Yasir Hameed Qureshi (Urdu: یاسر حمید قریشی) (born 28 February 1978 in Peshawar, originally from Abbottabad) is a Pakistani cricketer. He scored two centuries on his Test debut against Bangladesh, becoming only the second player to do so. During his first thirty One Day International innings, he scored more runs than any other batsman, as well as scoring four successive opening partnerships of 100 or more with Imran Farhat, a unique achievement. He scored first 1000 ODI runs in just 22 matches, Fastest in Asia and third fastest in world.

Frail of build, Yasir's game is built on timing and an easy elegance. A technique more solid than many recent top-order Pakistani batsmen served him well in his career early on. His exploits in the one-day arena were initially as impressive, and he forged a superb combination with Imran Farhat at the top of the order: against New Zealand at home the pair put together a record four consecutive hundred partnerships. The early signs were promising then, but he developed a worrying tendency to waste his starts, making pretty 20s and then throwing it away, often by flailing at wide ones outside off. That saw him lose his place in the team in late 2004. Selectorial inconsistencies didn't help, Hameed being dropped the next match after scoring two fifties in a Test at Sydney. Thereafter opportunities have been limited: a few ODIs here and there (in all of which he has made contributions).

Glenn Donald McGrath AM (pronounced /məˈɡrɑː/; born 9 February 1970 in Dubbo, New South Wales), nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century.

Known throughout his career for maintaining a remarkably accurate line and length, McGrath's consistency enabled him to be one of the most economical and dangerous fast bowlers of his time. McGrath holds the world record for the highest number of Test wickets by a fast bowler and is fourth on the all-time list, with the top three wicket takers Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, and Anil Kumble all being spin bowlers. He has also taken the sixth highest number of One Day International wickets, and holds the record for the most wickets in the Cricket World Cup. McGrath announced his retirement from Test cricket on 23 December 2006, with his Test career coming to an end after the fifth Ashes test in Sydney in January 2007, whilst the 2007 World Cup marked the end of his one-day career. McGrath later played for the Indian Premier League team of the Delhi DareDevils, and was one of the tournaments' most economical bowlers during its first season, however he saw no action in the second season, ultimately having his contract bought out.

Mushtaq Ahmed (Urdu: مشتاق احمد) (born 28 June 1970) is a retired Pakistani cricketer who specialised as a leg spin bowler. He was known for his hard-to-pick googly. He memorably trapped Graeme Hick in front with one during the 1992 World Cup final. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997. Nevertheless, despite taking over 150 One Day International and Test wickets, he hasn't played international cricket since October 2003. He is now the spin bowling coach for the England Cricket Team.

However, he has played a lot of county cricket in England, including for Somerset and Surrey earlier in his career and more recently for Sussex.

In 2003, Mushtaq was the leading wicket taker in county cricket, finishing the season with 103 and inspiring Sussex to its first County Championship title. Following this, he was recalled by Pakistan but was soon dropped for being ineffective. In the 2004 season, Mushtaq was again the leading wicket taker in English county cricket with 84 scalps, but with Danish Kaneria's emergence as Pakistan's first-choice leg spinner, Mushtaq's international career was over.

Shoaib Akhtar (b. 13 August 1975) is a former Pakistani cricketer. Shoaib holds the record for being the fastest bowler in the history of international cricket, he made his Test debut in November 1997 and played his first One Day International four months later. He played on Pakistan's Cricket Team as an attack bowler.

He has been involved in several controversies during his career, often accused of not being a team player but his presence was always felt by the opponents. Akhtar was sent home during the Test match series in Australia in 2005 for alleged poor attitude. A year later, he was embroiled in a drug scandal after testing positive to a banned substance. However, the ban imposed on him was lifted on court appeal. In September 2007, Akhtar was banned for an indefinite period for his fight with Pakistan team mate and fast bowler Mohammad Asif. On 1 April 2008, Akhtar was banned for five years for publicly criticizing the Pakistan Cricket Board. In October 2008, the Lahore High Court in Pakistan suspended the five year ban and Akhtar was selected in the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 Quadrangular Tournament in Canada. Pakistani judge, Rana Bhagwandas stated once that, Akhtar is a legend of Pakistan cricket. He retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup.

Lakshmipathy Balaji (Tamil: லக்ஷ்மிபதி பாலாஜி,  pronunciation (help·info), born 27 September 1981 in Madras, Tamil Nadu, India) is an Indian cricketer. He is a right arm fast medium bowler.

Lakshmipathy Balaji became a member of the Indian cricket team in 2003. Playing for his state team since 2001, he made his Test debut against New Zealand at Ahmedabad in 2003. He was recognised after his performance in the 2004 India Pakistan series. In that series, he played a significant part in Indian team's historic victories. But after an injury, his international cricket career was put on hold. He made a comeback in Pakistan's 2005 tour of India, taking 5 wickets in the first innings. Injury kept him out of cricket for the next 3 years. Balaji made his return to domestic cricket in 2007. After a strong 2008 domestic season where Balaji was instrumental in helping Tamil Nadu reach the Ranji Trophy semifinals, Balaji was called up to the international squad in January 2009 to replace an injured Munaf Patel who sustained a groin injury. Balaji was included in the playing XI for the final match of the series against Sri Lanka. India went on to lose the match. Balaji was rested for the subsequent Twenty20 match. In February the BCCI announced that Balaji had been dropped from the ODI squad to tour New Zealand but had been selected for the test squad. Thus marking Balaji's return to the test squad after a five year hiatus having last been part of the test squad in the 2004 series against Pakistan.