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 main coach for the Pakistani national cricket team from 2021 to 2022. Saqlain is well-known for inventing a special bowling move called the "doosra". This move looks like an off break delivery but spins in the opposite direction, confusing the batter!
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 by being the first Pakistani player to get 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 between 1995 and 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 2001.
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Saqlain's Early Life
Saqlain was born in Lahore, Pakistan, on 29 December 1976. His father was a government worker. He has two older brothers, Sibtain and Zulqurnain. Sibtain also played first-class cricket for Lahore.
Saqlain started playing cricket at a young age. When he was only 13, he joined Zareef Memorial Cricket Club Second Eleven. He always wanted to be an off-spinner. He once said, "I never wanted to be a quick bowler. I was very skinny." His coaches, Ahmad Hassan and his brothers, helped him at the club. At 14, he went to Govt. M.A.O. College Lahore. There, Mumtaz Akhtar Butt coached him. He played for his college team and won the championship for three years in a row.
In December 1998, Saqlain Mushtaq married Sana Mushtaq, who is a British Pakistani. His daughter, Malika, is married to another famous Pakistani cricketer, Shadab Khan.
Cricket Career Highlights
Starting in Domestic Cricket
Saqlain began his professional cricket journey in 1994–95 when he was 17. In his very first season, he took 52 wickets. This great start led to him being chosen for the Pakistan A team. In September 1995, he became known internationally. He took seven wickets for the PCB Patron's Eleven against the visiting Sri Lankan team.
Wasim Akram, a former Pakistan captain, praised Saqlain highly. He called him "the greatest off-spinner he has seen." Wasim also said Saqlain was "as aggressive as a fast bowler" and "not afraid of getting hit."
Saqlain played for Surrey in England for eight years, from 1997 to 2004. His international career with Pakistan mostly ended in 2004. After recovering from an injury, he played a match in August 2005. He took 4 wickets in that game.
International Test Matches
Saqlain played his first Test match in September 1995 against Sri Lanka. He took four wickets in that game. 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 the next home series, against West Indies, he played in the third Test. He took nine wickets for only 80 runs. This helped Pakistan win the series easily. He also took five wickets against Zimbabwe in Lahore.
A big moment in his Test career was in 1999 when Pakistan toured India. 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 the match. In the second Test, he again took five wickets in both parts of the game. He ended the series with 20 wickets.
In November 2000, he had his best bowling figures in an innings against England. He took 8 wickets for 164 runs. He was the top wicket-taker in that series, with 18 wickets.
Overall, Saqlain played 49 Test matches for Pakistan between 1995 and 2004. He took 208 wickets. He also scored 927 runs, including one century and two half-centuries. His highest score was 101 not out against New Zealand.
One Day International (ODI) Success
Saqlain made his One Day International (ODI) debut in September 1995 against Sri Lanka. He didn't take a wicket in that first game, but Pakistan won. His first match-winning performance was against the same team in the 1996 Singer Cup final. He took 3 wickets in that match.
His best bowling figures in ODIs were 5 wickets for only 20 runs against England in October 2000. He took five-wicket hauls (5 wickets or more) six times in ODIs.
He achieved two hat-tricks (taking three wickets in three consecutive balls), both against Zimbabwe. The first was in 1996. The second was in 1999, making him the first Pakistani to get a hat-trick at a World Cup.
Coaching Role
After his playing career, Saqlain became a coach. On 28 May 2016, the ECB hired him as England's spin consultant. He helped the England team prepare for their series against Pakistan and India.
On 6 September 2021, he became the interim head coach of the Pakistan national cricket team. This happened after Misbah-ul-Haq resigned. Because the team did so well under him, his contract was extended for another year in February 2022.
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 the opposite way! This makes it very hard for batters to guess where the ball will go. The doosra was a big reason for his success. Other bowlers like Shoaib Malik and Saeed Ajmal also started using this delivery.
While playing for Surrey, Saqlain worked on new deliveries. He called them the "teesra" (meaning "third one") and the "chotha" (meaning "fourth one"). He used the teesra in the Indian Cricket League. Russel Arnold from Sri Lanka was the first player to face the teesra and also the first to get out from it. Later, Saeed Ajmal also used this delivery.
Another one of his special balls was the arm ball. This ball looks like a leg-break but goes straight instead of spinning.
Records and Achievements
- Saqlain took 13 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten-wicket hauls in Test matches. In ODIs, he took seven five-wicket hauls.
- He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2000.
- A study by Wisden in 2003 called Saqlain the greatest ODI spinner of all time. They also said he was the sixth-greatest ODI bowler overall.
- He was the fastest player to reach 100, 150, 200, and 250 wickets in ODIs.
- He is one of only two spinners to have taken a hat-trick in an ODI. He is also one of only four bowlers to have taken 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 ODIs in a single calendar year, with 69 wickets in 1997. He also took 65 wickets in 1996, which is the second-highest.
