KARACHI, Feb 1: Following are the pen-sketches of Pakistan squad:
WAQAR YOUNIS
Born: Nov 16 1971. Captain. Right-arm fast bowler. Nearing the end of a glorious career which has seen him take more than 400 ODI wickets and almost as many in Tests.
ODI debut: v West Indies, Sharjah, Oct 1989. 256 matches, 409 wkts at 23.81.
Recurring back problems saw him miss 1992 World Cup.
Career seemed to be gradually on the wane in late 1990s and he played only one game in the 1999 World Cup under skipper Wasim Akram, with whom he had fallen out spectacularly.
Now reinventing himself as a leader after shock choice as captain for England’s tour 2001, following 12 months of struggle to make the Test side.
INZAMAM-UL-HAQ
Born: March 3 1970. Vice-captain. Right-hand bat. The third highest run-scorer in ODIs.
ODI debut: v West Indies, Lahore, Nov 1991. 284 matches, 8,938 runs, av 39.2, 8 hundreds and 64 fifties.
Fine slip catcher. Capable of power and finesse with the bat. Only weaknesses are his laid-back attitude, poor fitness and erratic running between wickets. Nicknamed ‘The Big Man’ and ‘aloo’ (potato).
In 1999 World Cup, ran out a string of partners, his fans chanting: “Run, Inzy, run!”
Has not scored an ODI ton for more than a year.
ABDUL RAZZAQ
Born: Dec 2 1979. Right-arm fast medium bowler, right-hand bat. One of the world’s few genuine all-rounders, is able to open both batting and bowling.
ODI debut: v Zimbabwe, Lahore, Nov 1996. 119 matches, 2,188 runs at 27.69, one century and 12 fifties. 153 wkts at 25.67.
Made his ODI debut aged 16. During 1999 World Cup, batted at three and took 13 wickets.
AZHAR MAHMOOD
Born: Feb 28 1975. All-rounder — right-arm fast medium bowler, right-hand bat. Scored an unbeaten hundred followed by an unbeaten half-century on his Test debut against South Africa in 1997.
ODI debut: v India, Toronto, Sept 1996. 123 matches, 1,309 runs at 17.68, 112 wkts at 37.33.
Had a fine 1999 World Cup, combining well with fellow all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and taking 13 wickets at 26.76. October took 6-18 off 10 overs v West Indies in Sharjah Champions Trophy, the 11th best ODI figures of all time,
Makes World Cup despite not taking wicket in last five ODIs.
RASHID LATIF
Born: Oct 14 1968. Wicket-keeper, right-hand bat. Temporarily retired at his prime, saying he was suffering from burn-out but amid reports he had made match-fixing allegations against team mates.
ODI debut: v England, Trent Bridge, Aug 1992. 143 matches, 1,352 runs at 19.04. 149 catches and 34 stumpings.
Has spent most of his career in and out of the side, regularly exchanging gloves with Moin Khan.
Looked set to miss the World Cup when suffering career-threatening neck and back problems in November. Retired from Tests but continues playing ODIs.
SAEED ANWAR
Born: Sept 6 1968. Left-hand opening bat. Holds the world record individual score in One-day Internationals of 194.
ODI debut: v West Indies, Perth, Jan 1989. 242 matches, 8,605 runs at 38.93. 19 centuries.
His 194 came in May 1997 v India in Chennai, off 146 balls and including 22 fours and five sixes, beating Viv Richards’s 189. The next highest Pakistan score in a total of 327 was 39.
Regularly sidelined by long-running knee problems in recent seasons. Speculation — after a wrist injury in early 2002 — that he could quit to concentrate on his Muslim faith and preaching following the death of his baby daughter.
SALIM ELAHI
Born: Nov 21 1976. Right-hand bat. Scored unbeaten century on ODI debut.
ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Gujranwala, Sept 1995. 36 matches, 1,271 runs, av 37.38, four hundreds.
Despite his early one-day success, flopped in Test debut series v Australia in 1995. Played four matches in five years as he continued to struggle to establish himself.
Made World Cup squad with fine run of form in late 2002, hitting three centuries in four one-day innings.
MOHAMMAD SAMI
Born: Feb 24 1981. Right-arm fast bowler. The game’s latest pace bowling discovery.
ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, April 2001. 18 matches, 25 wkts at 29.00.
Slender build. Bowls with an open-chested delivery off a short run-up.
Clocked 142 kph.
SAQLAIN MUSHTAQ
Born: Dec 29 1976. Off-spinner, useful lower-order batsman. One of only two players to take a World Cup hat trick, other being India’s Chetan Sharma.
ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Gujranwala, Sept 1995. 165 matches, 284 wkts at 21.64.
A finger spinner who can deliver a mystery ball, a “slider” which drifts away and continues to mesmerise the best.
Claimed two one-day hat tricks — both against Zimbabwe. The first in Peshawar in Nov 1996 (Grant Flower, John Rennie, Andrew Whittall), the second at The Oval in the 1999 World Cup with the last three balls of the game (Henry Olonga, Adam Huckle, Pommie Mbangwa).
SHAHID AFRIDI
Born: March 1 1980. All rounder — explosive right-hand bat, leg break googly bowler. A one-day specialist, he holds the record for the fastest ODI hundred in history.
ODI debut: v Kenya, Nairobi, Oct 1996. 173 matches, 3,871 runs at 24.04. Three centuries, 128 wkts at 39.11.
ODI debut at 16. Two days later, in his second match, hit century off 37 balls, his 102 against Sri Lanka including 11 sixes — equalling a record set by Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya — and four fours.
Sept 2002, hit third fastest 50 in ODIs — off 18 balls to equal his feat in his second one-day game — v Holland in the Champions Trophy, ending the match with a six.
SHOAIB AKHTAR
Born: Aug 13 1975. Right-arm fast bowler. Unofficially the world’s quickest but his action has led to him being called for throwing several times.
ODI debut: v Zimbabwe, Harare, March 1998. 75 matches, 122 wkts at 21.00. Best figures 6-16.
Has often been disciplined for his off-field behaviour. Rivals Australian Brett Lee for pace. Controversy over his action stemmed from an abnormally flexible elbow.
Had a huge 1999 Cup, taking 16 wickets.
Started 2002 by being hit by a tile thrown from crowd in Dhaka. Then struck extraordinary vein of form — took 6-16 to reach 100 ODI wkts v New Zealand in Karachi. Same month was unofficially recorded at 100.04mph/161kph in 3rd ODI v New Zealand in Lahore.
Inspired Pakistan to a one-day series win over Australia, taking 5-25 in the decider in Brisbane. Ended year with a last dose of controversy when found guilty of ball-tampering against Zimbabwe. Then left tour of South Africa early, the final World Cup warm-up, reportedly because of an injured knee.
TAUFIQ UMAR
Born: June 20 1981. Left-hand batsman, one of a long line of players being tried to fill Pakistan’s problematic opening berth.
ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, Oct 2001. 6 matches, 180 runs, av 30.00.
Played in the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2000. Made Test debut against Bangladesh in Multan in 2001, hitting a century.
WASIM AKRAM
Born: June 3 1966. All-rounder — left-arm fast bowler, left-hand bat. The only player to have taken 400 wickets in both Tests and one-dayers. As controversial as he is gifted. Set to retire after the 2003 World Cup. Wisden has named him as best ODI bowler of all time.
ODI debut: v New Zealand, Faisalabad, Nov 1984. 350 matches, 3,646 runs at 16.42. 490 wkts at 23.69.
Reputation tainted by allegations of involvement with match-fixing, which he has denied despite being barred from captaining Pakistan again.
Man-of-the-Match in 1992 World Cup final victory. Set to play in fifth tournament in South Africa. Captained the side that lost to Australia in 1999 World Cup final at Lord’s.
Spent more than a decade with English county Lancashire.
Test career seems to have ended sadly — in Jan 2002, bowled 16 balls in first Test in Bangladesh before breaking down with groin strain. Has not played since.
Still a sporadic force in ODIs, however. In June 2002 in Melbourne, dismissed Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting for ducks with first three balls of game. In Brisbane, 49 off 32 balls v Australia as he equalled Mohammad Azharuddin’s record of 334 one-dayers.
YOUNIS KHAN
Born: Nov 29 1977. Right-arm bat, occasional leg-spinner, fine slip fielder. Hit century on Test debut. Other claim to fame was being hit for a world-record 26 in a single Test over by New Zealand’s Craig McMillan.
ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Karachi, Feb 2000. 70 matches, 1,826 runs at 31.48, 14 half-centuries.
Front-foot player, vulnerable to the away-swinger. Has yet to match Test form to one-day game, although he has had few opportunities batting mostly at six.
YOUSUF YOUHANA
Born: Aug 27 1974. Right-hand bat. Warmed up for the World Cup by averaging 405 in an ODI series v Zimbabwe.
ODI debut: v Zimbabwe, Harare, March 1998. 121 matches, 4,160 runs, av 42.88, 8 centuries.
Devout Christian. Technically correct and graceful. A protege of former Pakistan captain and coach Javed Miandad.
In Aug 2002, was sent home from Nairobi just before a triangular ODI tournament on disciplinary grounds.—Reuters
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