Saqlain Mushtaq facts for kids
Mushtaq in 2020
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| Born | 29 December 1976 Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Shadab Khan (son-in-law) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 134) | 8 September 1995 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 1 April 2004 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 103) | 29 September 1995 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 7 October 2003 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–2004 | Pakistan Intl. Airlines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1998 | Islamabad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2008 | Surrey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Lahore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 8 December 2009
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Saqlain Mushtaq (born 29 December 1976) is a famous Pakistani cricket coach and former international player. He was the head coach for the Pakistani national cricket team from 2021 to 2022. Saqlain is best known for inventing the "doosra". This is a special bowling delivery that looks like an off break but spins the other way.
He was super fast at reaching milestones in One Day International (ODI) matches. He was the quickest to get 200 and 250 wickets. Saqlain also made history as the first Pakistani to take a hat-trick at a Cricket World Cup. This happened against Zimbabwe during the 1999 tournament.
Saqlain was a right-arm off break bowler. He played 49 Test matches and 169 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Pakistan. His career spanned from 1995 to 2004. He took 208 Test wickets and 288 ODI wickets. He even scored a century (100 runs) in a Test match against New Zealand in March 2001. Until 2016, Saqlain was the fastest bowler to reach 100 wickets in ODI cricket.
Contents
Early Life and Cricket Start
Saqlain was born in Lahore, Pakistan, on 29 December 1976. His father worked as a government clerk. Saqlain has two older brothers. His brother Sibtain also played first-class cricket for Lahore.
Saqlain started playing cricket for Zareef Memorial Cricket Club Second Eleven when he was just 13. He always wanted to be an off-spinner. He said he was "very skinny" and didn't have much strength for fast bowling. Ahmad Hassan and his brothers coached him at the club. At 14, he joined Govt. M.A.O. College Lahore. There, Mumtaz Akhtar Butt coached him. He played for the college team and won the championship three years in a row.
In December 1998, Saqlain Mushtaq married Sana Mushtaq. She is a British Pakistani. In 2007, he received his British passport. His daughter, Malika, is married to Pakistani cricketer Shadab Khan.
Cricket Career Highlights
Playing for Teams
Saqlain began his first-class cricket career in 1994–95. He was 17 years old. In his first season, he took 52 wickets. This led to him being chosen for Pakistan A in a one-day tournament. In September 1995, he gained international attention. He took seven wickets against the visiting Sri Lankan team.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram praised Saqlain. He called him "the greatest off-spinner he has seen." Akram also said Saqlain was "as aggressive as a fast bowler." He added that Saqlain was "not afraid of getting hit" and had "total belief in himself."
Saqlain played for Surrey for eight seasons. This was from 1997 to 2004. His time there was sometimes interrupted. His international career with Pakistan mostly ended in 2004.
International Matches
Test Cricket Journey
Saqlain played his first Test match in September 1995. It was against Sri Lanka in Peshawar. He took four wickets in that match. In his next series against Sri Lanka, he took 14 wickets in two Tests. This included nine wickets in the first match.
Six months later, he took five wickets against South Africa. This was in the first Test of a home series. In a later series against West Indies, he played in the third Test. He took nine wickets for 80 runs. This helped Pakistan win the series.
A big moment in his Test career was against India in 1999. He took ten wickets in one Test match. In the first Test, India needed only 17 runs to win. Saqlain took the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, who had scored 136 runs. This helped Pakistan win. In the second Test, he again took five wickets in both innings. He ended that series with 20 wickets. This earned him the man-of-the-series award.
In November 2000, he had his best bowling in an innings. He took 8 wickets for 164 runs against England. This earned him a man-of-the-match award. He took 18 wickets in that series.
Saqlain played 49 Test matches for Pakistan between 1995 and 2004. He took 208 wickets. He took 13 five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls. His best performance in a match was 10 wickets for 155 runs. As a batsman, he scored 927 runs. He even scored a century (101 not out) against New Zealand.
One Day International Success
Saqlain made his One Day International (ODI) debut in September 1995. It was against Sri Lanka in Gujranwala. He didn't take a wicket, but Pakistan won. His first match-winning performance was against Sri Lanka in the 1996 Singer Cup final. He took 3 wickets in that game.
His best bowling in an ODI was 5 wickets for 20 runs. This was against England in October 2000. He took five-wicket hauls in ODIs six times. He also took two hat-tricks. Both were against Zimbabwe. The first was in 1996. The second was in 1999. This made him the first Pakistani to take a hat-trick at a World Cup.
Coaching Roles
After his playing career, Saqlain became a cricket coach. On 28 May 2016, the ECB hired him. He worked as England's spin consultant for their series against Pakistan.
On 29 October 2016, the ECB asked him to help the England team prepare. This was for their Test series against India. He stayed with the England team until the end of the third Test.
On 6 September 2021, he became the interim head coach of the Pakistan national cricket team. This happened after Misbah-ul-Haq resigned. In February 2022, his contract was extended for a year. This was because the team performed very well under his coaching.
Saqlain's Unique Bowling Style
Saqlain is famous for inventing the "doosra". This is a special delivery for an off-spinner. It looks like a normal off-break. But it spins in the opposite direction. This means it goes from the leg side to the off side. This confuses batsmen and makes it a very effective ball.
Saqlain became well known for this special ball. It was a big part of his success. Other bowlers like Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal, and Muttiah Muralitharan also started using the doosra.
While playing for Surrey, Saqlain worked on new deliveries. He called them the "teesra" (meaning "third one") and the "chotha". He used the teesra in the Indian Cricket League. Russel Arnold of Sri Lanka was the first player to face the teesra. He was also the first batsman to get out from it. Later, Saeed Ajmal used this delivery against England in 2012.
Another variation he used was the arm ball. This ball also uses a similar grip to the leg-break. But it spins backward instead of sideways. This makes the ball go straight on, surprising the batsman.
Achievements and Records
Saqlain Mushtaq achieved many great things in his cricket career:
- He took 13 five-wicket hauls in Test matches. He also took three ten-wicket hauls in Tests.
- In ODIs, he took seven five-wicket hauls.
- He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2000.
- A study by Wisden in 2003 called Saqlain the greatest ODI spinner ever. They also ranked him the sixth-greatest ODI bowler overall.
- He was the fastest bowler to reach 100, 150, 200, and 250 wickets in ODIs.
- He was the first of only two spinners to take a hat-trick in an ODI.
- He was the second of only four bowlers to take two ODI hat-tricks. His second hat-trick was only the second one ever in a World Cup match.
- He holds the record for the most wickets in a calendar year in ODIs. He took 69 wickets in 1997. He is also second on this list with 65 wickets in 1996.
