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Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq.jpg
Inzamam-ul-Haq in 2005
Personal information
Full name
Syed Inzamam-ul-Haq
Born (1970-03-03) 3 March 1970 (age 55)
Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
Nickname Inzi
Sultan of Multan
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Batting Right-handed
Bowling Slow left-arm orthodox
Role Batsman
Relations Javed Ilyas (uncle)
Imam-ul-Haq (nephew)
Ibtesam-ul-Haq (son)
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 124) 4 June 1992 v England
Last Test 5 October 2007 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 158) 23 November 1991 v West Indies
Last ODI 21 March 2007 v Zimbabwe
ODI shirt no. 8
Only T20I (cap 2) 28 August 2006 v England
Domestic team information
Years Team
1985/86–2003/04 Multan
1988/89–1996/97 United Bank Limited
1996/97–2000/01 Faisalabad
1998/99 Rawalpindi
2001/02 National Bank of Pakistan
2006/07 Water and Power Development Authority
2007 Yorkshire
2007/08–2008/09 Hyderabad Heroes
2007/08–2008/09 Lahore Badshahs
Head coaching information
Years Team
2015–2016 Afghanistan
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 120 378 245 458
Runs scored 8,830 11,739 16,785 13,746
Batting average 49.60 39.53 50.10 38.04
100s/50s 25/46 10/83 45/87 12/97
Top score 329 137* 329 157*
Balls bowled 9 58 2,704 896
Wickets 0 3 39 30
Bowling average 21.33 33.20 24.66
5 wickets in innings 0 2 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 0
Best bowling 1/0 5/80 3/18
Catches/stumpings 81/– 113/– 172/– 128/–
Medal record
Men's Cricket
Representing  Pakistan
ICC Cricket World Cup
Winner 1992 Australia and New Zealand
Runner-up 1999 England-Wales
-Ireland-Scotland-Netherlands
Source: CricketArchive, 20 September 2008

Syed Inzamam-ul-Haq SI, often called Inzi, is a famous former cricket player and captain from Pakistan. Many people think he is one of the best players Pakistan has ever had. He was also one of the top middle-order batsmen of all time.

Inzamam was a key part of the Pakistani team that won the 1992 Cricket World Cup. He holds the record for scoring the most runs for Pakistan in One-Day International (ODI) matches. He is also the third-highest run scorer for Pakistan in Test cricket. He is the only Pakistani batsman to score over 20,000 runs in international cricket.

He led the Pakistan national cricket team from 2003 to 2007. Besides being a great batsman, he sometimes bowled slow left-arm spin. Inzamam became famous during the semi-final of the 1992 Cricket World Cup. He was a top batsman for his team in both Test and ODI cricket for many years.

After Pakistan's early exit from the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Inzamam decided to retire from international cricket. This was after a Test match against South Africa in 2007. After retiring, he joined the Indian Cricket League. He later became the chief selector for the Pakistan cricket team in 2016 and again in 2023.

Inzamam-ul-Haq is also a well-known member of the Tablighi Jamaat, a group that shares Islamic teachings. He is still a very important person in Pakistan cricket.

Inzamam's Early Life

Family and Background

Inzamam-ul-Haq was born in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, on March 3, 1970. His family moved to Pakistan from India during the partition of India. He was the youngest of five children.

His family had a history of being involved in Sufism and teaching Islam. This background helped him follow an Islamic way of life from a young age. His nephew, Imam-ul-Haq, also plays cricket for Pakistan.

Beyond Cricket: Inzamam's Businesses

In 2010, Inzamam and another cricketer, Saeed Anwar, started a chain of meat shops called Meat One. Later, in 2017, Inzamam opened his own clothing store in Lahore named Legends of Inzamam ul Haq.

Playing for Teams in Pakistan and England

Playing in Pakistan

Inzamam began his cricket journey in 1985 with his hometown team, Multan. Over the years, he played for several other teams in Pakistan. These included United Bank Limited, Faisalabad, and National Bank of Pakistan.

Playing in England

In August 2007, Inzamam played for an English county team, Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He joined them when he was 37 years old. He played a few matches but did not perform as well as he did in international games.

Playing in India

In 2007, Inzamam joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL). This league was not officially approved by cricket authorities. In the first ICL competition, Inzamam was the captain of the Hyderabad Heroes. He scored 141 runs in 5 matches.

In 2008, he led the Lahore Badshahs, a team made up entirely of Pakistani cricketers. Because he joined the ICL, the Pakistan Cricket Board did not allow him to play in domestic games in Pakistan. However, since he had already retired from international cricket, this did not affect his career much. Reports say he was paid a lot of money, about US$1.1 million, to play in the ICL.

Playing for Pakistan

One-Day Cricket Star

Inzamam played his first One-Day International (ODI) match in 1991 against West Indies. He started well, scoring 20 and 60 runs in his first two games. He also took a wicket with his very first ball in ODI cricket, getting Brian Lara out.

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan chose Inzamam for the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Inzamam was only 22 and not very well known then. But he became famous in the semi-final against New Zealand. His team needed 262 runs to win, and he scored a quick 60 runs from just 37 balls. This amazing innings helped Pakistan reach the final.

Inzamam also played a vital role in the World Cup final. He scored 42 runs from 35 balls, helping Pakistan reach a good total of 249 runs. These performances showed he was a player who could perform well in big matches.

Inzamam holds the record for scoring the most half-centuries in ODIs for Pakistan, with 83. He was also the second batsman ever to score 10,000 runs in One-Day Internationals. In his last ODI for Pakistan in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, he took three catches while fielding.

Test Cricket Achievements

Inzamam-ul-Haq Graph
Graph of Inzamam-ul-Haq's scores in test cricket.

Inzamam played his first Test match in 1992 against England. After this series, he worked hard to become a regular player in the Test team. He helped his team win many memorable games. One such win was against Australia in Karachi in 1994. He scored 58 runs not out, helping Pakistan win by one wicket.

He became the International Cricket Council's number one ranked batsman in 1995 and again in 1997. He stayed among the top batsmen until he retired. His highest Test score was 329 runs against New Zealand in Lahore in 2001–02. This is the second-highest Test score by a Pakistani player.

Inzamam also scored a century (184 runs) in his 100th Test match. He became only the fifth player in history to do so. He broke Javed Miandad's record for most centuries by a Pakistani player, scoring 25 centuries in total. Inzamam's average in matches won is very high, second only to legendary players like Donald Bradman.

Inzamam-ul-Haq's results in international matches
  Matches Won Lost Drawn Tied No result
Test 120 49 39 32 0
ODI 378 215 148 - 6 9
T20I 1 1 - - -

In his final Test match against South Africa, Inzamam needed 20 runs to pass Javed Miandad as Pakistan's highest Test run-scorer. He scored 14 runs in the first innings and 3 runs in his last innings. This left him just three runs short of the record.

How Inzamam Played Cricket

I think Inzamam is as talented as Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar but little does he realise his true talent

Inzamam was a very powerful batsman in both One-Day Internationals and Test matches. He was tall, standing 6 feet 3 inches, which helped him hit the ball hard. He was known for seeing the ball early and hitting it very late. His footwork was quick, allowing him to get into position for his shots.

He was especially good at hitting shots off his legs. Many people considered him one of the best players of the pull-shot in cricket. Imran Khan called him "the best batsmen in the world against pace." This was because Inzamam seemed to have a lot of time to react before the ball reached him.

Inzamam was also known for his running between the wickets. He was sometimes involved in funny run-outs, which made him famous for not being the fastest runner. He has been run out 40 times in ODIs, which is one of the highest numbers in history.

Leading the Pakistan Team

Inzamam's record as captain
Format Matches Won Lost Drawn No result

Win (%)

Test 31 11 11 9 35.48
ODI 87 51 33 3 60.71
T20I 1 1 100.00

Inzamam captained Pakistan in 31 Test matches. He won 11, drew 9, and lost 10. He was the captain for a long time, from 2003 until 2007. Being captain actually made Inzamam bat even better. He often led by example when the team was under pressure.

He led Pakistan to important victories, including an ODI series win against West Indies and Test series wins against England and India. Under his leadership, Pakistan reached 2nd place in the ICC Test Rankings and 3rd place in the ICC ODI Rankings.

In the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Inzamam captained Pakistan when they lost to Ireland. This loss meant Pakistan was knocked out of the tournament early. The next day, he announced his retirement from One-Day International cricket and stepped down as Test captain. This announcement came on the same day that Pakistan's coach, Bob Woolmer, sadly passed away. Inzamam dedicated his final ODI to Woolmer, who he had a good relationship with.

In December 2012, Inzamam worked as a batting consultant for Pakistan's national team. In October 2015, he became the temporary head coach for the Afghanistan national cricket team. He helped Afghanistan win their first series against a Test-playing nation. In April 2016, he left his coaching role to become Pakistan's chief selector. He was again appointed chief selector of the Pakistan cricket team on August 7, 2023.

Awards and Recognition

In 2005, the Government of Pakistan honored Inzamam-ul-Haq with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award. This is a high civilian award in Pakistan.

See also

  • List of international cricket centuries by Inzamam-ul-Haq

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