Javed Miandad

Javed Miandad Biography

The world has seen better batsmen than Javed Miandad, but few as combative. No match was over, no contest won for the opposition till Miandad was at the crease. Not only did he score runs by the dozen, but he also got them when chips were down, and was delightful to watch when he cut loose.

To add to the annoyance of the opposition, he did all that while humming a tune, or doing something even more commonplace, making the act look easier than it was. Gideon Haigh wrote that Miandad “sauntered to the centre like he was already 180 not out.” John Wright, who was fielding when Miandad scored his famous 271 not out at Eden Park, said that it seemed Miandad was “sitting on a sofa in his front room."

He had that rare ability of getting under the fielding side’s skin while batting. But then, he had to, for as he wrote in his autobiography, “cricket was war, and I was at war whenever I played.” He hated losing more than anything else, and confessed that defeats literally brought tears to his eyes. Few have been so affected by results.

He had retired with the most runs for Pakistan. His career average never dropped below the 50-mark. He was the first to play six editions of the World Cup. When Pakistan lifted the World Cup in 1992, Miandad scored 6 hundreds. He was the youngest cricketer to slam a double-hundred. He hit a six off the last ball of a match (bowled by Chetan Sharma) in the Austral-Asia Cup final of 1986. The six is spoken about till today.

He took special preference to Indian bowling, often annoying Indian cricketers and fans to no end. His batting average against India — 80 in Tests and 51 in ODIs — were significantly higher than those against other countries. Over a quarter of his international hundreds also came against them. There was a reason for him naming a chapter of his autobiography Wars with India.

And then, there was the abrasive, grumpy Miandad, who jumped up and down in the air, yelling to mimic Kiran More in a World Cup match. There was the angry Miandad who charged at Dennis Lillee brandishing his bat.

There was also the moody Miandad who often had a clash of egos with Imran Khan; while the charismatic Oxonian is widely acknowledged as the greatest Pakistan captain, Miandad had a 2.33 win-loss ratio to Imran’s 1.75. Miandad also won 8 series and lost 3, compared to Imran’s 5 and 3.

Had they shared a rapport, Pakistan could have been the team to beat in the 1980s. Pakistan’s tour of West Indies in 1987-88 — perhaps the most keenly contested tour of the 1980s — was an example of what things could have been.

Miandad’s Test average of 52.57 and ODI average of 41.70 are more than impressive. He was also a competent wicketkeeper and leg-spinner, picking up 191 First-Class wickets. But it was always about his batting, and about the combative effect his presence brought to the arena.

Following his international retirement, Miandad had three stints as Pakistan coach, and was appointed Director-General by PCB.

Abhishek Mukherjee

Javed Miandad Batting & Fielding Averages

Career	M	In	R	NO	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	124	189	8832	21	280*	52.57	15428	57.24	23	43	807	35	93	1
ODIs	233	218	7381	41	119*	41.70	10960	67.34	8	50	435	35	71	2
T20s	0	--	--	--		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	33	30	1083	5	103*	43.32	1595	67.89	1	8	72	3	10	1

Javed Miandad Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	124	1210	682	17	40.11	3.381	71.	0	0	3/74	5/94
ODIs	233	384	297	7	42.42	4.640	54.85	0	0	2/20	2/22
T20s	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	33	132	73	4	18.25	3.318	33.00	0	--	2/22	2/22

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