Aizaz Bin Ilyas Cheema ( Punjabi, ur, ) (born 5 September 1979 in

Sargodha Sargodha ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

)Biography
cricinfo. Retrieved 28 November 2010 is a Pakistani cricket coach and former

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er who played in seven

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

matches, scoring a single run without being dismissed in five innings.

Cricket career

2010

In November, Cheema was part of the team at the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, China that won a bronze medal by beating Sri Lanka in the 3rd place playoffs.

International breakthrough

When Pakistan toured Zimbabwe in September for a Test three ODIs and two T20Is, the national selectors took the opportunity to give inexperienced players an opportunity. Frontline bowlers Wahab Riaz and

Umar Gul Umar Gul (Urdu: , ps, عمر گل) (born 15 October 1982 ) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who is the current bowling coach of Quetta Gladiators. He played all three formats of the game as a right arm fast medium bowler for ...

were rested and Cheema was chosen as part of the squad. On 1 September he made his Test debut against Zimbabwe; Pakistan's fast bowlers in the match were inexperienced at international level, with just one Test cap between them. Pakistan won the match and coach

Waqar Younis Waqar Younis Maitla HI ( Punjabi, ur, ; born 16 November 1971) is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who captained Pakistan national cricket team. A right-arm fast bowler, Waqar Younis is regarded as one of the grea ...

praised Cheema's performance, saying he "bowled with fire and aggression". His first wicket was that of bowler Ray Price. Cheema took eight wickets in the match for 103 runs, the second best bowling figures by a Pakistan player on Test debut. Pakistan won the subsequent ODI series 3–0; Cheema made his debut in the series and his figures of 3/36 were the joint fourth best by a Pakistan bowler in his first ODI. Cheema was the leading wicket-taker in the series with eight dismissals, with best figures of 4/43. His haul for the series was the second most for a Pakistan bowler in a three-match away series.

2012 Asia Cup

In 2012 Asia Cup Aizaz saw his best days of international cricket. Cheema bowled the last over in the Final of the Asia Cup and successfully defended 9 runs that were required off the over. He also took the crucial wicket of Shakib al Hasan earlier in the match.

Domestic career

He was the leading wicket-taker in the

2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy The 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was the 60th edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's domestic first-class cricket competition. It was contested by 16 teams representing eight regional associations and eight departments, and took place ...

, with a total of 60 wickets in nine matches. He was also the leading wicket-taker for

Lahore Blues Lahore cricket teams, representing the city of Lahore, competed in Pakistan's first-class cricket tournaments from 1958–59 to 2018–19. They have also competed in the national 50-over and Twenty-20 tournaments as the Lahore Lions. Teams Fr ...

in the

2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam One Day Cup The 2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam One Day Cup was the first edition of the Quaid-e-Azam One Day Cup, a List A cricket tournament that took place in Pakistan from 6 September to 4 November 2018. Each match was played after the conclusion of the correspo ...

, with ten dismissals in seven matches. He was also the leading wicket-taker in the

2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy The 2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was a first-class domestic cricket competition that took place in Pakistan from 1 September to 8 December 2018. Following the conclusion of each match, the teams played each other in a List A fixture in the 20 ...

, with 59 wickets in ten matches.

Coaching career

In 2005, he completed English Cricket Board's level 2 coaching qualification in England while in 2019 he completed

Pakistan Cricket Board The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Coun ...

's level 2 coaching qualification as well. In August 2021, he was appointed assistant coach to Central Punjab. In September 2022, he was appointed bowling coach to the Gujranwala Giants squad for the inaugural season of the

Pakistan Junior League The Pakistan Junior League (PJL) was a professional 20-over cricket league contested by Under-19 teams representing different cities of Pakistan. The league was soft-launched on 14 April 2022 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Ramiz ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheema, Aizaz 1979 births Living people Cricketers from Sargodha Pakistani cricketers Cricketers at the 2010 Asian Games Asian Games bronze medalists for Pakistan Asian Games medalists in cricket Pakistan Test cricketers Pakistan Twenty20 International cricketers Pakistan One Day International cricketers Pakistan International Airlines cricketers Lahore cricketers Lahore Whites cricketers Lahore Eagles cricketers Punjab (Pakistan) cricketers Quetta Gladiators cricketers Central Punjab cricketers Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Pakistani cricket coaches