Pakistan Cricket's all time Pak Eleven
One of the leading cricket websites, cricinfo.com has revealed an all time Pakistan test eleven comprising of some of the best talent that the world has ever seen. The line-up includes the likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis amongst others. A jury of senior cricket journalists and former cricketers from Pakistan selected the team, besides including some former members of the cricket board.
The team comprises of the following eleven: -
Saeed Anwar, Hanif Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Inzamam Ul Haq, Imran Khan, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis and Fazal Mahmood.
At the top of the list is the flamboyant Saeed Anwar who was once the world record holder for the highest score in an ODI, when he smashed a belligerent 194 at the Chidambaram in Chennai against arch rivals India.
The southpaw also boasts off a phenomenal test record averaging around the 45 run mark. Although he failed to make a test double hundred he had a penchant for big hundreds, scoring some remarkable tons including knock offs 188 not out, 169 and 151.
Amazingly the opener bagged a pair in his debut test in 1990, before roaring back three years later smashing 169 in a test match in Wellington, and from there on he never looked back. He ended his test career with a hundred against minnows Bangladesh at Multan.
Saeed Anwar’s opening partner is Hanif Mohamamd, the sturdy opening batsman was an icon of his era.
He is best remembered for his back against the wall knocks, including a match saving 337 against the mighty West Indies in Bridgetown, Barbados an innings that lasted a record 16 hours. At number three is Zaheer Abbas the Asian Bradman, with more than hundred first class centuries. Zaheer was an outstanding talent who could hit the bowlers with ease, both of the back and front foot. He had a special liking for slow bowlers, and left the famous Indian spin quartet running for cover in a test series, in the last seventies. The Indians fed up with his onslaught gave him a name Zaheer AB-BAS! Meaning Zaheer that’s enough!
Following Zaheer is arguably the greatest Pakistani batsman of all time, the street fighter from Karachi who still holds the record for most runs by a Pakistani in test cricket. Miandad also holds a unique record of averaging more than 50 runs per innings in the longest format of the game. Followed by Miandad is Imran Khan rated amongst the greatest all-rounder of all time. Imran collected 362 test victims, besides scoring 4000 test runs in a glittering international career, capped off with the remarkable win in 1992 World Cup in Australia.
The wicket-keeping job has gone to Rashid Latif, renowned for his agility behind the stumps.
The Karachi born keeper struck only a solitary test hundred, and was considered a weaker batsman than Moin Khan who prized out four test centuries in his career.
Yet the jury felt that his better wicket-keeping ability deserved his selection in the final line-up. The fast bowling reserves are bolstered by the inclusion of the greatest left armer of all time Wasim Akram.
Wasim has the record for most wickets for Pakistan in test cricket, while he also was a capable batsman scoring a double ton against Zimbabwe in a test match in 1996. Accompanying Wasim as his bowling partner is the great Waqar Younis, who is one of the fastest bowlers of all time, the man renowned for his toe crushers sent the batsmen hobbling off the pitch with his reverse swing at a lightening quick speed. He ended with 373 test wickets in 87 tests, the spin bowling department is beefed up by the wizardry of Abdul Qadir the leg-spinner once tore through the West Indians in a test innings in Faisalabad rolling them over for 50 odd total.
The eleven is rounded off by Fazal Mahmood the pioneer of fast bowling in the country, the opening bowler led Pakistan to its first test win in Oval with a match winning performance leading to headlines “ENGLAND FAZALED”.
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