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The man they called 'Mum & Dad'
by Khawer Rabbani - 29 March 2003
A tribute to Pakistan coach:
In 1972, the Karachi team was playing against a local club and their
captain (a rather defensive sort of batsman) was at the crease.
The match was a 'nail-biter', tough and tense when the scoreboard
showed Karachi needing 18 runs off 3 balls to win. A young boy in
the Karachi squad asked the manager to call back the captain and
offered to go out instead! The manager hesitated but then agreed.
Out went the youngster and won the game for his team by hitting
three consecutive sixes. He never knew that one day, he would be
the 'Mum&Dad' of Pakistan cricket.
Only 17 in 1973, he smashed a triple-hundred for Karachi playing
against Pakistan Railways. This world record still stands, a mammoth
311 runs to become the youngest player to hit a triple-century in
first-class cricket.
Two years later in 1975, this young lad was selected for the Pakistan
World Cup squad. He played his first match against the giants of
world cricket, West Indies, a team full of uncompromising bowlers
and slayer-batsmen. As the sixth batsman he scored 24 and was run-out
but denied any bowler from getting his wicket. While bowling in
the same match he captured the prize wicket of the great West Indies
captain, Clive Lloyd. Initially, commentators were confusing him
with Pervez Mir but with this ODI debut performance, he had made
his presence felt and they were soon calling him by his own name.
Next year in 1976, the Kiwis toured Pakistan for a 3-Test series.
In the first Test match this young man made his Test debut. He came
out to bat when Pakistan had lost Majid Khan, Mushtaq Mohammad,
Zaheer Abbas, Sadiq Mohammad at a score of only 44 and Asif Iqbal
was on the crease. The youngster scored a scintillating 163 in his
first innings reaching the ton with three successive boundaries.
After the game, Asif Iqbal said the young boy was even guiding him
during their tremendous partnership and was happy he did made 3
runs more then the emerging cricketing giant! In the third Test,
that young man permanently engraved the writing on the wall by hitting
a marathon 206 not out against a side that had the services of great
bowlers like Richard Hadlee. This innings was another unbeaten world
record, the youngest in the world to score a Test double-century.
It was at this time that cricket pundits around the world started
raising eyebrows on the 'new-arrival'.
In 1978, archrivals India visited Pakistan and this young man helped
Pakistan win the series to be added to the list of great cricketers.
When only 22 in 1979 the BCCP President, Air Marshal (Rtd) Nur Khan
bravely appointed him captain of the Pakistan team superseding some
senior players. A decision that many thought was unwise. But as
I see it, I don't agree with them because the young captain had
already proved himself to be the best player. Subsequent cricket
managements in Pakistan played musical chairs with his captaining
career rather than grooming a long-term captain.
In 1981-82 he skippered Pakistan on the Australian tour, though
losing the series 2-1 the Pakistan team did give a tough time to
the Aussies. That series is famous for the legendary fast bowler
Dennis Lillee's, kicking incident and the riposte he got.
In that year he stepped down from captaincy for Imran Khan and accepted
a place as his deputy, content with Imran and his strategies. The
cricketing world recognizes the IMRAN-MIANDAD combination as peerless.
Thereafter, these two giants of Pakistan cricket started to lift
the babes of the sport towards a destination that they achieved
after a decade.
In the next memorable season 1982-83, India again visited Pakistan
for a six-Test series. In the second test match at Niaz Stadium
Hyderabad he scored 280 not-out and helped equal a then world record
for the highest partnership for any wicket in Test cricket partnered
by Mudassar Nazar (451 runs). A world record set in 1938 by William
Ponsford and Donald Bradman against England.
The maestro was stopped from possibly breaking the individual Test
world record of Sir Garfield Sobers by captain Imran Khan, who decided
to declare when the wonder-boy was on 280 and going great guns.
Imran did not even give him a particular time or the number of overs
he could bat on for. Most critics agree that this was one of the
worst decisions by Imran as captain of Pakistan. But the great batsman
never complained about it, instead he went on to make four more
double-hundreds in his remaining career.
In 1984, Imran Khan got injured and the captaincy reverted to Miandad
and he proved to be the right choice yet again. He led Pakistan
to a 3-0 win over Sri Lanka in the Test series and also hit a double-hundred.
During this time he had played in all of the three World Cups held
in England and helped Pakistan win many games but not achieve the
ultimate goal.
In 1986 he suddenly turned the table around for Pakistan, when in
the Australasia Cup in Sharjah he showed the perfect way and combination
to win a game at this level. In an emotion-packed final against
India chasing a target of 246 runs the cricketing brain made it
possible by hitting an unbeaten 116 with a six on the last ball.
A shot that echoed round the world and almost finished off the unlucky
bowler's (Chetan Sharma) career. He was a real super-hero by that
time, people started to copy him all over the world, he was given
names like, the 'Man of Crises' and the 'Master batsman'.
The next year, 1987 at the extravaganza of the World Cup in India
and Pakistan, he was again Imran's deputy and helped steer Pakistan
to the semi-final. Lady luck favoured Australia when Pakistan was
set a target of more than 250 and Pakistan's wicket-keeper got injured,
Miandad told Imran not to worry for he will keep, and he did it
magnificently against bowlers like Imran, Abdul Qadir and Wasim
Akram. He kept wicket for 45 overs then batted and made 70 runs,
but in vain as Pakistan lost, another chance missed, the nation
shocked.
Next season he proved he was the only man in the world who just
could not be dominated, as he hit two hundreds in West Indies, a
double hundred in a Test against England and a hundred in a one-dayer
in England too.
In 1989 he was again awarded captaincy and yet again helped wash
the Kiwis out 3-0 in a three-Test rubber. During the series he hit
yet another double-hundred in Auckland.
In 1990 Imran became skipper again and Miandad had a bad back. He
was not very prolific during the 1990-91 season but remained a dangerous
batsman. Because of the injury and unpleasant Pakistani cricket
politics he was pressed to miss a match or two in the different
series, but he remained confident and the nation waited for his
return to magical form.
Then came the famous year for Pakistan cricket - 1992. When the
World Cup team was first announced on national television his name
was not included, the whole nation was dejected. But soon, Imran
realised that Pakistan could not win without Miandad, so he was
called 'down-under' and immediately proved his fitness in the first
outing in a warm-up match against Sri Lanka by hitting an unbeaten
80. Then he almost scored the most runs in that World Cup, second
to Martin Crowe who may have had the advantage of smaller grounds
and home crowds. Miandad scored 437 runs with 5 fifties in 9 outings.
After winning the World Cup, Imran retired and left the 'Mum&Dad'
in-charge. He took Pakistan to England and helped defeat them 2-1
in the Tests and then the Kiwis 1-0.
When he came back to his country he was thrown out from captaincy
and his fans were dismayed in the manner adopted by the Board and
lamented the return of politics that would affect Pakistan's cricket
future in the years to come.
In 1993 he agreed to play under his pupil Wasim Akram, as he hit
another hundred against the South Africans with brilliant strokes
against Allan Donald towards the areas patrolled by the brilliant
Jonty Rhodes. When, after that match Jonty was asked about his failure
in stopping those masterly shots he commented, "I've got the
legs, He's got the brain".
In 1994, for the first time in his illustrious and brilliant career,
his own pupil, Wasim Akram, dropped him from the team. That decision
subsequently cost Akram his captaincy and fame in Pakistan. The
master batsman announced his retirement on 6th April 1994, tears
filling his eyes, during a press conference. Cricket lovers in Pakistan
raised a hue and cry, chanting 'No Miandad, No Cricket'. The Prime
Minister and President of Pakistan had to step in and request the
batting wizard to reconsider his decision. In the best interest
of the nation and Pakistani cricket he made himself available for
selection again.
In 1996, he was selected for the World Cup squad on merit, by scoring
lots of runs in trial matches. Wasim Akram asked him to bat at sixth
position, most critics said "what a waste", a spot where
he was of little use as he was no longer a young and energetic man
and only had the charisma and experience to help anchor the team
batting higher in the order.
In Bangalore, after Wasim suddenly declared himself unfit, Miandad
replayed the scene for those who were children or not born till
1975 when he had made his World Cup debut. Just like the debut match
when he denied every bowler from taking his wicket he did the same
in Bangalore but batting again in the 6th spot, wickets fell around
him and he was eventually run-out near the end.
Pakistan had lost their match in 1975 and the same happened in 1996.
Was there any difference? Indeed, a huge one; in the 1975 match
Miandad was coming to cricket whereas in 1996 'Mum&Dad' was
leaving it!
Players will come and players will go, but will there be any other
'street-fighter', will there be any other such conqueror, will there
be any other wonder-boy and will there be any other 'Mum&Dad'
in Pakistan cricket?
Unfortunately, the answer is 'NO'.
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