Islamabad: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced that Inzamam-ul-Haq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Mohammad and Saeed Anwar have been inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame for 2024. The famed quartet joined Abdul Qadir, AH Kardar, Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Younis Khan and Zaheer Abbas in the illustrious group.
The PCB inducts two former cricketers each year into the PCB Hall of Fame. But this time, there was an exception with four inductions made for 2024, as there were no inductions in 2023. “On behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board, I extend heartfelt congratulations to these four cricketing legends on their well-deserved inductions into the PCB Hall of Fame. This honour represents a tribute to their outstanding contributions to Pakistan cricket and to the global game,” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement released by the board.
The former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq holds the accolade of being the leading run-scorer for Pakistan in ODI cricket, with a whopping 11,701 runs to his name. He is currently third in the list of Pakistan Test run-scorers with a tally of 8,829 runs.
Inzamam, spinners’ biggest nightmare, captained Pakistan in 31 Tests, winning 11, drawing nine and losing 11. He also led the Men in Green in 87 ODIs, winning 51, losing 33 and 3 no-results. Of his 25 Test centuries, 17 came in winning causes; seven of his 10 ODI centuries were the prime cause behind Pakistan’s victories.
Misbah-ul-Haq is another decorated batter in Pakistan’s talented pool of former players. Known for his unblemished technique, Misbah led Pakistan in 56 Tests and won 26. He also led the team in 87 ODIs, including the 2015 World Cup and eight T20Is.
During his illustrious career, Misbah garnered 5,122 runs in 162 ODIs, by far the most runs by anyone in a career without scoring a century. Despite scoring 42 half-centuries, the stars didn’t align on Misbah’s side as he failed to hit the three-digit mark in the 50-over format.
Mushtaq Mohammad, an aggressive character with all-round skills, scored 3,643 runs and took 79 wickets in 57 Tests from 1959-1979. He captained Pakistan in 19 Tests between 1976 and 1979, winning eight, including Pakistan’s first Test win in Australia in Sydney in 1977, drawing seven and losing four.
Saeed Anwar, a flamboyant batter during his time, recovered from making a ‘pair’ on his Test debut to score 169 in his third Test and end with 4,052 runs, including 11 centuries in 55 Tests. He also captained Pakistan in seven Tests.
Saeed’s prowess with the bat wasn’t limited to just red-ball cricket. He scored a remarkable 8,824 runs in 247 ODIs, including 7,227 runs in 205 ODIs away from home. More than 20 years after his last match, he remains Pakistan’s leading century-maker in ODI cricket with 20 such scores.
“Mushtaq Mohammad is regarded as one of Pakistan’s finest captains, known for his astute leadership and inspiring style. Inzamam-ul-Haq’s immense talent and match-winning ability have left an indelible mark on the sport. Misbah-ul-Haq took charge of the Pakistan team during challenging times, guiding it to the pinnacle of Test rankings and achieving a historic series win in the Caribbean. Saeed Anwar, with his natural grace and classical technique, redefined the role of an opener and thrived against some of the world’s best bowlers under all conditions,” Naqvi said.