how are 10 greatest Pakistani cricketers of all-time?
#2 Wasim Akram
At his best, I’m sure batsmen of his generation would vouch for the fact that there was no bowler more menacing than Wasim Akram, who had the ability to swing the ball both ways, from over and around the wicket, at speeds of 90 mph and more.
The 1992 World Cup final between Pakistan and England in Melbourne probably sums up the genius of Akram. In the 35th over of England’s run chase, Akram, bowling around the wicket, took the crucial wicket of Allan Lamb with a ball that was coming in with the angle before leaving Lamb at the last moment, knocking Lamb’s off-stump out of the ground. Just to show that he could bring the ball back in as well, he bowled England all-rounder Chris Lewis off the very next ball with a delivery that came back in sharply to the right-hander.
He finished his career with 414 Test wickets and 502 ODI wickets from 104 and 356 matches respectively.
#3 Hanif Mohammad
Born in present-day India, Hanif Mohammad was the first truly outstanding batsman to emerge from Pakistan. Known as the “Little Master”, he played 55 Tests for Pakistan in a career that spanned 17 years, and in that time, he scored 3915 runs at an average of nearly 44.
The highlight of his long career was undoubtedly his triple hundred against West Indies in Bridgetown, Barbados in 1957-58. Facing a deficit of 473 runs after the 1st innings, Hanif made 337 in an innings that lasted more than a colossal 16 hours, thereby salvaging a miraculous draw from a hopeless situation.
His record of playing the longest Test match innings ever has stood the test of time, and his 337 is also the only occasion that a batsman has scored a triple century in the 2nd innings of a Test match.
#1 Imran Khan
There was supposedly a fierce rivalry between Imran Khan and Javed Miandad during their time with Pakistan, but I don’t think even Miandad can dispute that Imran is the greatest cricketer Pakistan has ever produced.
Imran is also one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the game and had a major role in transforming a mediocre side into one that ran the invincible West Indies side of the 1980s close on a couple of occasions in Test cricket apart from having the distinction of leading Pakistan to their only 50-over World Cup victory in 1992.
He took 362 wickets in just 88 Tests at an average of 22.81 and also scored 3807 runs at an average close to 40 in a career that spanned 2 decades. Apart from his own contributions on the field, he also deserves immense credit for molding the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, both of whom he picked out of gut instinct, into the champion bowlers that they became.