Pakistan Cricket Players

Saqlain Mushtaq

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000

A new-age offspinner who loves variation, Saqlain Mushtaq was perhaps the first offspinner to master the doosra, a delivery that spins away from the batsman even though it is delivered with an offspinner's action. Saqlain has a fast, short-stepping action with a halting delivery, and has a propensity to bowl no-balls, unusually for a bowler with such a short run. He is criticised for attempting too much variation and he often throws in the doosra the first time a batsman faces. Saqlain's international career got off to a splendid start - he was the fastest bowler to 100 one-day wickets, and his phenomenal control meant that he regularly bowled at the death. But his finest moment arguably came in a Test match, at Chennai in 1998-99, when his ten-for allowed Pakistan to sneak nerve-tingling 12-run win against India. However, his stock has fallen a long way since then, with Shoaib Malik, a better batsman than Saqlain, usurping the spinner's spot in the ODI line-up and Danish Kaneria becoming the frontline Test spinner. Saqlain did get an opportunity to have a go at the Indians again in the 2003-04 series, but unflattering figures of 1 for 204 at Multan meant that he was quickly consigned to the scrap heap.

Full name : Saqlain Mushtaq
Born : December 29, 1976, Lahore, Punjab
Batting style : Right-hand bat
Bowling style : Right-arm offbreak
Test debut : Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Peshawar - Sep 8-11, 1995
Last Test : Pakistan v India at Multan - Mar 28-Apr 1, 2004
ODI debut : Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Gujranwala - Sep 29, 1995
Last ODI : Pakistan v South Africa at Faisalabad - Oct 7, 2003