| They called Javed Miandad the streetfighter,
the little Pakistani who revelled in a scrap on the cricket field. He was
the man you could look to when the chips were down. It was an adequate
description of part of Javed's career, but it was a career that went on for
a long time and went through many changes. Indeed, when he first emerged as
a promising leg- spinner in the 1975 World Cup squad few would have realised
they were watching the man who would become one of the most prolific and
reliable batsmen in Test cricket; who would score 280 not out against India
at Hyderabad and 260 at the Oval in 1987. For Javed, the batsman, knew all
the angles in both senses of the term. He would not be phased by bowlers or
situation. He knew there was always more time to bat than one would think.
He proved that time and again in ODIs, never more so than in the 1992
semi-final when he blocked his way through half the innings and built a
platform for the final assault by Inzamam. It was this tactical sense that
got him chosen for every World Cup from 1975 to 1995 and made him the
regular deputy as captain when Imran Khan took a series off. Javed inherited
the captaincy when Imran retired after the 1992 World Cup win, although, in
the way of Pakistan cricket, he did not keep it long. Javed had three
brothers who also played first class cricket and he played with both Sussex
and Glamorgan in the U.K. County Championship. |
