Legends of Cricket :: Azharuddin Smashing Klusener for 5 consecutive Fours!

[mdilawaze]

OMG....The third shot is actually a.........to b honest i've no words to describe its elegance and art...bet ya if u wud ask any batsman....any batsman regardless of wat ever era may be if he can ever try that...den definitely da answer wud b "No"...

Forget abt Tendulkar his wrists are far too weak.....to play a stroke like such

[vkrish167]

what is also interesting ..during this passage of play..is that Harsha's co-commentator was David Hookes who was the FIRST player to do what Azza just did..5 4s in 5 successive balls in a Test match.

[santhusidhoosanthu]

man!!!.. that third one was a helicopter shot.!!!!

[parvezing]

@santhusidhoosanthu Same thing came to my mind while watching the third shot. Helicopter Shot :)

[frazshamim]

azhar truly is king of eden.. very few people have good record at eden and believe me its really tough to play there......

[edison2222ful]

his hand power is better than ganguly,dhoni yuvraj and kapildev ,any captain need certain skills [like king ] to lead any team azhar had that talent even dhoni or ganguly or not match him as a captain lara is the only stylish player close to him he is the world best captain of all time

[mohdrafihabib]

i remember that after this match and these 5 consecutive fours, Azhar used to hit at least one boundary in kluesner's over if he came to bowl. I just loved Azhar's batting. it was unique.

[isam84]

0:31 is a shot I'd like to see all my life.

[jashnjeet]

@handsandheels very well said sir.

He was a talented match fixer.Haramzada

[kapil1ly4u]

@jashnjeet BCCI does match fixing. They earn more that way. He was made a scapegoat.

[parvezing]

Best on-side player!!!

He was a master player.

[hitube16]

the 3rd four..!!! man what was that?

[VINAYINF]

i don't understand why so much fuss about him indulging in fixing...everybody runs after money...what are these IPL junkies doing?? same shit...right...money over matter...

[KaptaanCricket]

Pure Class,,,From PAKISTAN

[M4st3rm1nd]

harsha bhogle was a bad commentator back then.

[freshlemonsandpolice]

@M4st3rm1nd You right and Harsha Bhogle is still as bad as he was back then.

[fuckistanzindabad]

TAKE ABOUT SHANE WATSON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[handsandheels]

Talent, yes. Greedy, match fixing criminal? Yes. Records should be expunged? Certainly. You want, elegance? Waugh or Gower...

[braju568]

I've been a kin cricket follower and can say from my experience that no one in world cricket can hit the 3rd four, the way Azhar hit that one. It was a magic, elgance and wrist work personified. Azharudding when in ful cry, it's just a poetry and no one can match his elegance, not even Tendulkar. It's just so unfortunate that match fixing controvercy engulfed this wonderful cricketer.

Thanks

Bhim

[sweetemotionzz]

Watching him bat is like listening to rhythmic poetry-Boycott

[anuradhaateen]

I love 'Mohamed Azharudeen', for his batting elegance, skills and leadership quality. A big injustice was done to this world class 'all time best batsman' by 'Right Wing' scoundrels like 'Navjot Singh Siddhu'. Shane Warne too was accused along with Azharudeen, and came out clean. Indian Cricket got disgraced by 'Fixing' a talented player, just because he were a 'Muslim'.

[duttakunal82]

@anuradhaateen : Shane Warne was accused in a separate incident. Navjot Sidhu has zero relevance in this. Saying that Azharuddin was targeted because he is a Muslim, is a disgusting excuse. No right-wing leader said anything about him during the entire investigation. Ajay Jadeja was also banned: he is a Hindu. The beauty of Azharuddin's batting, the reality of his involvement in match-fixing, and his being a Muslim, are three different facts. Please do not mix them up in this ugly fashion.

[JustAStoner]

bengalis in the house yaul!

[RohRohToday]

I was at Eden Gardens watching this as it took place. Amazing scenes etched in my mind...better than any youtube video! Brings back great memories though!

[asdfgghgj]

that third four was nuts.

[dsomesula]

He actually played this innings with a broken finger.

[rahimkab]

man eden gardens used to be such an electrifying stadium .. the new stadium has all the new facilities but its missing that earlier magic

[TheRohan14]

Azharuddin the best batsman

he is the best he outsmarts the rest

[123qazmlp123]

@ 0.30 a little helicopter shot : this helicopter doesn't fly but goes along the ground .. very similar shots Azhar's n Dhoni's ..One's along the ground n one over ... watch again n again ...

[Bugatti169]

@123qazmlp123 ..and both used Reebok bats! :p

[ashliski]

0:32 He smacks a four through mid-wicket, the Indian crowd is cheering, The South African fielders are watching the ball go to the boundary and Klusener is looking pissed. Of course the commentator knows this could only mean one thing, he has obviously bowled him.

[risha013]

Sachin may make centuries and records. But does not give the joy of watching artistic batting of Azhar. Azhar's one crafty boundary is equal to Sachin's century. Sachin is Quantity and Azhar is Quality.

[Busaboy007]

@risha013 very well said.....

[kenmirza]

@risha013

no one can put it better thn u did

i left watching cricket whn Azhar got banned :(

[moderntalking4u]

@risha013 .... very well said . Azhar was simply elegant.

[ayasswain]

Oh Man. That 3rd boundary. What a flick to a yorker length ball. Mu goodness only Azhar can do that no one else. He had a god gifted wrist. When he played it was just like an artist drawing on a canvas. Just wonderful to watch. Missing his style of play now a days.

[multirahul85]

Azza was more talented then sachin........but sachin had a better technique then Azhar.....that was the only difference......but if we talk about creativity, flair and grace then it will be Brian lara and azharuddin.....

They made runs with raw talent withut going for technical perfection like sachin did.......

[majesticmaniac]

He has bowled him...no its gone for four...soo close

[pmohan76]

AZHAR mite have paid money to KLUSENER.

[tahashoeb]

@pmohan76 if that was a joke its alright, if it wasnt then u might be a dickhead..:( really sorry.

[shaikeleyas]

WHAT HAPPENED TO KLUSENER

[kbsanjay]

PURE CLASS!!

[cmoidc]

these were the days .... cricket at its best 90s ... now technology and bunch of fools ruling the game 

[movohra]

he was theeeeeeeeee best

[Imrankniazi]

This was Azhar's 100 (74) in Kolkata, right? Klusener picked up 8 wickets in the 2nd inns. and SA won this match. Lost the series 2-1 though!

Azhar, at his peak, could make a mockery of any bowling attack.

[ghousebarq]

Third boundry was a Stunning flick!!!!

Really no specialist classic player have ever hit such an extraordinary short... Its one and only Azharuddin.

[msaadriaz]

Azza at his best- on his day he could tear apart any bowler and this was one of them poor LK had no answer what he was doing wrong...

[msaadriaz]

Azza at his best - he could tear apart any bowler on his day and this was one of them poor LK had no answer -

[Abhijithgurao]

Azharuddin's stance looked like a night watchmen sent to upper order but when the ball touches his bat , the bowler bows in front of his class. Sadly he was involved in Bookmarker scandal :(

[kabooterjajaja]

gr8 player

[bsingha]

holy shit that 3rd flick..no one can flick like that not even Sir Donald Bradman,Sachin,Sunny or Viv Richards...

d one & only Azharuddin..

[duttakunal82]

@bsingha : You are right, Viv Richards himself (reportedly) said that Azharuddin is one of the few batsmen that he would like to bat like, but can't.

[bluffmaster365]

Azhar is the best

[angoorkha]

CLASS... Somehow the commentator (shastri?) had a hard time praising azhar :)

[ruggedboy27]

@angoorkha that is harsha bogle not Shastri

[indiagreat2]

@angoorkha hasha bhogle

[shorndrack]

@Bernie8330: hey Bernie...you should include 97 vs Pak, in WC 2003, 98 vs SriLanka in the same series, 117* and 91 in CB series, the remarkable 200* vs SA, twin centuries vs Zim in 1998, 163* vs Newzealand...And a day wont be enough to discuss about "God of Cricket"...

[Bernie8330]

"Sachin is not even a match winner.how many matches has he won India apart from that one Sharjah series"

Ummmm??? The 98 series against Aust practically off his own bat for starters, plus playing the series defining innings against McGrath, Warne and Gillespie in 2001 in the deciding test with the series locked at 1-1, plus 241no in Sydney early 2004 again with series locked at one all (although Aust did save that one) for starters....

[ivarichard]

The most successful captain(till Ganguly stepped in).How many of us didnt cheer when he gave us such magnificient knocks at the Eden Gardens,do we not know how Sunny and his dad used to bet on matches,and Sachin is not even a match winner.how many matches has he won India apart from that one Sharjah series.tru he is s great great player.look at his records away from home.what wud he have done on the grassy pitches of barbados against Windies 4some? Azhar won so many matches for India.

[saabsi2000]

was better than sachin on his days..the most beautiful batting style...

[akhzw]

that third four was a pure class!

[MRIYBR]

@akhzw bit like dhoni :P

[babus02]

Not a big difference between azhar and current players.

They all go behind cini actress, they party the night before matches....but they dont need to fix matches bcoz they are getting paid much higher nowadays thru ipl/endorsement/match fee.

[snyperdoc]

talent wise and when u look at a player from a perspective of being a complete batsmen, he is up there with sachin. To be honest if he played upto his potential, he would have been probably the best middle order batsmen ever to play ( and i remember de silva)

[gangrap07]

yeah he was realy aggressive batsman,

[salashme]

he use to perform well always in Eden garden, great wrist player, VVS laxman got similar style of batting.

[TheSinnical]

yes he was a very talented batsman....though not consistent & successful (much) abroad

but what he did with cricket will forever erase all the good memories

[TomAraya23]

good ol days of cricket

[murz1384]

and if u thought this was a fluke, he did it again against the same bowler in his own backyard - SA

[venkatkk]

just makes you wonder why he had to get into fixing matches with such talent.

[Fkuc0Yu]

@venkatkk its true. But I was wondering "what if" this match was fixed and Klusener was bowling similar deliveries outside offstump and straight and the field placement wasn't that great.. not that I dont believe that Azhar mightbe a good player but I'd never know. Its my personal opinion and I dont have respect for that man.

[venkatkk]

mm..call me naive but i've never thought of it that way..i guess you have a point there..and i suppose you're right..and though he might have had class on the field he's never had class off it..I especially remember an independence cup game final in 1997 played between India and Srilanka at the eden gardens to mark the 50th anniversary of the country..this was following that horrible, infamous 1996 world cup semi final at the eden when India got disqualified due to crowd disturbance...

[venkatkk]

..and there was this parade of all yesteryear captains of India scheduled after the first 50 overs..all of the Indian captains came dressed in very elegant black suits and and i remember seeing azharuddin on T.V in this pink gaudy flowery shirt waving to the crowd from the van he was put in as it went in a sort of victory lap..promise you i'd never seen a bloke dressed more cheaply than that..this was after his statement that he'd never raise his bat to the eden crowd again for their behaviour..

[venkatkk]

..and who could forget the "Sab Bihari chor hain, na?" comment when someone stole his cap after a game there..and when he was hauled up, he played the "muslim card" saying he was victimised for coming from a minority!..but still the guy had talent..remember another scintillating knock he followed this up with in cape town - 115 with 5 4's in another klusener over..dont ask me if that was fixed as well..still have to hit 'em haven't ya lol..pity he isn't half the man as the kind of player he was

[auh786]

Considering Bihar is the poorest, most corrupt and crime ridden state, he wasn't too far off the mark, was he?

[venkatkk]

@auh786 The political class and the executive need not necessarily reflect civil society! I know you'd say well look its the people that vote for their leaders, but I am a little skeptical of the the argument..I mean i know it for a fact that "vote buying" does happen in certain parts of the country and I dont think it'd be paticularly difficult for a nefarious element to "work the system" in its favour.

[venkatkk]

@auh786 ..besides would you say that all americans are dumb because GW Bush was or that all italians are racist because Berlusconi probably is?

[eleven451]

Azharuddin used to be an excellent batsman in his hay days !

[smartdon007]

Sucker Azu !

[Mazhar7756]

AZZU THE BOSS!!!

[dinoguy22]

LOL Klusener getting a dose of his own medicine.