On this day: Pakistan’s greatest ever batsman was born

Javed Miandad was instrumental throughout his career and played key part in many victories for Men in Green

KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket history is being largely dominated by bowlers, specifically fast-bowlers, who ‘shook up’ the world with their pace, accuracy, and charisma.

This is seen as one of the main reasons why the likes of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Sarfraz Nawaz, Aqib Javed, Muhammad Zahid and many others became the face of Pakistan cricket, which will be remembered for years to come.

However, between all those names, few batsmen managed to stand out and deliver on the big stage, and it was none other than the legendary Javed Miandad who did more than any other in Pakistan jersey.

In a career which lasted for nearly two decades, the man who is known for his last-ball six against India’s Chetan Sharma is regarded by many as the most intelligent batsman Pakistan has ever produced.

PHOTO: AFP

Looking only at his numbers, the argument makes sense as he finished the career with 8,832 Test runs at an average of nearly 53, which is the second best number produced by Pakistan’s top 50 runs scorer in the longest format of the game.

In the ODI format, he remained the country’s Mr Dependable, and finished with 7381 runs at an average of 41.7, finishing behind Zaheer Abbas (47.62), Misbahul Haq (43.4) and Mohammad Yousuf (42.08).

Miandad showed his mettle in 1992 World Cup triumph as well, which to date remains Pakistan’s greatest sporting achievement.

PHOTO: FILE

Even though he remained away from the limelight, he stood firm in the two crucial matches of the tournament.

In the semi-final, he played a cool-headed knock of 57 not-out and made sure he stayed on the pitch till the end, whereas in the final he played a second fiddle role to captain Imran Khan, and provided a great platform to Wasim Akram and Inzamamul Haq, who helped the team in positing a competitive total on the board.

PHOTO: AFP

The Karachi-born middle-order batsman also had three stints as a coach of the national team. Even though all of them remained relatively successful, none of them could last long enough to bring stability to the fragile cricket system.

He first became Pakistan’s coach in September 1998, and guided the team to two Tests win over arch-rivals India. However, his first tenure lasted less than a year as he resigned surprisingly from the post prior to the 1999 World Cup.

He then once again took charge of Pakistan national team in 2000, where he guided the team to victories in Sharjah Cup, West Indies tri-series and Test series in Sri Lanka. Yet again, loss in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final and subsequent defeat in ODI series against New Zealand proved the fatal blow in Miandad's rather successful tenure as head coach.

PHOTO: AFP

His last tenure as national team's coach started after disappointing 2007 World Cup, where he won a third Sharjah Cup along with Test series win over South Africa at home. But an ODI series loss against arch-rivals India on home soil proved enough to end his third term as well.

Miandad's quality which stood out among the rest was his ability to find humour in an intense conditions. The famous incident against India in 1992 World Cup, where he teased Indian wicketkeeper Karan More remains one of the highlights of the event.


In another famous incident, he threatened to hit Australian fast-bowler Dennis Lillee, after the fast-bowler tried to disrupt his concentration.


On this day, it is just fair to conclude that Pakistan was blessed with one of the best cricketing minds this country has ever produced.

So, we wish many returns of the day to the veteran today.