Source (Google.com.pk)
Inzamam Ul Haq Biography
Full name Inzamam-ul-Haq
Born March 3, 1970, Multan, Punjab
Current age 41 years 241 days
Major teams Pakistan, Asia XI, Faisalabad, ICC World XI, ICL Pakistan
XI, Lahore Badshahs, Multan, National Bank of Pakistan, Rawalpindi,
United Bank Limited, Yorkshire.
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm orthodox
Profile
Inzamam-ul-Haq is a symbiosis of strength and subtlety. Power is no
surprise, but sublime touch is remarkable for a man of his bulk. He
loathes exercise and often looks a passenger in the field, but with a
willow between his palms he is suddenly galvanised. He plays shots all
round the wicket, is especially strong off his legs, and unleashes
ferocious pulls and lofted drives. Imran Khan rates him the best batsman
in the world against pace. Early on he is vulnerable playing across his
front pad or groping outside off stump. He uses his feet well to the
spinners, although this aggression can be his undoing. Inzi keeps a cool
head in a crisis and has succeeded Javed Miandad as Pakistan's premier
batsman, but his hapless running between wickets is legendary and most
dangerous for his partners.
There were no such problems against New
Zealand at a boiling Lahore in 2001-02, when Inzamam belted 329, the
second-highest Test score by a Pakistani and the tenth-highest by
anyone. However, he was then dogged by poor form, scoring just 16 runs
in Pakistan's ill-fated World Cup campaign in 2003.
He was dropped from
the team briefly, but then roared back to form, scoring a magnificent
unbeaten 138 and guiding Pakistan to a thrilling one-wicket win against
Bangladesh at Multan. He was rewarded with the captaincy of the team,
and despite leading them to victory in the Test series in New Zealand,
question-marks about his leadership qualities surfaced when Pakistan
were beaten in both the Test series and the one-dayers against India.
But the selectors persevered with him and this bore results when he took
a team thin on bowling resources to India and drew the Test series with
a rousing performance in the final Test, Inzamam's 100th. After scoring
a magnificent 184, Inzamam led the team astutely on a tense final day
and took Pakistan to victory. Since that day, Inzamam has gone from
strength to strength as captain and premier batsman. By scoring a
hundred against West Indies in June 2005, he kept up a remarkable record
of matchwinning centuries, amongt the best of modern-day batsmen.
A
magnificent year ended with Inzamam leading his team to triumph over
Ashes-winning England; personally the series was arguably his best ever.
He never failed to make a fifty, scored twin centuries at Faisalabad
for the first time, going past Miandad as Pakistan's leading
century-maker and joining him as only the second Pakistani with 8000
Test runs. As captain, he never looked more a leader, uniting a young,
inexperienced team and turning them, once again, into a force to matter
globally. The turn of the year brought contemplation; he missed the Test
victory over India at Karachi with a persistent back injury. The
subsequent ODI thrashing also raised concerns about Inzamam as ODI
captain, none of which were entirely wiped away during ODI and Test wins
in Sri Lanka. Pakistan were then beaten comprehensively in the Test
series in England though all was forgotten - including Inzamam's own
poor form - by events at The Oval. There, Inzamam, astonishingly for a
man perceived as so insouciant, became the most controversial figure in
cricket for a week, leading his side off the field in protest at charges
of ball tampering made by umpires Billy Doctrove and Darrell Hair.
They
refused to come out at first, then delayed the start before eventually
forfeiting the Test, the first time in the history of the game. In
Pakistan, he became a national hero, saviour of a country's pride and
honour. He was banned for four ODIs and returned to lead the side to a
series-win over West Indies followed by a disappointing Test series in
South Africa, and then quit the one-day game after Pakistan were
eliminated from the World Cup at the first hurdle, an event overshadowed
by the death of Bob Woolmer. Even though he expressed his desire to be
part of the Test team, Inzamam was not offered a central contract in
July and, according to a few, might signal the end of his illustrious
international career.
He, however, made that decision himself after signing up for the Indian
Cricket League and faced a life-time ban from PCB. He later quit the ICL
and made himself available for selection. The second Test against South
Africa in Lahore was his farewell game. He fell just two short of Javed
Miandad's record for the highest Test aggregate by a Pakistan batsman
and 60 short of a career average of 50.
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