More cult figures, this time from Pakistan. These ones are all top-class players as well (sort of):
- Inzamam-ul-Haq is a giant both in physical stature and in cricketing terms. As well as his run-making abilities and prowess against pace, Inzy will be well remembered by cricket fans of all stripes for going after a spectator who compared him to a potato, getting run out on a frequent basis and of course falling over his wicket.
- Shahid Afridi is perhaps the ultimate in Pakistani cricket’s recent cult figures, even to the extent that some people name their cats after him. His, frankly, ridiculuous ODI 100 from 37 balls back in 1996 set the tone for a career which has been high on incident and massive hits and low on succesful defensive shots. Somewhat surprisingly, he hasn’t really taken to Twenty20 cricket, although that may just be because he is easily distracted.
- Shoaib Akhtar is another controversial figure, to the point where it’s often difficult to remember exactly what he’s serving a ban for at any given time. His sheer pace marked him out as special from an early stage, and he obviously sees himself as unique.
- There are two moments in Javed Miandad’s career which necessitate his inclusion in this list. The first is his last-ball six in the final of the Austalasia Cup in 1986 (which can be seen here), and the second is his fight with Dennis Lillee, which I’ve written about before. Whatever else he did in his career (and he did quite a lot), he will be remembered by many for these two things.
Waqar Younis is best bowller of former Pakistani bowller. Waqar younis is the great player.