Today, Pakistan is amongst the favorite cricket teams in the world. It was only possible because of the famous former cricketers who played for their country and brought it far. Pakistan has always been thankful to all the former sportsperson for creating history. These cricketers left no stone upturned and brought the team to compete at the international level. Let me introduce you to the Top 10 famous former Pakistani cricketers who brought glory to the nation.
1. Imran Khan
The great former cricketer and a successful politician, Imran Khan, is supremely remembered for his young days in cricket. Before joining politics, the cricketer represented his country on the international ground and received many trophies too. The former cricketer has scored more than 7000 runs and seized more than 500 wickets in his entire cricket career. Arguably, he was the best all-rounder and a charismatic personality that led their cricket team to a great extend.
2. Misbah Ul Haq
Misbah ul Haq is an outstanding batsman and a former captain of Pakistan ODI and tests cricket teams. The cricketer has been one of the most popular and talked about cricketers from Pakistan. Besides, he was one of the most preferred batsmen during his time. Currently, the cricketer is the head coach and chief selector of Pakistan. He ended his career with a score of 5,122 runs.
3. Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram was compared with a bowling machine because his pace and accuracy in bowling were on point. It was true that players were too scared to face an all-rounder like him. His unique features were reverse swing and Yorker; both are difficult to play and hard to bowl. Besides, he was popularly known as “Sultan of Swing.” Wasim Akram is one of the best-known bowlers in the world of cricket. He took 414 wickets in 104 test matches and 502 wickets in 356 ODI’s.
4. Shahid Khan Afridi
Shahid Khan Afridi needs no introduction because he is one of the most respected and generous cricketers in the world. The ODI all-rounder is also known as Boom Boom Lala, who served as a captain for the Pakistan cricket team. The best thing about the cricketer is that his performance is ace in all aspects of the game. He has scored 8,064 runs in ODI and has knocked 395 wickets in his cricket career.
5. Younis Khan
Younis Khan was a legendary cricketer from Pakistan. His heroic batting skills were scenes of a fantasy sport. Disappointingly, the great cricketer is quite underrated and uncelebrated. The batsman has scored hundreds in all test matches. In fact, the tally of his hundreds in test matches is 34. Plus, the cricketer also has scored more than seven thousand runs in ODIs.
6. Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad was an unpredictable all-rounder cricketer. His batting skills were dangerous with a pinch of aggression, whereas his balling pace was quite explosive. Javed Miandad was a tricky player. Also, to add in, he is the highest run-maker in Pakistan.
7. Hanif Mohammad
Hanif Mohammad started at a very young age, due to which he was called a “little master”. The young cricketer was quite aggressive while playing. His batting skills were super fundamental and memorable when he scored huge runs against the top bowlers of the West Indies in 1957. The great batsman scored 3915 runs in fifty-five test matches, including twelve centuries.
8. Fazal Mahmood
Fazal Mahmood was a boon for the Pakistan cricket team in the 1950s. The bowler earned respect in his debut matches and won the hearts of many people. Back in 1952 and 1954, Fazal took a colossal 24 wickets of batsmen in the games with India and England, and he was announced as the match-winner for the same. Also, he was the first match-winner from Pakistan. He was not only a great bowler but also the secret of Pakistan’s victory. Disappointingly, the bowler retired after a decade in 1962.
9. Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis was the deadliest opening fast bowler from Pakistan. He was an expert in reverse swing Yorker which helped him to kick out many great batsmen off the field. It was said that when Waqar Younis stepped on the ground to bowl, the scene was worth watching because the bowler could pitch the ball where he wanted to. Most of his balls would often land on the batsman’s shoes or at the base of the leg-stump. The bowler earned 373 wickets in 87 test matches and 416 wickets in 262 ODI's.
10. Abdul Qadir
Abdul Qadir is a well-known leg-spin bowler who performed for the country at the international level. The bowler had successfully claimed 9 wickets in an inning match against England. In three test matches, Pakistan won the series by taking thirty wickets. The bowling performance of Abdul Qadir is regarded as one of the best bowling outcomes from Pakistan. Abdul Qadir had control over his several variations of bowling that terrified the batsmen while facing his balls. In total, the former cricketer has 368 wickets in international cricket.
