Undoubtedly, the best team of the Pakistan cricket was the 90s team, from fast bowlers to classic all-rounders, legendary spinner and one of the most destructive opening pairs. The PCB at that time had almost every weapon in their Arsenal. Here are the top 10 cricketers of that time :
Saeed Anwar – One of the most stylish batsmen in the 1990s alongside Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn and Sourav Ganguly. The timing, elegance and placement of cricket shots were widely admired by his cricket fans. He was Pakistan’s captain in 7 Tests and 11 ODIs. Anwar was Pakistan’s highest scoring batter in the 2003 World Cup. His knock of 194 runs against India in Chennai in 1997, was the highest score at that time in ODIs.
Inzamam-ul-Haq – The only Pakistani batsmen to score 20,000 runs in international cricket. Often referred to as Inzi, he was Pakistan’s captain from 2003 to 2007. Inzamam featured in 499 international matches and moreover, he is only the fifth batter to score a ton in his 100th Test match. In April 2016, he was appointed the chief selector of the Pakistan national cricket team.
Javed Miandad – Known for his unconventional sign of batting and captaincy and according to ESPNcricinfo he is “the greatest batsmen Pakistan has ever produced” and Aussie player and Miandad’s fellow contemporary touted him as the finest batsmen in the history of cricket. He majorly contributed heavily in Pakistan’s triumph of 1992 World Cup. Javed Miandad is a member of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Wasim Akram – Akram is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and several critics regard him as the greatest left arm fast bowler of cricket history. He is said to be the founder of reverse swing bowling. Wasim is the inaugural bowler to reach the 500 wicket mark in ODI cricket, he achieved this feat during the 2003 World Cup. Akram was a in Pakistan Cricket Board’s seven member advisory cricket committee in 2018. He is awarded by Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.
Waqar Younis – The former head coach of the Pakistani Cricket team and also the former bowling coach of the Pakistan National Cricket team. Waqar is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers to have played the game. With Wasim Akram, he formed one of the most feared bowling attacks in the early 90s. He is the youngest bowler to scalp 400 wickets in ODI. Younis also had allegations of ball-tampering and a number of controversies.
Shoaib Akhtar – The “Rawalpindi Express” as what the world knows him about, he was the first bowler to record bowling at 100 miles per hour, a feat he achieved twice in his career. His cricket career was flooded with controversies and also some brilliant performances. Shoaib now has a YouTube channel, in which he talks about Pakistan Cricket and ongoing matches.
Saqlain Mushtaq – The current head coach of the Pakistan national cricket team, he is a pioneer of the “doosra. The fastest bowler to reach 200 and 250 wickets in ODIs. Mushtaq took 208 and 288 Test and ODI wickets respectively. He has earlier served as England’s spin consultant for the home series against Pakistan.
Imran Khan – The former Prime Minister of Pakistan had guided his nation to their only World Cup title in 1992. He is regarded as the most proper and complete all rounder in cricket history. After retiring from cricket, Khan started his political career in 1996 and formed the party Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf. Imran won the Sharjah Cup with Pakistan which was the next big thing after World Cup. He is an inspiration to not just cricket but whole of Pakistan.
Zaheer Abbas – He was the first batsmen to score three consecutive centuries in one day internationals. Abbas is also known as the ‘Asian Bradman’. Purely, one of the finest batsmen in the history of cricket. Zaheer Abbas also has the record for scoring most runs in a 4 match ODI series (346 runs). He is a member ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Shahid Afridi – Boom Boom Afridi, the Pakistani was often an aggressive batsmen. He was captain of Pakistan for a brief period of time and was often pushed in controversies due to his age. Afridi was a right arm leg spinner and was a master of the googly. He made his debut in late 90s but flourished his career in the 2000s.
