshid=13sjo63sf21g3

Family

Father: Muhammad Rafiq

Mother: Not known

Sister: Not known

Brother: Not known

Coach: Not known

Religion: Muslim

Address: NA

Cricket Career

International Debut

Test: 13^th July, 2010 Vs Australia at Lord’s

ODI: 30^th June, 2011 Vs Ireland at Civil Service Cricket Club

T20I: Not played

Jersey Number: 79

Major Teams: Pakistan, Baluchistan, Baluchistan Warriors, Khan Research Laboratories, Lahore, Lahore Blues, Lahore Eagles, Lahore Eagles, Lahore Qalandars, Lahore Region Whites, Pakistan A

Azhar Ali 300 and Records

Azhar Ali is the first player to record a ton in white-ball cricket, a double ton in red-ball cricket and a triple ton in pink-ball cricket.
Azhar Ali became the first player to score a triple hundred in a day-night test match.
He is the only Pakistan player to slam 3 ODI tons as a captain.
He is the only Pakistan player to score two double hundreds in a calendar year. He did the same in year 2016.
He is the only touring opener to score a double hundred at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Azhar Ali has made 16 test tons and 3 ODI tons in his career till date.

Preferences

Hobbies: Traveling, Listening to music

Favourite Cricketers: Younis Khan

Favourite Sportspersons: NA

Favourite Food: NA

Favourite Actors: NA

Favourite Films: NA

Azhar Ali Wife & Children

Marital Status: Married

Girlfriend: No

Azhar Ali Wife: Naila Azhar

Marriage Date: 19^th February, 2007

Children: 3

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAj9tVkgvOD/?igshid=68mt9n9h6bl5

Azhar Ali Controversies

Azhar Ali faced disciplinary actions from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when he boycotted a training camp for the national team when Mohammad Amir was called upon for the same. Azhar Ali had publicly opposed the inclusion of Mohammad Amir in the national side after the ban due to spot-fixing allegations on the controversial pacer.

Azhar Ali Run Out

Lesser Known Facts

Azhar Ali was the first ever captain for Lahore Qalandars franchise in Pakistan Super League in 2016.
He is one of the very handful Pakistani players who made their test debut prior to an ODI debut.
He first made headlines in Pakistan domestic cricket when he took 4 wickets with his leg-spin against Peshawar in 2002-03 season.