Announcement

This is to notify all that this blog would not be updated that frequently (You guessed it right...after months of inactivity :( )

My other blog I Am Zeeshan would be frequently updated now.

Thanks :)

Christmas Greetings :D

Merry Christmas! :)

Let me quote from Holy Quran: Mary Chapter, verses 33-34. “Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt.”

Regards

Zeeshan Ahmed

This Is Us - Backstreet Boys [Review]

Love This Album! What an album This Is! Or should i say, THIS IS US!

1. "Straight Through My Heart" 5/5 (Peppy, Catchy, Superb!)

2. "Bigger" 5/5 (Smooth and slow, great tune)

3. "Bye Bye Love" 5/5 (Another Hottie, upbeat tune)

4. "All of Your Life (You Need Love)" (4/5 Really Nice one as well)

5. "If I Knew Then" (4/5 R&B Tune, lush music, A.J's voice so great in this one....!)

6. "This Is Us" (5/5 The perfect song in terms of defining the album, great harmony of voices, as always!)

7. "PDA" (4/5 The funky-tuned song , typical disco beats and catchy rhymes)

8. "Masquerade" (5/5 Another great song....disco tune, along with typical BSB rockin'!)

9. "She's a Dream" (5/5 Another one of those BSB beauties, that sound different and are still are lyrically and musically peppy!)

10. "Shattered" (5/5 My most favorite song from the album, remind you of old BSB along with the tunes of this modern era, The modern derivation of Show Me The Meaning....

11. "Undone" (5/5 You get typical 'George Michael' feel when you listen to this and the music is so good that it crawls and grows on you, you can feel the song on yourself when you listen to it. Nick sounds so matured in this one and you can feel it. Not just he, A.J, Brian and Howie all sound great as always.....)

12. “International Luv” (4/5 A very up-to-the-beat song, with some seriously cool music!)

Hope you like it...

KTBSPA!

© Zeeshan Ahmed

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers (Cover)

This is my cover of Ain't no Sunshine by Bill Withers.

Do comment Folks

Autopsy set after Michael Jackson's sudden death

By LYNN ELBER, Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson, defined in equal parts as the world's greatest entertainer and perhaps its most enigmatic figure, was about to attempt one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Then his life was cut shockingly — and so far, mysteriously — short.

The 50-year-old musical superstar died Thursday, just as he was preparing for what would be a series of 50 concerts starting July 13 at London's famed 02 arena. Jackson had been spending hours and hours toiling with a team of dancers for a performance he and his fans hoped would restore his tarnished legacy to its proper place in pop.

An autopsy was planned for Friday, though results were not likely to be final until toxicology tests could be completed, a process that could take several days and sometimes weeks. However, if a cause can be determined by the autopsy, they will announce the results, said Los Angeles County Coroner Investigator Jerry McKibben.

Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases.

Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in the posh Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his home for nearly three-quarters of an hour, then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him.

"It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known," his brother Jermaine said.

Cardiac arrest is an abnormal heart rhythm that stops the heart from pumping blood to the body. It can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems.

Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.

His 1982 album "Thriller" — which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" — is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.

As word of his death spread, MTV switched its programming to play videos from Jackson's heyday. Radio stations began playing marathons of his hits. Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital. In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

"No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend had sent him. "It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died."

The public first knew him as a boy in the late 1960s, when he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of theJackson 5, the singing group he formed with his four older brothers out of Gary, Ind. Among their No. 1 hits were "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "I'll Be There."

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks, as was his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," saidQuincy Jones, who produced "Thriller." "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie. Jackson's sudden death immediately evoked comparisons to that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.

"I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible," Lisa Marie Presley said in a statement. "I am heartbroken for his children who I know were everything to him and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me."

As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure — a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He often wore a germ mask while traveling, kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions and surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, a storybook playland filled with toys, rides and animals. The tabloids dubbed him "Wacko Jacko."

"It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It's as if he was trying to defy gravity," said Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist who represented Jackson in the early 1990s. He called Jackson a "disciple of P.T. Barnum" and said the star appeared fragile at the time but was "much more cunning and shrewd about the industry than anyone knew."

Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges that he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children.

The case followed years of rumors about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual.

Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary. He was 4 years old when he began singing with his brothers — Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito — in the Jackson 5. After his early success with bubblegum soul, he struck out on his own, generating innovative, explosive, unstoppable music.

The album "Thriller" alone mixed the dark, serpentine bass and drums and synthesizer approach of "Billie Jean," the grinding Eddie Van Halen guitar solo on "Beat It," and the hiccups and falsettos on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'."

The peak may have come in 1983, when Motown celebrated its 25th anniversary with an all-star televised concert and Jackson moonwalked off with the show, joining his brothers for a medley of old hits and then leaving them behind with a pointing, crouching, high-kicking, splay-footed, crotch-grabbing run through "Billie Jean."

The audience stood and roared. Jackson raised his fist.

During production of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, Jackson's scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.

He had strong follow-up albums with 1987's "Bad" and 1991's "Dangerous," but his career began to collapse in 1993 after he was accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy's family, reported to be $20 million, and criminal charges were never filed.

Jackson's expressed anger over the allegations on the 1995 album "HIStory," which sold more than 2.4 million copies, but by then, the popularity of Jackson's music was clearly waning even as public fascination with his increasingly erratic behavior was growing.

Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, and they divorced in 1996. Later that year, Jackson married Deborah Rowe, a former nurse for his dermatologist. They had two children together: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, now 12; and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11. Rowe filed for divorce in 1999.

Jackson also had a third child, Prince Michael II. Now 7, Jackson said the boy nicknamed Blanket as a baby was his biological child born from a surrogate mother.

Billboard magazine editorial director Bill Werde said Jackson's star power was unmatched. "The world just lost the biggest pop star in history, no matter how you cut it," Werde said. "He's literally the king of pop."

Jackson's 13 No. 1 one hits on the Billboard charts put him behind only Presley, the Beatles and Mariah Carey, Werde said.

"He was on the eve of potentially redeeming his career a little bit," he said. "People might have started to think of him again in a different light."

__

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch and AP writers Derrik J. Lang, Solvej Schou, Anthony McCartney and Thomas Watkins in Los Angeles; and Virginia Byrne, Hillel Italie, Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Jocelyn Noveck in New York contributed to this report.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090626/ap_en_ot/us_obit_michael_jackson

Pop icon Michael Jackson dead at 50

By Rob Woollard

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Michael Jackson is dead after suffering a cardiac arrest, sending shockwaves sweeping across the world and tributes pouring in Friday for the tortured music icon revered as the "King of Pop."

Jackson, 50, collapsed at his rented mansion in the exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills and was rushed to hospital by paramedics before being pronounced dead at 2:26 pm (2126 GMT) on Thursday.

One of the most influential figures in pop history whose career included the highest-selling album of all-time, "Thriller," Jackson had been preparing for a concert comeback in London next month he had dubbed "the final curtain."

News of his death triggered an outpouring of grief as shocked celebrities, foreign governments and devoted fans from Beijing to Beverly Hills paid tribute to the troubled star.

Lieutenant Fred Corral, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, said an autopsy would likely be carried out on Friday and would not speculate on the exact cause of death.

Jackson's brother Jermaine, the family's official spokesman, later revealed physicians had battled for more than an hour to revive the star after his arrival at the UCLA Medical Center before he was pronounced dead.

"Our family requests that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time," Jermaine Jackson said. "May Allah be with you, Michael, always."

As the sun began to sink over Los Angeles, a coroner's office helicopter bearing Jackson's body took off from the UCLA Medical Center, where hundreds of media and fans had gathered throughout the day.

Meanwhile police motorcycle riders surrounded Jackson's gated mansion as crowds of tourists and fans congregated.

Pop diva Madonna was among dozens of celebrities who struggled to cope. "I can't stop crying over the sad news," the singer said in a statement. "The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever!"

The star's first wife Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, said his death had left her speechless.

"I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him, and for his family," Presley told MTV News in a statement.

Political figures also paid their tributes.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lamented the loss of "one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry."

But the most visible emotion came in spontaneous gatherings of fans here and across the world.

In Los Angeles Lana Brown, a 49-year-old tourist from Dallas, broke down in tears as she digested the news. "I can't believe we might have lost the best entertainer this world has ever seen," she told AFP.

In New York's Times Square, Chantal de Roy van Zuydewijn watched a giant screen broadcasting the news of Jackson's death with tears running down her cheeks.

"He is a legend. He is a genius," said the 28-year-old Dutch tourist, who had a ticket to the pop legend's scheduled comeback tour in July.

Jackson's death came as the singer prepared to make a keenly anticipated concert comeback in London, his first series of shows in more than a decade.

Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman said he had harbored concerns over the singer's condition, revealing that he had been taking prescription medication as he prepared for his comeback.

Oxman compared Jackson's fate to the overdose death of Playboy centerfold Anna-Nicole Smith, voicing concern over "enablers" in his entourage.

"The people who have surrounded him have been enabling him... if you think that the case of Anna-Nicole Smith was an abuse, it was nothing to what we have seen in Michael Jackson's life," Oxman told CNN.

While Jackson ruled the charts and dazzled audiences with electric dance moves like the backwards "moonwalk" in the 1980s, his once-stellar career was overshadowed by his colorful public behavior, his startling physical transformation and multiple allegations of child abuse.

He lived as a virtual recluse following his 2005 acquittal on charges including child molestation and plotting to kidnap his young accuser.

Despite his acquittal, the trial was a body blow from which the pop music superstar, who named his ranch after Peter Pan's "Neverland" of perpetual childhood and furnished it with Disney-inspired rides, struggled to recover.

Born on August 29, 1958, Jackson made his show business debut with four of his elder brothers in the Jackson Five pop group, and went on to lead the stage clan with a piping soprano and dazzling dance moves.

In 1979, Quincy Jones produced Jackson's first solo album for Epic, "Off the Wall," a huge disco-oriented success that sold 10 million copies.

They teamed up again in 1982 for what would be Jackson's breakthrough album as a composer and co-producer, "Thriller," which became the top-selling album of all time, with sales exceeding 41 million.

Jones reacted with shock after being informed of Jackson's death Thursday.

"I'm absolutely devastated at this news," he said. "I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together and allowed us to do what we could do through the '80s," Jones said.

Tommy Mottola, the former head of Sony Music who released Jackson's records for 16 years, said the singer had a place in the pantheon of American music icons, alongside Elvis and Frank Sinatra.

"It's one of the greatest losses," Mottola told the Los Angeles Times.

Crowds continued to throng near the UCLA Medical Center and Jackson's home late Thursday, while street vendors selling hastily designed commemorative T-shirts for 25 dollars sought to cash in.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

Link : http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5go1jWJqQJPMaRYQ0Am_wb0n1Kyyg

Pakistan win ICC T20 Final

Pakistan are the new ICC World Twenty20 champions after easing to a dominant eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at Lord's.

A devastating bowling display by Pakistan decimated Sri Lanka's top order, before man-of-the-match Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik steered them home in the run chase, reaching the 139 target with eight balls to spare.

Seventeen-year-old opening bowler Mohammad Aamer set the tone for the game with a wicket-maiden first over, taking the scalp of leading run-scorer in the tournament, Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Sri Lanka were in all sorts of trouble at 70-6, but Kumar Sangakkara hit a captain's knock of 64 not out, supplemented by Angelo Mathews who saw out the innings on an unbeaten 35 as Sri Lanka forced their way into the match at 138-6 after their 20 overs.

However, Pakistan looked comfortable throughout with the bat. A quick-fire 37 off 28 balls by Kamran Akmal got the ball rolling, before Afridi and Malik sealed the win.

Afridi hit two sixes on the way to an efficient 54 not out, which came from just 40 deliveries. Malik also played a good innings, giving the strike to Afridi as often as possible and scoring 24 runs himself.

The comfortable victory was particularly sweet for Pakistan as they lost to India in the final of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007.


Link : http://www.sportbox.tv/cricket/news/story.php?id=287348

ICC World Twenty20, England 2009, Schedule

ICC World Twenty20, 2009

All times : GMT +6 Hours (PST +5 Hrs + 1 Hr Daylight Saving)

June 2009

Fri 5
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


1st Match, Group B - England v Netherlands
Lord's, London

Sat 6
10:00 local, 09:00 GMT


2nd Match, Group D - New Zealand v Scotland
Kennington Oval, London

Sat 6
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


3rd Match, Group C - Australia v West Indies
Kennington Oval, London

Sat 6
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


4th Match, Group A - Bangladesh v India
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Sun 7
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


5th Match, Group D - Scotland v South Africa
Kennington Oval, London

Sun 7
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


6th Match, Group B - England v Pakistan
Kennington Oval, London

Mon 8
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


7th Match, Group A - Bangladesh v Ireland
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Mon 8
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


8th Match, Group C - Australia v Sri Lanka
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Tue 9
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


9th Match, Group B - Netherlands v Pakistan
Lord's, London

Tue 9
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


10th Match, Group D - New Zealand v South Africa
Lord's, London

Wed 10
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


11th Match, Group C - Sri Lanka v West Indies
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Wed 10
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


12th Match, Group A - India v Ireland
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Thu 11
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


13th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D1 v A2

Thu 11
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


14th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
B2 v D2

Fri 12
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


15th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
B1 v C2

Fri 12
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


16th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A1 v C1

Sat 13
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


17th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
C1 v D2

Sat 13
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


18th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
D1 v B1

Sun 14
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


19th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A2 v C2

Sun 14
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


20th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A1 v B2

Mon 15
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


21st Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
B2 v C1

Mon 15
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


22nd Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
B1 v A2

Tue 16
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT


23rd Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D1 v C2

Tue 16
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


24th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D2 v A1

Thu 18
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


1st Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Fri 19
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT


2nd Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London

Sun 21
15:00 local, 14:00 GMT


Final - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London

Yousuf and Razzaq set for international return

Cricinfo staff

The ICL has accepted the resignations of Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq, paving the way for their return to official cricket, possibly as early as Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka which starts in late June.

While some national boards have set a 'cooling period' before players associated with the ICL are considered for selection, the PCB is accepting both players into official cricket immediately. "They are available for selection now and that is a good thing," Wasim Bari, director HR of the PCB, who has been handling the ICL cases, told Cricinfo. "Cooling period doesn't come into it."

Yousuf had signed up with the ICL in 2007 but was lured out of the contract by the PCB administration of the day. However, legal wrangles denied him an IPL contract in 2008 and he rejoined the ICL in November. That virtually ended his career with Pakistan, but the latest development could see him back in national colours in little more than a month's time.

His team-mate Razzaq hasn't played for Pakistan in more than two years, and had even announced his international retirement in August 2007 after being excluded from the national side for the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa. He had signed up with the ICL then, but earlier this month he said he was ready to pledge his future to Pakistan.

© Cricinfo

Link : http://content.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/406520.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Isra University's FCMS Party : Dance Performance

Hello All!
This is the video from our University's Party : A Dance Performance by my pals :)
I recorded, compiled and edited it :)

Pakistan v Australia, Twenty20 International, Dubai

Gul and Afridi demolish Australia

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

20 overs Pakistan 109-3 (Akmal 59*) beat Australia 108 (Watson 33, Gul 4-8, Afridi 3-14) by seven wickets

Umar Gul took a wicket first ball, Shahid Afridi took two in his first two balls, and Australia imploded bizarrely after a flying start from Shane Watson. From 42 for 0 in four overs Australia went to 73 for 5 and 108 all out, a target Pakistan chased down easily after an early wobble. Australia had fielded almost a second XI, and played like that.

The first innings of the match was as frenetically eventful as the second was assured and sedate. Gul's 4-0-8-4 was just one run off the best-ever figures in Twenty20 internationals. Afridi followed his double-wicket maiden with another wicket and nine more runs in the next two overs, as the Australian batsmen kept playing for the non-existent spin. The collapse was just as spectacular as Watson's onslaught on Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir. It was ironically a missed inside edge by Aleem Dar that started the slide.

No less a bizarre innings would have been fit for a day when the match started one-and-a-half hours after the toss while waiting for Dubai's Sheikh, an esteemed guest for the match. A day when Younis Khan pulled out at the 11th hour because of fever. A day when Misbah-ul-Haq, the stand-in captain, said at the toss that Younis stepped down to give Fawad Alam an opportunity.

The delayed start didn't affect Watson, who seemed to be carrying on from his century in the final one-dayer. He started the match with an outside-edged boundary off Shoaib, didn't get much strike for the next three overs, and exploded in the fourth. He carted Tanvir for back-to-back boundaries through midwicket, and pulled the next to deep backward square leg. In four overs, Watson had reached 33 off 13 deliveries, with Misbah seeming out of sorts.

He was in complete control, though, hurrying the introduction of perhaps the best Twenty20 bowler in international cricket. With his first ball Gul went level with Daniel Vettori, with most wickets in Twenty20 internationals. The ball swung in late, hitting Watson in front, but for the inside edge that Dar missed. Gul would soon go past Vettori.

The breakthrough achieved, Misbah took Gul off and turned to his spinners, who have troubled Australia all series. James Hopes went for a slog sweep off Afridi first ball, and missed. Andrew Symonds saw Afridi running in to him as soon as he lifted his head after taking guard. This one was a straighter one too, and Symonds was clearly late in a half-hearted prod.

In Afirdi's next over, Hussey went on to cut a fullish topspinner and played it on. When Australia's new captain, Brad Haddin, chipped Shoaib Malik straight to long-on, Australia were in absolute tatters. The lower half had the small matter of Saeed Ajmal and Malik's doosras and Gul's reverse-swing to negotiate, but there was always going to be one winner.

Gul took three wickets in his second spell, bowling Brett Lee and Marcus North with perfect late inswingers. Between them Gul and Afridi took 7 for 22, and the last 16 overs yielded just 66.

The only hope then for Australia was that the pitch was a touch double-paced, and they raised hopes of a close match by removing the Pakistan openers for 23 in four overs. But without a target to build pressure, the spinners were always going to find it tough. Kamran Akmal, just like Watson, carried forward the good form from his match-winning century in the last ODI, and Misbah finished a perfect night as captain with a responsible 24.

Nothing about Kamran suggested there was any panic in the air. The third ball he faced he square-drove Brett Lee powerfully for four, and his stability thereon ended the contest. His occasional square-cut boundaries kept Pakistan ahead of the modest run-rate required, and it was not until the 14th over - with just 32 required - that he had some fun. Hopes was the unfortunate bowler pulled over long-on and scooped over fine leg for consecutive sixes. When he reached his half-century, Kamran - a new father - celebrated with a baby-rocking gesture; he had played with the responsibility that befits a father.

Hauritz finished the match with a wide down the leg side, and Australia were yet to beat Pakistan in Twenty20 internationals: they lost their first meeting too, during the World Twenty20 in 2007.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

Link

Pakistan Vs. Australia ODI Series Round-up

While the powerful start by Pakistan in 1st ODI (Pakistan won by 4 wickets with 35 balls remaining) assured of a good series with Afridi going for the best ever figures of 6-38 in 10 overs, the 2nd ODI was a bit edgy towards Aussies with Australia winning by 6 wickets (with 29 balls remaining).
It was the 3rd ODI, Pakistan restricted Australia to a mere 198, but a shocking tumbling of Pakistani batsmen, just like dominoes made the result contrary, Australia won by 27 runs.
It was the 4th ODI that had to be won by Pakistan to ensure the series is still alive, but it was not in the cards, Umar Gul was rested. Pakistan made 197 (48.4 ov) and towards the end Australia won by 8 wickets (with 34 balls remaining).
As the series was gone now, but Pakistan still had pride to ponder upon, so the 5th ODI was a exquisite one from Pakistan. Aussies made 250/4 (50 ov) but it was not too much for Pakistan this time who were superb when they came out to bat, After a 3 wickets gone down, a mammoth partnership by Kamran Akmal (116*) and Misbah-ul-Haq (76*) smacked Aussies.
The series was an all right one apart from the hiccups that Pakistan suffered. The series was lost, 3-2.
Man of the Series went to Michael Clarke for excellent performance by Bat and Ball throughout the series.

May 7th will mark the last encounter between Aussies and Pak when they meet in the format of Twenty-20.


(Zeeshan Ahmed)

Pakistan Vs. Australia : 1st One Day International

The first match between Aussies and Pakistan was an ideal start of the series for Pak fans. Played for the first time in the excellent new stadium of Dubai in Dubai Sports City. Aussies tumbling in the first inning for a mere 168 runs, Thanks to superb bowling by Shahid Afridi (Career and All-time best against Aussies, bowling figures of 6-38) and Saeed Ajmal (2-19). The spinners played a huge part as predicted by Pak. Skipper Younus Khan.
The second innings started slowly, with slow hiccups for Pak. But in the end Pak won extensively.

Kamran Akmal 48 : Misbah-ul-Haq 30 : Shahid Afridi 24 : Shoaib Malik 24

Next Match would be on April 24th. D/N

My Tweet Featured

My Tweet was featured @ http://www.breakingtweets.com/2009/03/pakistan-bans-access-to-independent-tv.html

Game Preview : Batman Arkhan Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum is the upcoming action-adventure video game which is based on popular comic hero 'The Batman'. It is being developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics...

To Read further click here

New Dan Brown novel coming in September

By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer

NEW YORK – At last, a new Dan Brown novel is coming.

Six years after the release of his mega-selling "The Da Vinci Code," the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group announced that Brown's "The Lost Symbol," a thriller set during a 12-hour period and featuring "Da Vinci Code" symbolist Robert Langdon, will come out in September.

"This novel has been a strange and wonderful journey," Brown said in a statement issued Monday by his publisher. "Weaving five years of research into the story's twelve-hour time frame was an exhilarating challenge. Robert Langdon's life clearly moves a lot faster than mine."

The first printing will be 5 million copies, Knopf Doubleday said Monday, a modest number considering that "The Da Vinci Code" has sold more than 80 million worldwide and inspired a spin-off community of travel books, diet books, parodies and religious works.

A film version, starring Tom Hanks, came out in 2006 and made more than $700 million at the box office. Hanks will again be seen as Langdon when the adaptation of Brown's "Angels & Demons" debuts in May.

Brown, 44, had kept his readers and the struggling book industry in suspense as year after year passed without a new novel. As far back as 2004, Doubleday had hinted that a follow up was coming, tentatively titled "The Solomon Key" and widely believed to be about Freemasons in Washington, D.C. (Brown has been spotted over the years in Washington, researching Masonic temples.)

Monday's announcement did not say where the story was set or who it would be about, and Doubleday spokeswoman Suzanne Herz declined to offer further information. In "The Da Vinci Code," a murder at the Louvre museum in Paris sets Langdon on an investigation that includes secret religious cults and speculation that Jesus had fathered a child with Mary Magdalene — a scenario that enraged scholars, critics and religious officials, all of it only bringing the book more readers.

Eager for success, but unprepared for obsession, Brown became increasingly reluctant to make public appearances or talk to the media. His reserve was only magnified by a copyright infringement lawsuit that was decided in his favor, but not before Brown was forced to testify in London and prepare an in-depth brief about his career, writing process and the fury he faced when promoting "The Da Vinci Code."

"I recall feeling defenseless because more than a year had passed since I'd researched and written the novel, and the precise names, dates, places and facts had faded somewhat in my memory," Brown wrote.

The trial, too, only made his book sell more.

Inspired in part by the commercial fiction of Sidney Sheldon, Brown is an Amherst College graduate who has said he long gave up on the idea of being a literary writer and instead wanted to write novels read by many. But neither the author nor his publisher nor booksellers expected such a boom for "The Da Vinci Code," his fourth novel, which remained on best-seller lists for more than three years and made million sellers out of such previous books as "Deception Point" and "Angels & Demons."

The long silence after "The Da Vinci Code," far longer than the time spent between his previous books, led to speculation that Brown was hopelessly blocked, as staggered by fame as "Forever Amber" author Kathleen Winsor or Grace Metalious of "Peyton Place," novelists who never again approached the heights of their controversial best sellers.

Brown is a native of Exeter, N.H., who still lives in his home state with his wife, Blythe Brown, whom the novelist cited during the London trial as a virtual co-author, an energetic researcher who brought an invaluable "female perspective" to a book immersed in "the sacred feminine, goddess worship and the feminine aspect of spiritually."

Link

Game Review : World of Goo [DAWN's Young World : April, 18, 2009]

My review of the game 'World of Goo' got published in the DAWN's Young World this Saturday ( April, 18, 2009). The special issue was available both online and in print.

Click the Image below to read the review.




(Now Follow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/zeeshan_ahmed )

Excerpt from my brand new Script

Following is the excerpt from my script, on which a film would be adapted.


There’s a dark place, Faizan enters the room.


Faizan : I’m here, where are you people?


Suddenly the lights are powered on.


A stinging personality appears in front of Faizan, whose expressions are wicked.


Faizan : Ramoné! What the hell are you doing here!!!


Ramoné : O my fragile friend, how could have you believed that my own men can turn against me and call you for aid? This was a plan that worked beyond my expectations, the bird came to the trap by itself…


Faizan : You’ll suffer!








Do Comment.


( Now Follow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/zeeshan_ahmed )

Easter Greetings.... :)

Easter Greetings Everyone!

'Bolt' Review in DAWN's Young World

My Review of 2008 Disney-Pixar Movie 'Bolt' for published in DAWN's Young World.

Click the Image below to read it...



Do Comment... :)

[Now follow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/zeeshan_ahmed ]