Inzamam bids adieu to cricket
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Inzamam ul-Haq's formidable presence on the cricket field will certainly be missed by Pakistan.
The former captain announced he would be retiring from international
cricket prior to the second Test match against South Africa in
Lahore and he has no intention of changing his mind now the decision
has been made.
But he could not sign off in style after failing to break Javed Miandad's record of 8,832 runs in his last ever innings -
falling just four runs short in his attempt to become the highest
scorer for Pakistan in Test match history. |
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"It was a difficult decision to make, but the youngsters are playing well
and I have decided it's better to leave," Inzamam said.
"I think I will leave my position to them as they have performed well
since the World Cup. I am confident that in the future they will continue
to perform well. I think my decision is what is best for Pakistan and for
cricket."
The 37-year-old certainly leaves a remarkable cricketing legacy.
His 25 Test centuries are the most by a Pakistan batsman. And of those, 17
resulted in a Pakistan victory.
He was also just the fifth batsman to score a hundred in his 100th Test,
which he achieved in Bangalore against arch rivals India in 2005 and was
the ICC's top ranked batsman in Test cricket 1995 and 1997.
Inzamam bowed out of one-day cricket in the wake of Pakistan's ignominious
exit from the World Cup earlier this year, a tournament which was
overshadowed by the death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer.
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He made his one-day international debut in a home series
against West Indies back in 1991 and his Test debut the
following year against England.
The intervening years have seen some notable highs and also
some disappointing lows for a player whose talent, however,
has never been in doubt.
Running between the wickets, though, was something of an
Achilles heel for the portly Inzamam, who is one of the most
recognisable figures in world cricket with his imposing beard. |
Nevertheless, he can look back on his career in both Test cricket and
one-day internationals with considerable pride.
In the one-day format he made a major impact at
the 1992 World Cup with superb knocks in both
the semi-final and final.
He is also just the second batsmen to notch
10,000 runs in this format of the game, behind
only the great Sachin Tendulkar of India.
Inzamam's final one-day international appearance
for Pakistan was against Zimbabwe at the 2007
World Cup.
Unfortunately his Test career will forever be
overshadowed by the unfortunate events which
took place at The Oval on August 20, 2006 when
the Pakistan team were accused of ball
tampering.
Umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove awarded
England five penalty runs and the offer of a
replacement ball after they alleged the match
ball had been tampered with.
Having led his team to the dressing room at the
tea interval Inzamam kept them in their dressing
room in protest at the decision.
The impasse remained unresolved until the
umpires ultimately decided the match could not
continue and Inzamam became the first Test
captain in the game's history to forfeit a Test
match.
His Test record as a player is exemplary,
though, and he certainly goes down as one of the
sport's greats.
He cracked a brilliant 329 against New Zealand
in Lahore in the 2001-02 season, the second
highest-ever Test score by a Pakistani.
Inzy, as he is popularly known, also scored a
century in each innings of the second Test match
against England in 2005 and secured his 25th
century in the second Test match against India
in January of last year which made him the 10th
player to score 25 or more centuries.
He also captained his country in 25 Test matches
to underline his outstanding contribution to his
country's rich cricketing history.
A colourful character, the hugely talented Inzy
may have exited the international stage, but he
certainly will not be forgotten.
--Sporting Life |
