Coordinates	39°29′″N176°55′″N
Name	Multan
Native name	مُلتان
Nickname	The City of Sufis, The City of Saints, The City of Tombs,Madinah-Tul-Oleyah
Settlement type	City District
Pushpin map	Pakistan
Pushpin mapsize	300
Pushpin map caption	Location in Pakistan
Coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates region	PK
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name
Subdivision type1	Region
Subdivision name1	Punjab
Subdivision type2	District
Subdivision name2	Multan District
Subdivision type3	Autonomous towns
Subdivision name3	6
Subdivision type4	Union councils
Subdivision name4	4
Government footnotes
Leader title	Nazim
Leader name	---------------
Leader title1	Naib nazim
Area total km2	3721
Population as of	2010
Population total	1606481
Elevation m	122
Timezone	PST
Utc offset	+5
Timezone dst	PDT
Utc offset dst	+6
Area code	022
Website	www.multan.gov.pk
Footnotes	}}

( Multani/}}), Multān City is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi. Multan District has a population of 3.1 million (1998).

Multan is known as the City of Sufis or City of Saints and Madinah-Tul-Oleyah due to the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. The city is full of bazaars, mosques, shrines and ornate tombs. It is located in a bend created by five rivers of the Punjab province. The Sutlej River separates it from Bahawalpur and the Chenab River from Muzaffar Garh. The city has grown to become an influential political and economical center for the country, with a dry port and excellent transport links. Multan is famous for its crops: wheat, cotton and sugar cane as well as mangoes, citrus, guavas and pomegranates.

History

Multan is one of the oldest cities in the Asian subcontinent.According to Hindu legends, it was the capital of the Trigarta Kingdom at the time of the Mahabharata war, ruled by the Katoch Dynasty. Multan has had various names over the years. According to Hindu mythology, it was originally called Kashtpur (Kashyapapura) after a Hindu sage named Kashyapa, which is also the Gotra used by the Katoch dynasty. Other names were Hanspur (Hamsapura), Bagpur (Vegapura), Sanb or Sanahpur (Sambapura). Its current name is derived from the Sanskrit name Mulasthana named after a sun temple. Multan has frequently been a site of conflict due to its location on a major invasion route between South Asia and Central Asia. It is believed to have been visited by Alexander the Great's army. In the mid-5th century, the city was attacked by a group of Huna Hephthalite nomads led by Toramana.

Multan was conquered along with Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim, from the local ruler Chach of Alor. Following bin Qasim's conquest, the city was securely under Muslim rule, although it was in effect an independent state and most of the subjects were non-Muslim.

In 965 CE, Multan was conquered by Halam b. Shayban, an Ismaili da'i. Soon after, Multan was attacked by Mahmud of Ghazni, destabilizing the Ismaili state. Mahmud of Ghazni invaded Multan in 1005 CE, conducting a series of campaigns during which the Ismailis of Multan were massacred. In an effort to gain his allegiance, the Fatimid Ismaili Imam-caliph al-Hakim dispatched an envoy to Mahmud two years later. This attempt appeared to be unsuccessful and the Ghaznawids continued to attack other Ismaili strongholds in Sindh to suppress any resurgence of the community in the region. In 1032CE Mahmud's very own vizier, Hasanak was executed for having accepted a cloak from the Imam-caliph on suspicions that he had become an adherent of the Ismaili faith. whom he deemed to be heretics, in stark contrast to his predecessor, the Ghurid Sultan 'Ala' al-Din who welcomed numerous envoys from the Ismaili state of Alamut and according to the historian Juzjani, gave them "great reverence" Multan enjoyed 200 years of peace, and became known as Dar al-Aman (Abode of Peace). Akbar was known as a wise ruler, setting reasonable taxes, creating effective government and being tolerant of religious differences.

Multan witnessed difficult times as Mughal rule declined in early 1700s, starting after death of emperor Aurangzeb in 1707. The last Naib Subahdars appointed by Farrukhsiyar at Multan were Khan Zaman Khan Ali Asghar ibn Kartalab Khan Bahadur Shahi Qazi Ghulam Mustafa and then Aqidat Khan ibn Ameer Khan. Persia was united under Nader Shah, ruling from 1736 as Shah of Iran. After his assassination in 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani—who was born in Multan—rose to power. This counts as beginning of Durrani Empire. However, after death of Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1772, the influence of Durrani empire declined sharply in mere fifty years. Starting at late in 1700s, Multan was ruled locally by the Pashtun Sadozai and khogyani aka Khakwani chieftains.

In 1817, Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent a body of troops to Multan under the command of Diwan Bhiwani Das to receive from Nawab Muzaffar Khan the tribute he owed to the Sikh Darbar. Bhiwani Das laid siege to the city, but failed to capture Multan. Maharaja Ranjit Singh planned a fresh expedition and sent a strong force under his son Kharak Singh's charge.

In 1818, Kharak Singh's armies lay around Multan without making much initial headway. Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent a large cannon named Zamzama along with Akali Phula Singh's Nihang regiment. Using the Zamzama destroyed the gates of the city and Akali Phula Singh defeated the garrison inside. Kharak Singh left Jodh Singh Ramgarhia with 600 men to guard the fort of Multan. The Sikhs thereafter ruled Punjab until 1849, when it was lost in the Second Anglo-Sikh War.. Sardar Karan Narain's son was awarded the title 'Rai Bahadur' and knighted by the British Raj for switching to their side. After the Anglo-Sikh Wars, Multan was made part of the British Raj. The British built some rail routes to the city, but its industrial capacity was never developed.

Multan became part of Pakistan upon Pakistan's independence in 1947.It initially lacked industry, hospitals and universities. Since then, there has been some industrial growth, and the city's population is continually growing. But the old city continues to be in a dilapidated state, and many monuments wear the effects of the warfare that has visited the city.

Geography and climate

The city of Multan is located in southern Punjab province at almost the exact centre of Pakistan. The closest major city is Sahiwal. The area around the city is a flat, alluvial plain and is ideal for agriculture, with many citrus and mango farms. There are many canals that cut across the Multan District, providing water from nearby farms. This makes the land very fertile. However usually land close to the Chenab are usually flooded in the monsoon season.

Multan features an arid climate with very hot summers and mild winters. The city witnesses some of the most extreme weather in the country. The highest recorded temperature is approximately , and the lowest recorded temperature is approximately . The average rainfall is roughly . Dust storms are a common occurrence within the city.

Economy

Multan is a commercial and industrial centre, as it is connected with the rest of the country through rail and air including the other industrial hubs such as Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Quetta and Faisalabad. Industries include fertilizer, cosmetics, glass manufacturing, cotton production and processing, large textile units, flour mills, sugar and oil mills and large-scale power generation projects. It is famous for its handicrafts (carpets & ceramics) and cottage industries. Roughly of the city is still forested in the district. Trees grown in the area are Kikar, Shisham and Mulberry.

Large, irregular suburbs have grown outside the old walled town, and two satellite towns have been set up. The mangoes of Multan district are well-known. Multani khussa (traditional shoes), embroidery on dresses for women and men, furniture and other wooden products, earthenware pottery, painted pottery, camel-skin ware, surgical instruments and carpets are a few of the city's major exports, with a great demand within the country as well.

Multan is an important agricultural centre. Wheat, cotton and sugarcane are the main crops grown in the district. Moreover, rice, maize, tobacco, bajra, moong (lentils), mash (lentils), masoor (lentils), oil seed such as rape, mustard and sunflower are also grown in minor quantities in the district. Mangoes, citrus, guavas and pomegranate are the main fruits grown in the Multan district. Additionally, dates, jaman, pears, phalsa and bananas are grown in minor quantities in the district.

The city is also rich in minerals. These include argillaceous clay, coal, dolomite, fire clay, gypsum, limestone, silica and rock salt. Most of these are excavated for commercial activities and transported to other cities within the country. Many industrial factories are being inaugurated to handle the separation and quality control of these minerals. The minerals in the city are used in dolomite processing, fire bricks/refractories, hollow glassware, insulators/capacitors and ceramics.

Since Multan is agriculture-based, there is also plenty of livestock still growing at a positive rate, which has led to milk processing/dairy products units, ice cream manufacturing, animal and poultry feed, dairy farms, cattle/sheep/goat fattening plants, meat/poultry processing units, leather garments manufacturing, leather footwear, cosmetics, tinned goods and pharmaceuticals.

Government

Since the introduction of the local government system in 2001 the city has been governed by a Nazim (Mayor). Multan is spread over an area of 3,721 square kilometers, comprising four tehsils: Multan Cantonment, Multan Sadar, Shujabad and Jalalpur Pirwala. In 2005 Multan was reorganised as a City District composed of six autonomous towns:

Bosan

Shah Rukan e Alam

Mumtazabad

Sher Shah

Shujabad

Jalalpur

Multan Cantonment

Demographics

The majority of Multan's residents speak Saraiki which is the northern variant of Sindhi (the nomenclature 'Seraiki' is derived from the Sindhi language and literally means 'belonging to the north'), while Haryanvi is the second most spoken language. A good portion of the people are conversant in Urdu. English is understood by the educated. The majority of the people are Muslims. However, the city does have significant Sikh and Hindu communities within the district. There are still many temples and Gurdwaras within the city.

Multan has traditionally been a melting pot of several distinct ethnic groups due to its location at the intersection of all four of Pakistan's main provinces and due to its historical significance as a centre of learning and culture. As a result, Multan today consists of Saraiki, Haryanvi, Punjabi, Baloch, Pashtun, Sindhi, and Urdu-speaking Muhajirs who arrived at the time of independence in 1947.

As per the 1998 census of Pakistan, the following are the demographics of the district, by spoken language:

Saraiki (Multani): 70%

Haryanvi: 16.11% (11.01% in the city)

Punjabi: 6.2% (only in some city areas)

Urdu: 5.86% (6.64% in the city)

Pashto: 0.62%

Balochi: 0.10%

Other: 1.04%

Culture

There is a saying in Persian that Multan is the 'City of Saints, Sufis and Beggars' (Gard, Garma wa Goristan). It is one of the main cities in the Southern Punjab province of Pakistan. The city has been a focal point for many religions, in particular becoming a central abode for Sufism, the mystical side of Islam. The city has attracted Sufi saints from far places of the globe. Today, Multan is known as the 'City of Sufis'. Shaikh Amin bin Abdul Rehman, who has introduced the Idrisiyya sufi order in Pakistan, lives at 381-A, Shah Rukn-e-Alam Colony, New Multan, where a four-storey mosque adjacent to his residence is visited by people from all over the country. Multan is one of the oldest cities in South Asia, with many tombs, shrines, temples, cathedrals and mausoleums, as well as a historical fort. Today Multan is a combination of old and the new Pakistan culture. There is a big hustle bustle in the old city and comfort of a five star hotel and fine dining in the new. The old city has a various bazaars selling mystical artifacts, perfumes to arts and crafts. There are also elaborately decorated shrines of the Sufi saints, tombs of various travellers and important people within the old city of Multan.

The prime attractions of Multan are its mausoleums of Sufi saints. The Mausoleum of Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Zakariya, as well as the Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam are the prime attractions of the city. Their lofty domes of are visible, from miles and dominate the skyline of Multan. Another popular shrine is the Mausoleum of Shams-ud-Din, commonly known as Shah Shamsuddin Sabzwari is located about half a mile to the east of the Multan Fort, on the high bank of the old bed of the Ravi River.

Another famous and beautiful mausoleum of a warrior sufi saint and poet Hazrat Hafiz Muhammad Jamal Multani (1747-1811 AD) is situated near Aam Khas garden outside Daulat Gate, Multan.

There are also a number of other mausoleums located within the city which gather a great deal of attention. The Nuagaza tombs are shrines to martyrs and warriors who fought in wars centuries ago some dating back 1,300 years ago. The Multan Museum located within the city has a vast collection of coins, medals, postage stamps of the former State of Bahawalpur, manuscripts, documented inscriptions, wood carvings, camel-skin paintings, historical models and stone carvings of the Islamic and Pre-Islamic periods.

Multan also has a number of old mosques which were once considered as the jewels of the city. Some have been dated back to a few thousand years and have been recognized as some of the oldest mosques within South East Asia. The legend goes that the first mosque ever built in Multan was the Jamia Mosque which was constructed on the orders of General Mohammed Qasim, who conquered Multan in 712AD. Ruins of this mosque were visible till 1954 at Qasim Bella however due to repeated floods, the structure was lost. Sawi Mosque is supposed to be the oldest mosque which still exists today though in deteriorating state, there are glazed blue tiles from the era in which it was built which dates the mosque to several centuries ago. The second oldest mosque within Multan is Mohammad Khan Wali Mosque. It is an excellent condition, situated in the busiest Chowck Bazar of the city. It was built by Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan Khakwani, in 1757 when he was the governor of Multan in the time of Alamgir II. The mosque is provided with a reservoir for the ablutions, baths, and a large hall for prayers.

Multan is another Pakistani city that loves cricket. Multan is home of the Faysal Bank T20 League team Multan Tigers. The city government inaugurated a new multi-purpose stadium replacing Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium which was the lone stadium used for football and cricket matches. The inauguration of the new stadium has allowed the city to offer Test day/night matches as well as other national sports such as hockey, badminton and football. The stadium is home to the Multan Cricket Association. Other sports grounds include Divisional Sports Ground and the Pakistan Cricket Board owned Government College Cricket Ground]

Education

In 1950, then-Governor Abdur Rub Nishtar founded [[Nishter Medical College. Doctor graduates of this institution have spread across the world, and many have become established names in the field of medicine. The new Nishtar Institute of Dentistry provides dental and surgical services to Multan and the adjoining cities. Bahauddin Zakariya University (formerly known as Multan University) are the main sources of higher education for this region. The Swedish Institute of Technology in Multan is a campus of the Swedish Group of Technical Institutes, the largest private-sector organization providing technical education and vocational training in the Punjab. Multan Medical and Dental College is the only private medical institution in Southern Punjab. Now more universities from federal are also open there campuses here in Multan as they are trying to make this city more educated like AIR university and NUML( National university of modern languages ) and a private institute of medical college name MMDC ( Multan medical and dental college ) so these are the few more universities by the help of people themselves mo government is not that much supporting in the field of education in our country

Transportation

Multan has connections with other cities by a variety of means of transportation. The district has concrete road reaching up to 983.69 km. The district is linked with Khanewal, Lodhran and Muzaffargarh districts through concrete roads. Buses to Bahawalpur leave frequently, since it is located closely to the city. There are a variety of buses travelling farther from the city. Many of them are now air-conditioned with a fairly good safety record. The N-5 National Highway connects the city to connect to all parts of Pakistan. The road otherwise, known as GT Road, allows connections to Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Karachi, Lahore as well as Bahawalpur. Coach services such as Daewoo Express, Faisal Movers Express, Niazi Express,Khan brothers transport, Nadir flying coach, Punjab Tourism Department, Skyways and New Khan Bus Service are some of the most reliable coach companies operating out of Multan.

Multan is connected by rail with all parts of the country and lies on the main track between Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore and Quetta. The main Peshawar-Karachi railway line passes through Multan district. The district then links trains to nearby districts of Khanewal, Lodhran and Muzafargarh districts through the railway network.

Multan International Airport is an airport situated 10 km away from the city centre of Multan. It is not as large as the other airports in Pakistan, as it operates to cater mainly to the population of Multan, Vehari, Khanewal, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Sahiwal, and Pakpattan to mainly to other points within Pakistan as well as the Middle East. Flight are currently operated by the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines. However, since the growth of air travel within the region, there has been speculated interest from other private carriers. The rise in air-travel has also led to the expansion of the current airport with a new runway and terminal.

Famous Saints of Multan

Bahaudin Zikarya

Shah Rukne Alam

Shah Yousaf Gardezi

Mouj Darya

Bibi Pak Daman

Mai Maharban

Hafiz Jamal

Shah Shams Sabzwari

Khawaja Awais Kagha

Shah Ali Akbar

Mother of Shah Ali Akbar

Inayat Wilayat

Musa Pak Shaheed

Shah Dana

Banga Daler

Sher Shah

Notable people from Multan

Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder and first king of Afghanistan

Amjad Islam Amjad, poet and drama writer, born in Multan

Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer

Javed Hashmi of PML-N, first MNA, elected eight times

Jinnahbhai Poonja, father of Quaid-E-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, born in Multan

Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan Khakwani

Sadiq Hussain Qureshi of Pakistan Peoples Party, former Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab

Sahibzada Farooq Ali, former Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan

Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister of Pakistan

Sheikh Muhammad Tahir Rasheed, Central Vice President of the Pakistan Muslim League

Yousaf Raza Gillani, 26th Prime Minister of Pakistan

Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig, Former Vice Chairman of Pakistan Bar Council

Twin cities

Multan has a friendship agreement with two cities in the world :

Rome, Italy Konya, Turkey

References

External links

Multan City government website

Britannica: Multan

Multan City portal

* Category:Metropolitan areas of Pakistan

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Coordinates	39°29′″N176°55′″N
name	Brian Lara
country	West Indies
fullname	Brian Charles Lara
nickname	The Prince
living	true
dayofbirth	2
monthofbirth	5
yearofbirth	1969
placeofbirth	Santa Cruz
countryofbirth	Trinidad
heightft	5
heightinch	8
role	Higher middle order batsman
batting	Left-handed
bowling	Right-arm leg-break
international	true
testdebutdate	6 December
testdebutyear	1990
testdebutagainst	Pakistan
testcap	196
lasttestdate	27 November
lasttestyear	2006
lasttestagainst	Pakistan
odidebutdate	9 November
odidebutyear	1990
odidebutagainst	Pakistan
odicap	59
odishirt	9
lastodidate	21 April
lastodiyear	2007
lastodiagainst	England
club1	Trinidad and Tobago
year1	1987–2008
club2	Transvaal
year2	1992–1993
club3	Warwickshire
year3	1994–1998
club4	Southern Rocks
year4	2010
columns	4
column1	Test
matches1	131
runs1	11,953
bat avg1	52.88
100s/50s1	34/48
top score1	400*
deliveries1	60
wickets1	–
bowl avg1	–
fivefor1	0
tenfor1	0
best bowling1	–
catches/stumpings1	164/–
column2	ODI
matches2	299
runs2	10,405
bat avg2	40.48
100s/50s2	19/63
top score2	169
deliveries2	49
wickets2	4
bowl avg2	15.25
fivefor2	0
tenfor2	n/a
best bowling2	2/5
catches/stumpings2	120/–
column3	FC
matches3	261
runs3	22,156
bat avg3	51.88
100s/50s3	65/88
top score3	501*
deliveries3	514
wickets3	4
bowl avg3	104.00
fivefor3	0
tenfor3	0
best bowling3	1/1
catches/stumpings3	320/–
column4	LA
matches4	429
runs4	14,602
bat avg4	39.67
100s/50s4	27/86
top score4	169
deliveries4	130
wickets4	5
bowl avg4	29.80
fivefor4	0
tenfor4	n/a
best bowling4	2/5
catches/stumpings4	177/–
date	4 February
year	2008
source	http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/player/52337.html cricinfo.com }}

Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM (born 2 May 1969, in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago) is a West Indian international cricket player. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket, with 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994, which is the only quintuple hundred in first-class cricket history. The BBC radio commentary on the final day of the innings (6 June 1994), by Dave Roberts, was being broadcast around the world live via the BBC World Service network, and in the UK on BBC Radios 1, 2 & 4 as well as the majority of BBC Local radio stations. That evening, as Lara neared the all-time batting record, a huge surge of fans crowded to enter the grounds.

Lara also holds the record for the highest individual score in a test innings after scoring 400 not out against England at Antigua in 2004. He is the only batsman to have ever scored a hundred, a double century, a triple century, a quadruple century and a quintuple century in first class games over the course of a senior career. Lara also holds the test record of scoring most number of runs in a single over in a Test match, when he scored 28 runs off an over by Robin Peterson of South Africa in 2003.

Lara's match-winning performance of 153 not out against Australia in Bridgetown, Barbados in 1999 has been rated by Wisden as the second best batting performance in the history of Test cricket, next only to the 270 runs scored by Sir Donald Bradman in The Ashes Test match of 1937. Muttiah Muralitharan, rated as the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, and the highest wicket-taker in both Test cricket and in One Day Internationals (ODIs), has hailed Lara as his toughest opponent among all batsmen in the world. Lara was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World awards in 1994 and 1995 and is also one of only three cricketers to receive the prestigious BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, the other two being Sir Garfield Sobers and Shane Warne. Brian Lara is popularly nicknamed as "The Prince of Port of Spain" or simply "The Prince". On 27 November 2009 he was appointed honorary member of the Order of Australia.

Early life

Lara was the 10th of 11 children. Lara's father Bunty and one of his older sisters Agnes Cyrus enrolled him in the local Harvard Coaching Clinic at the age of six for weekly coaching sessions on Sundays. As a result, Lara had a very early education in correct batting technique. Lara's first school was St. Joseph's Roman Catholic primary. He then went to San Juan secondary, which is located in Moreau Road, Lower Santa Cruz. A year later, at fourteen years old, he moved on to Fatima College where he started his development as a promising young player under cricket coach Mr. Harry Ramdass. Aged 14, he amassed 745 runs in the schoolboys' league, with an average of 126.16 per innings, which earned him selection for the Trinidad national under-16 team. When he was 15 years old, he played in his first West Indian under 19 youth tournament and that same year, Lara represented West Indies in Under-19 cricket.

Lara moved in with his future fellow Trinidadian cricketer Michael Carew in Woodbrook, Port of Spain (a 20 minute drive from Santa Cruz). Michael's father Joey Carew worked with him on his cricketing and personal career development. Michael got Lara his first job at Angostura Ltd. in the marketing department. Lara played in Trinidad and Tobago junior soccer and table tennis sides but Lara believed that cricket was his path to success, saying that he wanted to emulate his idols Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards and Roy Fredericks.

Early First-class career

1987 was a breakthrough year for Lara, when in the West Indies Youth Championships he scored 498 runs breaking the record of 480 by Carl Hooper set the previous year. He captained the tournament winning Trinidad and Tobago, who profited from a match winning 116 from Lara.

In January 1988, Lara made his first-class debut for Trinidad and Tobago in the Red Stripe Cup against Leeward Islands. In his second first-class match he made 92 against a Barbados attack containing Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall, two greats of West Indies teams. Later in the same year, he captained the West Indies team in Australia for the Bicentennial Youth World Cup where the West Indies reached the semi-finals. Later that year, his innings of 182 as captain of the West Indies under 23 XI against the touring Indian team further elevated his reputation.

His first selection for the full West Indies team followed in due course, but unfortunately coincided with the death of his father and Lara withdrew from the team. In 1989, he captained a West Indies B Team in Zimbabwe and scored 145.

In 1990, at the age of 20, Lara became Trinidad and Tobago's youngest ever captain, leading them that season to victory in the one-day Geddes Grant Shield. It was also in 1990 that he made his belated Test debut for West Indies against Pakistan, scoring 44 and 5. He had made his ODI debut a month earlier against Pakistan, scoring 11. In the 1992 World Cup Lara did well averaging 47.57 with a highest score of 88 retired hurt.

International career

In January 1993, Lara scored 277 versus Australia in Sydney. This, his maiden Test century in his fifth Test, was the turning point of the series as West Indies won the final two Tests to win the series 2–1.Lara went on to name his daughter Sydney after scoring 277 at SCG.

Lara holds several world records for high scoring. He has the highest individual score in both first-class cricket (501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994) and Test cricket (400 not out for the West Indies against England in 2004). Lara amassed his world record 501 in 474 minutes off only 427 balls. He hit 308 in boundaries (10 sixes and 62 fours). His partners were Roger Twose (115 partnership – 2nd wicket), Trevor Penney (314 – 3rd), Paul Smith (51 – 4th) and Keith Piper (322 unbroken – 5th). Earlier in that season Lara scored six centuries in seven innings while playing for Warwickshire.

He is the only man to have reclaimed the Test record score, having scored 375 against England in 1994, a record that stood until Matthew Hayden's 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003. His 400 not out also made him the second player after Donald Bradman to score two Test triple-centuries, and the second after Bill Ponsford to score two first-class quadruple-centuries. He has scored nine double centuries in Test cricket, second only to Bradman's twelve. In 1995 Lara in the Test match away series against England, scored 3 hundreds in Three consecutive Matches which earned him the Man of the Series award. The Test Series was eventually drawn 2–2. He also held the record for the highest total number of runs in a Test career, after overtaking Allan Border in an innings of 226 played at Adelaide Oval, Australia in November 2005. This would be later broken by Sachin Tendulkar of India on 17 October 2008 whilst playing against Australia at Mohali in the 2nd Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2008.

Lara captained the West Indies from 1998 to 1999, when West Indies suffered their first whitewash at the hands of South Africa. Following this they played Australia in a four Test series which was drawn 2–2, with Lara scoring 546 runs including three centuries and one double hundred. In the second Test at Kingston he scored 213 while in the third Test he scored 153* in the second innings as West Indies chased down 311 with one wicket left. He won the Man of the Match award for both matches and was also named Man of the Series.

In 2001 Lara was named the Man of the Carlton Series in Australia with an average of 46.50, the highest average by a West Indian in that series, scoring two half centuries and one century, 116 against Australia. That same year Lara amassed 688 runs in the three match away Test series against Sri Lanka making three centuries, and one fifty – including the double century and a century in the first and second innings of the 3rd Test Match at the Sinhalese Sports Ground, equating to 42% of the team's runs in that series. These extraordinary performances led Muttiah Muralitharan to state that Lara was the most dangerous batsman he had ever faced.

Lara was reappointed as captain against the touring Australians in 2003, and struck 110 in his first Test match back in charge, showing a return to stellar performance. Later that season, under his captaincy, West Indies won the two match Test series against Sri Lanka 1–0 with Lara making a double century in the First Test. In September 2004, West Indies won the ICC Champions Trophy in England under his captaincy.

In March 2005, Lara declined selection for the West Indies team because of a dispute over his personal Cable & Wireless sponsorship deal, which clashed with the Cricket Board's main sponsor, Digicel. Six other players were involved in this dispute, including stars Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo. Lara said he declined selection in a stand of solidarity, when these players were dropped because of their sponsorship deals. The issue was resolved after the first Test of the series against the touring South African team.

Lara returned to the team for the second Test (and scored a huge first innings score of 196), but in the process lost his captaincy indefinitely to the newly-appointed Shivnarine Chanderpaul. In the next Test, against the same opponents, he scored a 176 in the first innings. After a one day series against South Africa, he scored his first Test century against the visiting Pakistanis in the first Test at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados which the West Indies eventually won.

On 26 April 2006 Lara was reappointed the captain of the West Indies cricket team for the third time. This followed the resignation of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who had been captain for thirteen months – in which the West Indies won just one of the 14 Test matches they had competed. In May 2006, Lara led the West Indies to successful One-Day series victories against Zimbabwe and India. Lara's team played Australia in the finals of the DLF Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy where they finished runners up in both finals.

On 16 December 2006 he became the first player for the West Indies to pass 10,000 One Day International runs. along with Sachin Tendulkar one of only two players, at the time, to do so in both forms of the game. On 10 April 2007 Lara confirmed his retirement from one day cricket post the 2007 Cricket World Cup. A few days later he announced that he would in fact be retiring from all international cricket after the tournament.

Lara played his final international game on 21 April 2007 in a dead rubber World Cup game against England. He was run out for 18 after a mix up with Marlon Samuels; England won the game by 1 run. Before the end of this World Cup Glenn McGrath stated that Lara is the greatest batsman that he has ever bowled to.

Retirement

On 19 April 2007 Lara announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket, indicating that the West Indies vs England match on 21 April 2007 would be his last international appearance. He was run out after a bad mixup with Marlon Samuels for 18, as England went on to win the match by one wicket.

He announced before the 2007 Cricket World Cup that this would be his last appearance in One Day Internationals. After his last match, in the post-game presentation interview, he asked the fans, "Did I entertain?", to which he received a resounding "Yes!" from the West Indies fans, after which he went out and took his 'lap of honour' where he met and shook hands with many of the fans. Lara stated this would be his last appearance in international cricket, he has also indicated his interest in retaining some involvement in the sport.

On 23 July 2007 Lara agreed to sign for the Indian Cricket League. He is currently the captain of the Mumbai Champs. He volunteered to play for his home team Trinidad during the start of 2008 domestic season. He had not played for Trinidad for the last two years. He made his comeback a memorable one with a match winning hundred over Guyana, followed by a dismissive undefeated half-century in the second innings, scored at over two runs per ball. In the third round game (Trinidad got a bye in the second round).

Lara suffered a fractured arm against the Leeward Islands in St Maarten on 19 January, which kept him out of the ICL season. He nevertheless affirmed his commitment to returning to Twenty20 cricket, and on 27 June 2010 appeared for the Marylebone Cricket Club match against a touring Pakistan team, scoring 37 from 32 balls.

The Wisden 100 rates Lara's 153 not out against Australia in Bridgetown in 1998–99 as the second best innings ever after Sir Donald Bradman's 270 against England in Melbourne in 1936–37.

2010 return

After negotiations between Surrey and Lara for the 2010 Friends Provident t20 failed to come to anything, Lara declared that he still wanted to sign a contract to play Twenty20 cricket. Late in the year he joined Southern Rocks, a Zimbabwean side, to compete in the 2010–11 Stanbic Bank 20 Series. On his debut for the Rocks, and his first-ever Twenty20 match, he scored a half-century, top-scoring for the Rocks with 65. He added 34 runs in his next two innings, but then left the competition, citing "commitments elsewhere".

Indian Premier League 2011

After expressing his interest to play in the 2011 fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and despite not having have played active cricket for four years, Brian Lara still managed to attract the highest reserve price of $400,000 ahead of the IPL players' auction in early January 2011.

Upon hearing Lara's decision to return to top class Cricket, former West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose and wicket-keeper/batsman Jeff Dujon talking on the SportsMax Cricket Talk Show – From the Pitch, advised Lara to stay away from the IPL at this stage of Lara's life. Ambrose said "If I was supposed to advise Brian, I would advise him to stay out. He hasn't played any form of competitive cricket for a few years. When you reach certain heights in international sports, you can really damage your reputation quite a bit if you can't reproduce that kind of standard. I don't think he should come back." Dujon also voiced similar comments saying "I wouldn't advise him to come back. He has had a wonderful career and he should live with those memories". Despite having a base price of $400,000, Lara went unsold in the auction of IPL 4.

Controversies

On the fourth day of the first Test match at Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's, Antigua during India's tour of West Indies, 2006, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's flick off Dave Mohammed to the midwicket region was caught by Daren Ganga. As the batsman started to walk back, captain Rahul Dravid declared the innings when confusion started as the umpires were not certain if the fielder stepped on the ropes and Dhoni stayed for the umpire's verdict. While the replays were inconclusive, the captain of the West Indies side, Brian Lara wanted Dhoni to walk-off based on the fielder's assertion of the catch. The impasse continued for more than 15 minutes. Ultimately, Dhoni walked-off and Dravid's declaration was effected but the game was delayed. Lara was called by the match referee for explanation of his actions but was not fined.

Off the field

Brian Lara has established the Pearl and Bunty Lara Foundation, which is a charitable organisation in memory of his parents that aims to address health and social care issues. He is an Ambassador for Sport of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and travels on a diplomatic passport to promote his country throughout the world. Brian Lara received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield on Wednesday 10 January 2007. The ceremony took place at the Trinidad Hilton, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

On 7 September 2008 he took part in Soccer Aid 2008, and on 6 June 2010 in Soccer Aid 2010, playing for the Rest of the World vs a team of England celebrites and ex pros. Lara was also a talented football player in his youth and often played with his close friends Dwight Yorke, Shaka Hislop and Russell Latapy while growing up together in Trinidad. Yorke, Hislop and Latapy would go on to play for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Brian Lara is also a golf player. He has participated in golfing tournaments throughout the caribbean region and has won titles. In September 2009, Lara was inducted as an honorary lifetime member of the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club.

Personal life

Lara has dated former Durham County Cricket Club receptionist and British lingerie model Lynnsey Ward. During the West Indies tour to Australia in late 2000, Lara was accompanied by Ward.

Lara is the father of a girl called Sydney (born 1996) whom he fathered with Trinidadian journalist and model Leasel Rovedas. Sydney is so named as a tribute to one of Lara's favourite grounds, the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Lara scored his first Test century- the highly acclaimed 277 in the 1992–93 season. His father died in 1989 of a heart attack and his mother died in 2002 of cancer. Lara has close ties with Trinidadian business mogul Wayne Armogan, who is the son of late Trinidadian Lester Armogan.

In 2009, Lara was made an honorary Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to West Indian and Australian cricket.

In late 2010, Lara and Rovedas welcomed another daughter, Tyla.

Statistics

Lara struck 277 runs against Australia in Sydney, his maiden Test century, the fourth highest maiden Test century by any batsman, the highest individual score in all Tests between the two teams and the fourth-highest century ever recorded against Australia by any Test batsman.

He became the first man to score seven centuries in eight first-class innings, the first being the record 375 against England and the last being the record 501 not out against Durham.

After Matthew Hayden had eclipsed his Test record for highest individual score 375 by five runs in 2003, he reclaimed the record scoring 400 not out in 2004 against England. With these innings he became the second player to score two Test triple centuries, the second player to score two career quadruple centuries, the only player to achieve both these milestones, and regained the distinction of being the holder of both the record first-class individual innings and the record Test individual innings. He is the only player to break the world record twice.

In the same innings, he became the second batsman to score 1000 Test runs in five different years, four days after Matthew Hayden first set the record.

He was the all-time leading run scorer in Test cricket, a record he attained on 26 November 2005 until surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar on 17 October 2008. He was the fastest batsmen to score 10,000 (with Sachin Tendulkar) and 11,000 Test runs, in terms of number of innings. He scored 34 centuries; joint-third along with Sunil Gavaskar, on the all-time list behind Sachin Tendulkar (), Jacques Kallis (40) and Ricky Ponting (39).

He has the most centuries for a West Indian

Nine of his centuries are double centuries (surpassed only by Donald Bradman)

Two of them are triple-centuries (matched by Australia's Donald Bradman, India's Virender Sehwag, and West Indies' Chris Gayle).

* He has scored centuries against all Test-playing nations. He achieved this feat in 2005 by scoring his first Test century against Pakistan at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

He became the sixth batsman to score a century in one session, doing so against Pakistan on 21 November 2006. Lara has scored an 20% of his team runs, a feat surpassed only by Bradman (23%) and George Headley (21%). Lara scored 688 runs (42% of team output, a record for a series of three or more Tests, and the second highest aggregate runs in history for a three-Test series) in the 2001–02 tour of Sri Lanka. He also scored a century and a double century in the third Test in that same Sri Lanka tour, a feat repeated only five other times in Test cricket history.

He has scored the most runs (351) on a losing side in a Test.

He scored the largest proportion (53.83 per cent) of his team's runs in a Test (221 out of 390 and 130 out of 262). He eclipsed the long-standing record of 51.88 per cent by the South African J. H. Sinclair (106 out of 177 and 4 out of 35) against England at Cape Town in an 1898–1899 series. Lara holds the world record of scoring most runs in a single over (28 runs against left-arm spinner RJ Peterson of South Africa) in Test cricket. He also scored 26 runs in a single over off the bowling of Danish Kaneria at Multan Cricket Stadium on 21 November 2006. He scored the ninth fastest Test century, doing so off 77 balls against Pakistan on 21 November 2006. With 164 catches, He is the fourth all-time catch-taker of non-Wicketkeepers, behind Rahul Dravid, Mark Waugh and Stephen Fleming.

In 1994, he was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award. In 1995, he was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

Comfortably averaging over 50 per innings (the benchmark for batting greatness in Test cricket), Lara has been ranked the number one batsman in Test cricket in the PricewaterhouseCoopers Cricket Ratings several times. Lara has played some of his best innings in recent years. Wisden published a top 100 list in July 2001, a distillation of the best performances from 1,552 Tests, 54,494 innings and 29,730 bowling performances. Three innings by Lara were placed in the top 15 (the most for any batsman in that range). His 153 not out in Bridgetown, Barbados, during West Indies' 2–2 home series draw against Australia in *1998–1999 was deemed the second greatest Test innings ever played, behind Bradman's 270 against England in the Third Test of the 1936–1937 series at Melbourne. On 13 October 2003, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ratings team published a list of top innings since 1990 under their own methodology. Lara's 213 against Australia in Kingston, Jamaica in 1999 came out to be the top innings. His 375 was placed 8th and his three other innings, including the 153 not out, were not far behind.

Lara holds the third fastest century in ODIs, 45 balls against Bangladesh in 1999.

He is one of six batsmen to make a century before lunch.

Man of the Match Awards

Test Cricket

Australian cricket team 167 375 179 104 213 8/153* 221/130 209 191/1 400* 226/17

Man of the Match Awards – Brian Lara
style="width:40px;"	Runs !! style="width:100px;"|Against !! style="width:175px;"|City/Country !! style="width:195px;"|Venue !! style="width:125px;">Result !! style="width:50px;"|Year
[1]	277	Australia ||	Sydney, Australia	Sydney Cricket Ground	Match Drawn	1993
[2]	|	English cricket team>England	Georgetown, Guyana>Georgetown, Guyana	Bourda	West Indies won by an innings and 44 runs	1993
[3]	|	England	St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda>St John's, Antigua	Antigua Recreation Ground	Match Drawn	1993
[4]	|	England	London, England	Kennington Oval	Match Drawn	1995
[5]	|	Indian cricket team>India	St John’s, Antigua	Antigua Recreation Ground	Match Drawn	1997
[6]	|	Australia	Kingston, Jamaica>Kingston, Jamaica	Sabina Park	West Indies won by 10 wickets	1999
[7]	|	Australia	Bridgetown, Barbados	Kensington Oval	West Indies won by 1 wicket	1999
[8]	|	Sri Lankan cricket team>Sri Lanka	Colombo, Sri Lanka	Sinhalese Sport Club Ground	Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets	2001
[9]	|	Sri Lanka	Gros Islet, Saint Lucia	Beausejour Stadium	Match Drawn	2003
[10]	|	Zimbabwean cricket team>Zimbabwe	Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	Queens Sports Club	West Indies won by 128 runs	2003
[11]	|	England	St John’s, Antigua	Antigua Recreation Ground	Match Drawn	2004
[12]	|	Australia	Adelaide, Australia	Adelaide Oval	Australia won by 7 wickets	2005

One-Day International Cricket

Pakistan 69 88 72 86 128 111* 114 95* 153 Sharjah (city) 82 55* 72 139 169 111 146* 103* 90 88 51 60 117 116* 83* 59* 103* 116 80 156

Man of the Match Awards – Brian Lara
style="width:40px;"	Runs !! style="width:100px;"|Against !! style="width:175px;"|City/Country !! style="width:195px;"|Venue !! style="width:125px;">Result !! style="width:50px;"|Year
[1]	54	|	Karachi, Pakistan	National Stadium	West Indies won by 24 runs	1991
[2]	|	Australia	Brisbane, Australia	Brisbane Cricket Ground	West Indies won by 12 runs	1992
[3]	|	Pakistan	Melbourne, Australia	Melbourne Cricket Ground	West Indies won by 10 wickets	1992
[4]	|	Zimbabwe	Brisbane, Australia	Brisbane Cricket Ground	West Indies won by 75 runs	1992
[5]	|	South Africa	Port of Spain, Trinidad	Queens Park Oval	West Indies won by 10 wickets	1992
[6]	|	Pakistan	Durban, South Africa	Kingsmead	West Indies won by 124 runs	1993
[7]	|	South Africa	Bloemfontein, South Africa	Springbok Park	West Indies won by 9 wickets	1993
[8]	|	Pakistan	Kingston, Jamaica>Kingston, Jamaica	Sabina Park	West Indies won by 4 wickets	1993
[9]	|	Pakistan	Port of Spain, Trinidad	Queens Park Oval	West Indies won by 5 wickets	1993
[10]	|	Pakistan	Sharjah, UAE ||	Sharjah C.A. Stadium	West Indies won by 6 wickets	1993
[11]	|	Sri Lanka	Kolkata, India	Eden Gardens	West Indies won by 7 wickets	1993
[12]	|	New Zealand	Auckland, New Zealand	Eden Park	West Indies won by 25 runs	1995
[13]	|	New Zealand	Wellington, New Zealand	Basin Reserve	West Indies won by 41 runs	1995
[14]	|	Australia	Port of Spain, Trinidad	Queens Park Oval	West Indies won by 133 runs	1995
[15]	|	Sri Lanka	Sharjah, UAE	Sharjah C. A. Stadium	West Indies won by 4 runs	1995
[16]	|	South Africa	Karachi, Pakistan	National Stadium	West Indies won by 19 runs	1996
[17]	|	New Zealand	Port of Spain, Trinidad	Queens Park Oval	West Indies won by 7 wickets	1996
[18]	|	Pakistan	Perth, Western Australia>Perth, Australia	W.A.C.A Grounds	West Indies won by 5 wickets	1997
[19]	|	Australia	Perth, Australia	W.A.C.A Grounds	West Indies won by 4 wickets	1997
[20]	|	Pakistan	Sharjah, UAE	Sharjah C.A. Stadium	West Indies won by 43 runs	1997
[21]	|	England	Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines>Saint Vincent	Arnos Vale Ground	West Indies won by 4 wickets	1998
[22]	|	India	Singapore	Kallang Ground	West Indies won by 42 runs	1999
[23]	|	Bangladesh	Dhaka, Bangladesh	Bangabandhu National Stadium	West Indies won by 109 runs	1999
[24]	|	Australia	Sydney, Australia	Sydney Cricket Ground	Australia won by 28 runs	2001
[25]	|	Zimbabwe	Perth, Western Australia>Perth, Australia	W.A.C.A Grounds	West Indies won by 44 runs	2001
[26]	|	New Zealand	Gros Islet, Saint Lucia	Beausejour Stadium	West Indies won by 7 wickets	2002
[27]	|	Kenya	Colombo, Sri Lanka	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground	West Indies won by 29 runs	2002
[28]	|	South Africa	Cape Town, South Africa	Newlands	West Indies won by 3 runs	2003
[29]	|	Australia	Port of Spain, Trinidad	Queens Park Oval	West Indies won by 39 runs	2003
[30]	|	Pakistan	Adelaide, Australia	Adelaide Oval	West Indies won by 58 runs	2005

See also

Brian Lara Cricket series of video games

Brian Lara Stadium

Notes and references

External links

Cricinfo Profile

Brian Lara's Test Statistics (by HowSTAT!)

Category:West Indies One Day International cricketers Category:West Indies Test cricketers Category:West Indian cricket captains Category:West Indian cricketers Category:West Indian cricketers of 1970-71 to 1999-2000 Category:West Indian cricketers of the 21st century Category:Trinidad and Tobago cricketers Category:Northerns cricketers Category:Warwickshire cricketers Category:Warwickshire cricket captains Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year Category:World XI Test cricketers Category:ICC World XI One Day International cricketers Category:Cricketers at the 1992 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 1996 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 1999 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 2003 Cricket World Cup Category:Trinidad and Tobago people of Black African descent Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Honorary Members of the Order of Australia Category:MCC cricketers Category:Southern Rocks cricketers

bn:ব্রায়ান লারা de:Brian Lara es:Brian Lara fr:Brian Lara gu:બ્રાયન લારા kn:ಬ್ರಿಯಾನ್ ಲಾರಾ ml:ബ്രയാൻ ലാറ mr:ब्रायन लारा nl:Brian Lara simple:Brian Lara sv:Brian Lara ta:பிறயன் லாறா te:బ్రియాన్ లారా

Allama Nasir Abbas, was one of the most wanted Pakistann jihadists in South East Asia. He was a member of al-Qaeda's regional affiliate, Jemaah Islamiya (JI).

According to Indonesia's top anti-terrorist police officer, General Ansyaad Mbai, Abbas was a very dangerous man and one of the key figures in the JI.

Political Stands and 'Redemption'

In a BBC interview, Abbas explained his philosophy of jihad. Abbas stated that he believes it is acceptable to fight and kill foreign forces occupying Muslim countries. He gives as examples the Soviets in Afghanistan, the Americans in Iraq and the Philippine army occupying what he describes as ancestral Muslim lands in Mindanao. According to Abbas, the killing of innocent civilians - men, women and children -is forbidden.

Abbas uses his position to criticize the modern violent jihad philosophy, outlined by Palestinian Abdullah Azzam, acknowledged to be the "father" of modern violent jihad.

Abbas stated in his interview the 202 civilian deaths in the 2002 Bali bombings gave him pause. Abbas realized that these deaths were caused by people he had trained in Afghanistan in the early 1990s(one of South East Asia's most wanted terrorists, Noordin M. Top was even once his subordinate). This caused Abbas to rethink his decade-long affiliation with the Islamists. As a consequence, and as an attempt to 'redeem' his previous acts, he resolved to switch allegiances and so he decided to talk to the authorities and help the police.

Abbas actively assisted the police in tracking down and arresting some of his former comrades. Abbas states that he felt no guilt in doing so.

He explains that from that point on, he tried to persuade his former comrades that their interpretation of the Quran was wrong, and urged them to "return to the right path of Islamic teaching."

See also

2002 Bali bombings

Abdullah Azzam

Islamism

References

The jihadi who turned 'supergrass', Peter Taylor, BBC News, 13 September 2006

60 Minutes: "Inside the Enemy Camp", Bob Simon, 6 May 2007

Nasir Abas, terrorist defector, aids Indonesian polic, Seth Mydans, The New York Times, 29 February 2008

Category:Living people Category:Malaysian Islamists Category:Jemaah Islamiyah Category:Year of birth missing (living people)