Reason For Popularity Of Cricket In Pakistan
Pakistan too was a British colony and as it became the case with most commonwealth nations, cricket gained immense clout over time. Similar countries where this happened were India, Bangladesh, besides many more. We will be sharing the list of the Top 10 Pakistani Cricketers.
Top 10 Pakistani Cricketers List
Shoaib Akhtar
100 miles per hour is what many know of him as. A prolific bowler from Rawalpindi, Akhtar was also involved in doping and subsequently banned for the same. After the ICC World Cup of 2011, Shoaib Akhtar retired from international cricket. Recently, he received widespread criticism after making controversial remarks regarding how India will be ‘won’ in a war.
Inzmam Ul-Haq
Another batsman whom many forget, Inzmam Ul-Haq was an excellent test cricket batsman of his time who after his retirement went on to start a clothing store and meat shops. Fans and those who have been following cricket might know of his infamous runouts. He holds the record of being a batsman who was dismissed the 2nd highest number of times in ODI cricket.
Javed Miandad
Another Pakistani batsman who had a career spanning more than 2 decades. Many might not know but his son’s wife is Dawood Ibrahim’s daughter. Many trolls troll him for his weak and feeble voice.
Shoaib Malik
Another decent batsman who also was the captain of the team at one point. He is married to Indian tennis player Sania Mirza.
Mohammad Amir
Another talented player whose career ended because of his involvement in match fixing. Mohammad Amir is a perfect example for youngsters who think match fixing or spot fixing is the way to go.
Mohammad Hafeez
A well-known all-rounder, Mohammad Hafeez has contributed a lot to cricket thanks to his bowling and batting. But a point to note is that he wasn’t exactly excellent at either of the two things.
Wasim Akram
Many call Wasim Akram the bowler who invented reverse swing and brought a new dimension to the sport. He since his retirement has been into business, written a book and has even done modelling.
Babar Azam
A relatively young name in this list, Babar Azam is a promising player whose average in ODI and test cricket is 55.85 and 43.02 respectively. Not just that, in T20I too he stands at 48.18 runs per inning.
Shahid Afridi
His way of celebration after a wicket is known by many but he was also a part of controversy when he visited POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) and made some inflammatory remarks. While his test career was limited to just 27 matches, Shahid Afridi went on to play a whopping 398 ODIs taking 395 wickets.
Danish Kaneria
Taking 261 wickets in 61 test matches, Danish Kaneria was one of the most prolific spinners that ever played for the country. Many might not know but he is a Gujrati whose ancestors went on to settle in the port city of Karachi. Shoaib Akhtar once hinted at how Kaneria faced discrimination because of his faith.
Conclusion
These were the top 10 Pakistani cricketers to date. Fans may have had their fond memories of them playing refreshed after reading about them. Whether the players from the upcoming generations make it into the list or not is something that only time will tell.
