KARACHI: Pakistan batting great Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar were formally inducted into the Pakistan Cricket Boards Hall of Fame on Friday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced the names of four former Pakistani cricketers for enlisting in the Hall of Fame for the year 2024.
According to the PCB, Former Pakistani captains Inzamam-ul-Haq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar and Mushtaq Mohammad were included in the Hall of Fame 2024. The Hall of Fame, launched three years ago, honours the country’s cricketing stalwarts.
They joined the Pakistan cricket legends Imran Khan, Javid Maindad, Muhammad Hanif, Zaheer Abbas, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram in the list of the PCB Hall of Fame.
The four cricketers were voted in by a panel of former captains, players, and analysts, including Wasim Akram, Zaheer Abbas, Azhar Ali, and Bismah Maroof. The sports journalists Majid Bhatti, Mohi Shah, Mohammad Yaqoob, Nauman Niaz, Sawera Pasha and Zahid also voted in the selection of the former legends. They will receive commemorative caps and plaques during a formal induction later this year.
Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi said that these cricketers are our ambassadors and the PCB is proud of their inclusion in the Hall of Fame 2024.
Mohsin Naqvi said that these four former cricketers achieved a special place in the history of Pakistan’s cricket.
Apprasing their contributions to the country cricket, the PCB chairman hoped that new cricketers will follow in the footsteps of these cricketers and will also achieve an important position in national cricket in future.
The PCB statement said that Inzamam, one of Pakistan’s all-time greats, is the leading run-scorer for the country in ODIs. He played a key role in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup victory.
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Misbah, known for leading Pakistan to the No.1 ICC Test ranking in 2016, is also credited with guiding Pakistan to a T20 World Cup win in 2009.
Misbah-ul-Haq:
- The only player to captain Pakistan in 50+ Tests, leading in 56 matches with 26 wins. He also captained in 87 ODIs (including the 2015 World Cup) and 8 T20Is.
- Scored 5,122 runs in 162 ODIs, the most by any player without a century, with 42 half-centuries.
- Under his captaincy, Pakistan topped the ICC Men’s Test Rankings in 2016 for the first time since 2003.
- Played in three T20 World Cups, reaching the final in 2007 and winning in 2009.
- Set the record for the fastest Test half-century in 2014 (21 balls, 24 minutes) against Australia in Abu Dhabi, and then scored a century off 56 balls, still the second-fastest in history.
- Played 15 World Cup matches in 2011 and 2015, scoring seven half-centuries.
- The only player with three scores of 99 in Test cricket.
- Led Pakistan to their first-ever Test series win in the West Indies in 2017, his final year.
- After retiring, served as head coach (2019–2021) and chief selector (2019-2020).
Mushtaq Mohammad:
- Scored 3,643 runs and took 79 wickets in 57 Tests between 1959 and 1979. He captained Pakistan in 19 Tests, winning eight, including Pakistan’s first Test win in Australia in 1977.
- Became the youngest player to debut for Pakistan in 1959 at 15 years old.
- At 17, he became the youngest to score a Test century, against India in 1962.
- The only Pakistani to score a century and take five wickets in an innings twice in a Test.
- Scored 201 and took 5-49 in the same Test against New Zealand in 1973, one of only two players to do so.
- A pioneer of the reverse-sweep shot, playing it as early as the 1970s.
- The first Pakistani to score 25,000 first-class runs, finishing with 31,091 runs and 936 wickets.
- Coached Pakistan to the 1999 World Cup final.
- Part of the only family with four brothers to play Test cricket.
Saeed Anwar:
- Overcame a “pair” on his Test debut to score 169 in his third Test, finishing with 4,052 runs and 11 centuries in 55 Tests. He captained in seven.
- Scored 8,824 runs in 247 ODIs, including 7,227 runs in 205 away ODIs, and holds the record for most ODIs centuries for Pakistan with 20.
- Scored a century in his last Test (101 vs Bangladesh, 2001) and last ODI (101 vs India, 2003).
- Scored 2,198 runs in 52 ODIs against Sri Lanka and 2,002 runs in 50 ODIs against India.
- In 1993, hit three consecutive centuries in Sharjah in four days: 107 vs Sri Lanka, 131 vs West Indies, and 111 vs Sri Lanka.
- In 1997, scored 194 against India in Chennai, breaking Viv Richards’ record for the highest individual ODI score.
- Named one of Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1996 for his 176 against England at The Oval.
- In 1999, became the third Pakistan player to carry his bat through a Test innings with 188 against India in Kolkata.
- Was Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in three consecutive ICC World Cups: 1996, 1999, and 2003.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will hold a 90-day strike force camp starting January 13, 2024. About 25 cricketers, including Abdul Samad, Hyder Ali, Yasir Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Akhlaq, Imran Rindhwa, and Saad Masood, will join the camp, which concludes after 90 days.
Players selected for the camp will report from January 12, 2024.
