Kaptaan, the greatest Pakistani cricketer

Our nation may not produce another for Imran is Pakistan’s epitome of cricketing greatness.


Safwan Umair June 02, 2012

Judging between a good cricketer and a great one is not easy.

Do you judge him by his ability to single-handedly alter the course of play or will the focus be on the statistics and numbers he has built up over the course of his career?

Victor Trumper, Ranjitsinhji and WG Grace are rated as the finest batsmen of all-time. Statistically, they don’t belong at the top as none of the three averaged over fifty in Tests.

However, they plied their trade in an era of uncovered pitches, limited protective equipment and thin bats. A compelling paradox to tackle for many is how these guys would’ve fared in the modern-day conditions.

The above example proves that great cricketers never aim at amassing runs or capturing wickets in the pursuit of statistical glory. Instead, it’s their ability to perform even in adverse conditions against the best of opponents that separates them from the ordinary blokes.

While the rest of the Australian batting line-up was pummelled into submission by Harold Larwood and company, Don Bradman managed to average over fifty in the ‘body-line’ series and painted a true reflection of the mind, body and skill that constitutes a great.

Like every other Test-playing nation bar Bangladesh, Pakistan has produced its fair share of greats. Various good players have come and gone, but greatness by its nature is a very reclusive privilege.  Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamamul Haq, and Mohammad Yousuf are the probable candidates to have attained this coveted status.

Fazal only managed 139 Test wickets but they came at a miserly average of 24.7 and included several match-winning performances in a team devoid of another world-class bowler.  Hanif scored 3,915 Test runs, a tally that pales in comparison to other Pakistani greats but he won and saved matches with a classical, dogged style that guided Pakistan through the battling days of cricketing inception.

However, among all these greats, Imran was perhaps Pakistan’s greatest. At the end of an 88-Test career, Imran had a bowling average of 23 and a batting average of 38 – the numbers hinting at the longevity of his greatness as a cricketer and place him inimitably high on the all-rounder’s pedestal. Against Australia at Adelaide in 1990, Imran came into bat with Pakistan placed at 90 for five after conceding an 84-run first-innings lead. Unflustered by the enormity of the task at hand, a magnificent 136 was conjured up in a stirring partnership with Akram that turned the tables.

In the 1982-83 Test series against India, Imran scored 247 runs and captured a record 40 wickets, including an 11 for 79 in Karachi which helped thrash a seemingly impregnable Indian batting line-up. At Leeds in 1987, the English batsmen were blown away in familiar conditions by Imran’s mastery over seam and swing.

Imran was not only skilled with the bat and ball but also with his leadership and the ability to thrive under pressure. He specialised in inspiring teammates to dream the impossible while maintaining prodigious levels of integrity, honesty and self-discipline. The best illustration is the 1992 World Cup when a doomed campaign was miraculously transformed into a glorious triumph.

Our nation may not produce another for Imran is Pakistan’s epitome of cricketing greatness.

The writer is a business graduate from Manchester and Glamorgan

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2012.

COMMENTS (39)

Safwan umair | 11 years ago | Reply

It's good for a change to sideline our personal biases and appreciate quality when we see it. Tim de lisle, a famed wisden editor once said while filming an espn series that Imran should be made captain of an all time test match eleven. And here we have some people labeling Imran an average player. Incredulous!

sam | 11 years ago | Reply

Khan is a real Kaptaan.

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