Cricinfo, the one-stop site for all cricket fans, has been running through various nations’ all-time XIs. They’ve already covered Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Next up on their list is Pakistan, so I thought I would save them the trouble and just do their job for them.
Actually, when I thought about selecting this team, I realised that there wasn’t much thinking to do at all. The team selects itself; there are at most – at most – three places that could be seriously debated. But before we get into the nitty gritty details, allow me to present my dream team. Remember, this is for Test match cricket only (i.e. real cricket), so all you Shahid Afridi and Imran Nazir fan boys, please relax.
In my opinion, Pakistan’s all time XI are:
1. Hanif Mohammad
2. Saeed Anwar
3. Younis Khan
4. Javed Miandad
5. Inzamam-ul-Haq
6. Imran Khan (captain)
7. Wasim Akram
8. Rashid Latif (wk)
9. Abdul Qadir
10. Fazal Mahmood
11. Waqar Younis
First things first: I understand the batting is a touch weak. Playing two all-rounders at six and seven is usually a recipe for disaster, particularly if you lose a couple of early wickets. Plus, the tail is a bit long – Qadir, Fazal, and Waqar could all bat a bit, but none count among the uber-dogged tailenders who could bat a session. And it’s not like Rashid was Adam Gilchrist with the bat.
But you know what? It can’t be helped. If Pakistan had a super-duper star available at number six, I’d pick him, shunt everyone down a spot, and drop Fazal. But I can’t do that because there are no contenders. Asif Iqbal is a possibility, but when you consider that his batting average of 38.9 is barely better than Imran Khan’s (37.7), it doesn’t make much sense. One could also play Mohammad Yousuf here, but other than that one ungodly period from October 2005 to February 2007, his career has flattered to deceive.
He doesn’t belong in this team. No, two-all rounders at six and seven is the only way to go. But I’ll come back to this.
Let’s return to the top. Can anyone argue against the openers? Only Majid Khan’s friends and family perhaps, and fans of cool sideburns, but few others. Hanif and Saeed were easily the two greatest openers in Pakistan’s history, both averaging in the mid-40s (and when averages in the mid-40s actually meant something, unlike today). Plus, they’d complement each other nicely, with Saeed providing the flair and Hanif the solidity. Moreover, the left-right combination would upset the bowlers. No question, then, they’re starting us off.
Next we get to number three. Now, I know I’ve often been accused of being too much of a Younis fan on the Dawn Blog, but hear me out. First of all, as far as top-order batsmen in Pakistan go, he’s had bigger, uh, guts than most anyone who’s come before him. He’s one of those guys who’s always up for a battle, and you need a guy like that at one-down.
Second, he’s an excellent player abroad, and against the top teams – he averages 44 in Australia, and 43 against South Africa. Compare that to Zaheer Abbas, the other prime candidate for this spot, who averaged a pathetic 19 against the West Indies, the Australia of his day. Zaheer seems to have been my father’s generation’s Mohammad Yousuf: pretty to look at, but not someone you want with you in the trenches. Younis, on the other hand, would make for fine company in the trenches. Plus, his brilliant slip catching basically guarantees him a spot in a team light on top class fielders. He’s in.
Four and five are easy. Javed and Inzi are Pakistan’s two greatest batsmen, and I don’t know a single man, woman, child, or dog who would argue this point. The only issue might be with the running if they bat together – Javed was a hare between the wickets and relied on the single as both a defensive weapon (to get off strike) and an offensive weapon (unsettle bowlers, get momentum going in tough conditions).
Inzi, on the other hand, well… let’s just leave it at that.
Six and seven are taken by two of the greatest all-rounders in the history of cricket. Imran Khan is the most valuable cricketer Pakistan has ever produced – his batting, bowling, fielding, work ethic, captaincy, charisma, and confidence changed the way Pakistanis thought about cricket. Waz, meanwhile, may well have been even more gifted than Imran, but you never got the feeling that he put in the work on his batting that Imran did, which is a pity, because he certainly had the talent.
Waqar and Qadir are also certain selections. For a period of about five years, between 1989 and 1994, Wicky may well have been the most devastating and destructive fast bowler of all time. After his first 31 Tests, Waqar had a scarcely believable 180 wickets at an average of eighteen point seven eight with a strike rate of 35.6 (a wicket every six overs basically). Read those numbers again, and weep for the back injuries which rendered him a merely great bowler for the rest of his career.
For his part, Qadir is Pakistan’s greatest ever spinner, and with the right captain in this team (Imran), good close in fielders (Inzi at slip, Younis at silly point), and a great keeper (Rashid), he’d get plenty of wickets, even if we have neutral umpires now.
I’m going with Rashid as keeper, because I’ve rarely seen a more natural keeper. I’m not beholden to this – if you want to argue for Wasim Bari or Salim Yousuf, I can make peace with that. I’ll just say this: it’s clear some keepers are constructed (Gilchrist, Dhoni, Alec Stewart) and some keepers are born (Rashid, Healy). When you look at the latter group, you think that they popped into this world with gloves already on, shouting instructions at the delivery doctor, and telling the nurses to keep a good line. Besides, Rashid gets bonus points for being the whistle-blower on the match fixing in the 1990s, and generally being a man of integrity.
And last but not least, Fazal Mahmood. I obviously never saw him play, but take a look at his profile photograph on Cricinfo. How cool does he look? Also, other than Hanif, the entire team is a post-1980s enterprise, and I want to mix it up a little bit. Lastly, Fazal is a Pakistani legend, and was perhaps the first bowling superstar Pakistan ever had. He’d bring something different to the table, given that the other three fast bowlers in the team are all out-and-out quicks, and each is probably better with the old ball than the new.
Fazal was a classical new ball bowler, fast-medium at best, with lots of dippers and cutters. He’d get the new ball in this team along with Waz; Imran would be first change; and then Qadir and Wicky would come on when the ball gets a little old.
That, in a nutshell, is my all-time Pakistan XI. What about you, readers? What’s your dream team?
Ahsan Butt is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Chicago, and he blogs at Five Rupees.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Its a shame to even mention Younis Khan, Basit Ali or Amir Sohail in the list of greats. Here is my best eleven:
Saeed Anwar
Hanif Mohd
Salim Malik
Javed Miandad
Inzamam ul haq
Zaheer Abbas
Rashid latif
Imran Khan
Wasim Akram
Waqar Younis
Abdul Qadir
I would have Muhammad yusuf instead of younis khan.
I would have wasem raja in the team. Great average against west indies plus a good spinner and great fielder. Also hanif mohammed got keep wickets. I will choose majid khan over saeed anwar plus he could bowl and field well. We dont need 5 speacilst bowlers. 4 plus 2 part timers
1 hanif mohammed (keeper)
2 majid khan
3 younis khan
4 Javed Miandad (v cap)
5 zaheer abbas/youhanna (against quicks)
6 inzimam ul hag
7 waseem raja
8 imran khan
9 wasim akram
10 abdul qadir
11 waqar younis
RESRVES: SAQLIAN MUSTAQ FOR SPINNER WICKETS, SHOAIB AKHTAR FOR ALL QUICKS. SAEED ANWAR FOR LEFT RIGHT COMBO IF NEEDED.
1. Hanif Mohammad
2. Saeed Anwar
3. Zaheer Abbas
4. Javed Miandad
5. Yousaf Youhana
6. Imran Khan (captain)
7. Wasim Akram
8. Moin Khan (wk)
9. Abdul Qadir
10. Fazal Mahmood
11. Hafeez Kardar
w/ Mohammad Aamer your 12th Man.
Amazing!! Nobody choose Shoaib Akhtar….. not even in top 22
heheh saeed anwer in dream team for test cricket isnt it look funny ? check his test record in Pakistan as well as outside ? also again major test playing countries…
from my list he even wont be in top 20 list
What you all are doing….
MashAllah so many cricket Experts and Executive Chief Selectors..
It is always be a very tricky job to name all time best XI or team in any sports.. If i were to name my all time best Pakistan cricket XI, I would make sure all necessary parameters and criteria s are met.
Each and every candidate should have played a reasonable amount of cricket against each other cricketing nation and must have some statistics supporting his inclusion in the list. Besides his talent, grasp of the game, he should also posses good / acceptable averages to determine his class and cricketing level.
Here is my all time best Pakistan cricket XI:
1/ Hanif Mohammad
2/ Majid Khan
3/ Zaheer Abbas
4/ Javed Miandad
5/ Inzimam ul Haq
6/ Imran Khan ( C )
7/ Waseem Bari
8/ Waseem Akram
9/ Waqar Younis
10/ Abdul Qadir
11/ Fazal Mahmood
I would like to welcome reader’s comments
Zafar Iqbal
Karachi
Two changes to your XI. Instead of Fazal Mahmood I would have Saqlain Mushtaq and instead of Wasim Bari I would have Rashid Latif as he is batter batsman. I can accept Majid as an opener although in my XI I had Saeed Anwar.
My best Pakistan Eleven
Saeed Anwar
Hanif Mohd
Zaheer Abbass
Javaid Miandad
Asif Iqbal
The only spot that you got wrong is one down position. This is the dillema with our team. No one played good at one down. I would promote INZAMAM to one down and replace Younus with either Zaheer or Yousuf. Younus doesn’t qualify as the greatest.
Where did Aamir Sohail go from the list…
1. Aamir Sohail
2. Saeed Anwar
3. Zaheer Abbass
4. Javed Miandad
5. Inzamam-ul-Haq
6. Imran Khan (captain)
7. Wasim Akram
8. Rashid Latif (wk)
9. Abdul Qadir
10. saqlain Mushtaq
11. Waqar Younis
12. Ejaz Butt… to get water on and off the field
).
Interesting article. This seems a trivial task as most players select themselves. There is space for 12th man, so we can include Saqlain Mushtaq there or perhaps Zaheer Abbas (always painful to watch as an Indian–scored heavily). I want more statistics on Younis vs. Yousuf. As an Indian, I hated Miandad’s guts, which shows how great a player he was. We all wanted to be (handsome) like Imran and bowl like Wasim, when we were young (am in mid 30′s now). Waqar in full flow running from the 30 yard line was scary and a sight from the heavens. The article is light on statistics. Need some special mentions (and why they were obviously not selected) like Sarfaraz Nawaz, Shoaib Akhtar (his delivery to Dravid still baffles me). Saeed Anwar was a great one-day player, but not sure he is the best Pakistani test opener. He was definitely the best to watch (special mention to Abbas), no disputing that. Saqlain did not receive the support from the board that a person of his stature should have, although the same can be said about Quadir. Else my vote goes to Saqlain for being an innovator with the doosra and all. That we won the famous Chennai test for India is proof enough for his selection. Quadir is easily the best leggie, and not just from Pakistan. Given that you have three super fast bowlers (Imran and two ws), we need two spinners (Saqlain and Quadir) to lend some balance, or perhaps one more batsman (ie. add Yousuf and take out Fazal). With a batting lineup like this, why not go with Wasim Bari. Latif was special, but was he the best wicketkeeper that Pakistan has produced. Although lot of comments have been made about Hanif, he was a great player and would had easily increased his scoring rate on today’s pitches and heavy bats. I agree that Afridi should not be included. This is about tests, and Afridi is yet to fulfill his promise.
Its quite fair that Zaheer is not in the list. His major scores are either in home or in England. Although he used to score heavily against India, but mostly in Pakistan. He never scored a century against India in India
I agree with the team for the most part, except that I’d play Mohd Yousuf in place of Inzamam. As far as test matches are concerned, Yousuf was a better player. Inzamam was good against the weaker teams, but didn’t perform as good against the better ones. The irony is that most of the players are fairly recent, from the 90s/2000s. However, performance-wise, Pakistan was a much better team before this period. They had beaten Aus 3-0 in the 70s and consistently challenged West Indies at their zenith. With Inzamam and yousuf and the like, the team became weak and meek. Right now it is going completely down the drain with Maliks, Kamran Akmals, and Ranas.
For those unhappy with Younis Khan’s selection, it does need to be acknowledged that the side needs a dedicated no. 3 batsmen. Javed, Inzamam, Zaheer and Mo. Yousuf rarely batted at 3. If not Younis, then Saeed Ahmed is probably the next best true no. 3 batsman.
Stats can complicate the picture rather than help :
Inzamam averaged just 31 vs Australia and 32 vs South Africa
Younis Khan averages 31 vs Australia
Mohamed Yousuf averages 29 vs Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka
Zaheer Abbas averaged only 18.5 vs the West Indies (and only 17.8 vs New Zealand!)
even Javed could average only 29 vs the West Indies.
Perhaps you need to specify who this side is going to play and where. If at home vs India, then Zaheer and Younis (who average 87 and 88 respectively against India) are probably worth a place. If away against a pace attack, then maybe some other players might be considered – Majid Khan, Salim Malik, Saeed Ahmed perhaps.
Final point – has any Pakistan side ever played 4 pace bowlers, ever (except perhaps at Perth or Headingly in the mid 90′s…)? Much as I admire Fazal’s record and reputation, I’d replace him with a second spinner. Mushtaq Mohammed anyone? He has a better bowling average than any other Pakistani leg-spinner, and could bat at 6, allowing Imran at 7, Wasim at 8, and the keeper (Wasim Bari?) at 9.
Here is my Dream Team:
1. Wasiq Waqar
2. Saeed Anwar
3. Mohammed Yousuf
4. Javed Miandad
5. Inzamam-ul-Haq
6. Imran Khan (captain)
7. Wasim Akram
8. Rashid Latif (wk)
9. Abdul Qadir
10.Saqlain Mushtaq
11.Waqar Younis
P.S Wasiq waqar is myself…..My dream team is immpossible if I am not in it
I Love Pak Cricket I Will Compile The Greatest Team Shortly
Hanif,Majid,Zaheer,Yousuf,Mushtaq Mohammad,Imran,Bari,Waseem Akram,Saqlain,Fazal,Waqar. 12th man Asif Iqbal.
In my Team Eleven, I would have:
Hanif Mohammad
Saeed Anwer
Mohammad yousuf
Javed Miandad (Vice Captain)
Inzi
Imran Khan (Captain)
Imtiaz Ahmed (Wicket Keeper)
Wasim Akram
Waqar Younis
Abdul Qadir
Fazal Mehmood
Younis Khan(12th)
Mushtaq Mohammad and Salim Malik in extras.
I like to make two changes in my “Dream Team”. Instead of Mohammad Yousaf, I would have Zaheer Abbas, and Asif Iqbal instead of Inzi. Zaheer, because of his pure magic, and Asif Iqbal, purely because of his heart and excelence.Aqil Siddiqi
Sorry Brother, Where is legendry Mohd. Yousuf? I think he is the most profilic batsman in Pakistan cricket.
in my opinion
1-mudassar nazar
2-saeed anwar
3-zaheer abbas
4-javed miandad
5-inzamam ul haq
6-imran khan
7-wasim akram
8-wasim bari (wicket keeper)
9-waqar younus
10-saqlain mushtaq
11-abdul qadir
Not sure about sending Younis Khan at 3 and Inzi at 5. Better batsman is Inzi undoubtedly and I’d hate to see him come at 5 (and risk getting stuck with an admittedly frail lower middle order) when he could come in at 3 and bat with Hanif, Saeed or Javeed.
1) Hanif Muhammad
2)Saeed Anwar
3)Zaheer Abbas (”Asian Bradman”)
4)Inzamam ul Haq
5)Javed Miandad
6)Imran Khan (Captain)
7)Moin Khan (WK – since he’s a better batsman than Rashid Latif if not as good a wk)
8)Wasim Akram
9)Shoaib Akhtar
10)Waqar Younis
11)Abdul Qadir
12th Man: Saqlain Mushtaq (historically off-spinners, with the exception of Muralitharan, have not been as effective in test cricket as they have in one dayers – hence Saqlain is 12th man)
If the team was to be chosen for ODI
then I would probably replace Javed Miandad with Afridi (since we could then only choose two out of Inzi, Zaheer Abbas and Afridi) and I would not be sure whether I should play Hanif Muhammad or Aamir Sohail. I would only pick either Waqar or Shoaib (personally i prefer a fully fit Shoaib) and give the other spot to Razzaq. Lastly, I would play Saqlain instead of Abdul Qadir (Afridi could give variety from a spinner’s perspective)
Here is my team lets call it the best of the rest
And it might give your side a tough time since I have the most successful pakistan captain ever and i have the most dashing of players like Imtiaz, Majid, Wasim Raja and I have more all rounders than you do.
offcourse i didnt use any players you did
1. Imtiaz Ahmad (w)
2. Majid Khan
3. Zaheer Abbas
4. Salim Malik (c)
5. Mohammed Yousaf
6. Asif Iqbal
7. Wasim Raja
8. Saqlain Mushtaq
9. Shoaib Akhtar
10. Sarfraz Nawaz
11. Mohammed Asif
My Team:Hanif Mohammed
Saeed Anwar
Zaheer Abbas
Javed Miandad
Inzamam Ul Haq
Imran Khan
Wasim Akram
Abdul Qadir
Saqlain Mushtaq
Wasim Bari (wk)
Waqar Younis
5
In my opinion this is the ultimate Pak dream team.
1. Majid Khan
2. Saeed Anwar
3. Zaheer Abbas
4. Javed Miandad ( V Capt)
5. Mohammad Yousuf
6. Imran Khan ( Capt)
7. Rashid Latif
8. Wasim Akram
9. Abdul Qadir
10. Waqar Younis
11. Saqlain Mushtaq
If these players ever played together they would give the rest of the world’s teams much to worry about. Look at the batting line up all the way to no 8. Then probably the best reverse swing bowlers the world has ever seen are in the team. When the pace would die down then the mastery of Qadir and his leg spin and the ‘doosra’ champ Saqi would mesmerise any batting line up in the world. I reckon this is the best Pakistani team and also under the leadership of Imran Pakistan’s best all rounder. Even though the team looks like a perfect outfit for the 5 dayers I would reckon it is a good one day side too.
it is amazing to see YOUNIS KHAN IN THE LIST….. HE CAN NEVER BE NEWAYS
1. Hanif Mohammad
2. Saeed Anwar
3. Zaheer Abbass
4. Javed Miandad
5. Inzamam-ul-Haq
6. Imran Khan (captain)
7. Wasim Akram
8. Rashid Latif (wk)
9. Abdul Qadir
10. saqlain Mushtaq
11. Waqar Younis
You have a right to your opinion, but Younis Khan as a one down? Really? What happened to Majid Khan or Zaheer Abbas? Since you seemed to have picked the wicket keeper on the merit that he should be able to keep the wicket and not be a batsmen turned wicket keeper (an intended dig at Kamran ‘drop catches’ Akmal), what happened to Wasim Bari?
Sorry dear you are commiting a mistake my one down position will go to legendary Mohammad Yousaf.
I fully agree with you. But the wicket Keeping is also been ignored. How about Imtiaz Ahmed. I know, most of us haven’t even born, when these legendary players graced the field.
I will prefer Zaheer Abbas over Hanif Mohd.
My friend you have no idea what Hanif Mohammad was made of. He saved Pakistan in many many crisis situation. Zaheer Abbas, no doubt a legend in his own time, but you can not put him in Hanif’s league. Please go and have a look on cric info about Hanif’s Batting. Thanks . Aqil Siddiqi (Canada)
The team picked would be my best Test XI. But for shorter versions I would add Aamir Suhail and Shahid Afridi instead of Hanif and Fazal.