Inzamam - The Benevolent Servant of the Game

Pakistan tour of India in 2005, third test match at Bangalore, trailing by 0-1 Pakistan was under tremendous pressure of a second straight series loss to India in a span of one year beckoning. Winning the toss and electing to bat Pakistan lost their openers with just seven runs on the board, walked in the skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq with a cool head. Looking to occupy the crease with Younis Khan for his company, Inzamam started with a cautious fifty, there on he only varied his tempo and not the temperament. He exploded the Indian attack to all corners with some beautiful drives with sheer timing and his trademark back-foot cut. On reaching his 21st century, he was picking singles at will before Lakshmipathy Balaji trapped him leg before first ball of the second day’s play. But by then with Younis Khan, he had put Pakistan well on their way to a series-leveling win. And this is Inzamam at his best for you.

Inzy is a man of strength and delicacy. Powerful hitting should be no surprise, but his sublime touch when on song is remarkable for a man of his bulk. He hates exercising and often looks a passenger on the field, but with a willow in his hands he is Rahul Dravid of Pakistan – the Wall.

There are many other Inzy moments, the 1992 World Cup semi-final knock against New Zealand, the Multan one wicket win over Bangladesh, power steering knock of 122 against India in Karachi ODI where they lost by just 5 runs chasing 350 and a marathon knock of 329 against Kiwis in a test match. Each and everyone of his knock have one thing in common – a calming influence on the scoreboard and a breadth easy dressing room atmosphere.

He led Pakistan with dignity and was successful in earning respect from his boys as well – a rarity in Pakistan dressing room. He had a calming effect on the boys getting them to give their best every time they took the field. His above mentioned knock in Bangalore in his 100th test match brought out the leader in him.

He didn’t have a good physic; with his overweight body led to names such as ‘aloo’ he was a comic character on the field. Popular for his bizarre running between the wickets, he was good in compensating that with his willowy blows. He was the backbone of the Pakistan middle order for a longtime though never had the necessity to be a lone warrior. He was well supported by Javid Miandad, Salim Malik, Imran Khan, Saeed Anwar, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan throughout his career. He neither had the pressure as what Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly or Rahul Dravid face from their fans.

His conversion rate of centuries into a match winning one is also very good compared to some of his compatriots with 17 out of 25 resulting in a win. However, his ODI record isn’t that great, showing a sense of under achievement. Playing 378 ODIs, most for a Pakistani, he only managed 10 centuries with an average a shade under 40. Though he had the potential to anchor an innings, he preferred playing lower down the order and was criticized by many former cricketers for not taking the leading role.

In a long career as his, hardly anyone can escape poor form. He was no exception. He was also dodged with poor form especially during the 2003 World Cup where he managed a mere 16 runs from six innings with Pakistan knocked out in the first round.

On the other hand, he wasn’t always under the good books; he also faced a fair share of criticism and clouded with controversy. He had a few spats with Shoaib Akhtar which resulted in some unrest in the team for sometime. And his last one year of international cricket hasn’t been good either. Defeat at the hands of Ireland sealed the World Cup for Pakistan in the Caribbean, an event overshadowed by Bob Woolmer death. The team was under immense pressure, with being blamed for Woolmer’s death and police enquiry, he passed one of the most difficult phases of his life.

He was also blamed for influencing religion within the team and the last one year one saw more of emotional Inzamam than anything else.

Clearly he shouldn’t be remembered for every thing that has happened in the last one year. For a career that spanned for 15 years it is natural that a stain or two happens to stick on. One has to salute the courage and the greatness in him to fight out all that he came across to sign off with a smile.