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All-time XI: Pakistan
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A modern great, a complete package, a natural, and a fighter feature in our wicketkeeper shortlist for Pakistan
May 4, 2010
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For large tracts of their history Pakistan have not really had to worry about the man behind the stumps. Imtiaz Ahmed wasn't Pakistan's first wicketkeeper - Hanif Mohammad had the gloves for the first three Tests - but he became a calming presence in those first years and into the early 60s.
Through the 70s and mid-80s, Wasim Bari towered above all others, nearly unchallenged, except for a brief period by the late Taslim Arif. In the 90s came a feisty battle between Moin Khan and Rashid Latif, and since 2004, Kamran Akmal has been in sole custody. If opening, to cite one example, has been a migraine, then wicketkeeping has never been more than a very mild headache; and very rarely at that.
Pakistan's many selectors, in fact, have traditionally been loath to chop and change with their keepers. None of the most successful glovemen, from Bari to Moin to Latif to Akmal, have been immune to criticism or calls for their axing at various stages; yet more often than not selectors have refused to tinker. An atypical stability is to be found in this department, so much so that all the names nominated in this list have captained Pakistan - captaincy being reward more often than not for seniority and longevity - and not just as stop-gap appointees.
The demands of modern-day wicketkeeping have changed. What you do with the smaller gloves is now as important, maybe even more. None of these nominees are mugs with the bat, but that probably the best pure batsman of the lot, Akmal, has been overlooked suggests Pakistan would still rather have a man who can first and foremost hold on to the ball. Akmal has more international hundreds - 11 - than all the others on this list put together, but his increasingly unsafe work behind the stumps is a heavy price to pay in Tests. And in reality, as the nominations below show, Pakistan have been blessed with good wicketkeepers who could also hold their own with the bat.
The contenders
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Still considered by many to be the finest wicketkeeper Pakistan has had. Mostly he was very safe but also always able to pull off the spectacular. He was as comfortable against Imran Khan's prodigious swing - the most difficult bowler he kept to, he says - as he was to Abdul Qadir's spin. So good was he, in fact, that at his peak in 1978, he went through an entire three-Test series against England without conceding a single bye. Amid the great modern keepers - Rodney Marsh, Jeffrey Dujon, Alan Knott, Bob Taylor - Bari's name does not seem out of place. He was a sturdier bat than his average indicates.
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Imtiaz was an integral half of Pakistan's earliest, most potent combination: c Imtiaz b Fazal. He wasn't a specialist wicketkeeper but made do, getting by on as few errors as possible. He preferred safety to showmanship and only took up the gloves again (he had given up after being hit in the eye in 1951) because Hanif was struggling. As a package, though, he was ahead of his time, opening the batting and hooking and pulling the best fast bowlers. Omar Kureishi thought him one of the best batsmen Pakistan produced, "a simple man who believed a long hop was a long hop, even if the bowler was Fred Trueman". He was the first wicketkeeper to hit a Test double, and on the 1954 tour of England very nearly became the only tourist to complete the unique double of 1000 runs and 100 victims.
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In many eyes Latif is the most naturally gifted wicketkeeper Pakistan have had, ahead even of Bari. He didn't play enough Tests to warrant a decisive verdict but certainly very few have made wicketkeeping appear as effortless and clean a discipline as Latif did. No Pakistani has been as stretched and agile in his diving. Against spin, in particular, he was swift on the take. And though Moin Khan, great rival and good friend, was probably the better batsman, Latif actually averages fractionally higher. As a debut fifty at The Oval showed, he was as stylish with the bat as with the gloves.
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Not as clean as others, and prone to errors, but if this were a vote for spirit, bravery and pure guts-out fight, Moin would win hands down. He worked harder than most on his keeping, turning himself from an ordinary one into one fit for international cricket, and on his days he could be very sharp. The heart was most evident in his batting, however, which gave Pakistan real grit and explosiveness down the order. He could win a game with the bat, save it, or counterattack, as shown in his 70 to win a Test when Pakistan were 26 for 6 in Kolkata, or his Test-best 137 in Hamilton.
We'll be publishing an all-time Pakistan XI based on readers' votes to go with our jury's XI. To pick your wicketkeeper click here
Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo
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Osman Samiuddin
Osman spent the first half of his life pretending he discovered reverse swing with a tennis ball half-covered with electrical tape. The second half of his life was spent trying, and failing, to find spiritual fulfillment in the world of Pakistani advertising and marketing. The third half of his life will be devoted to convincing people that he did discover reverse swing. And occasionally writing about cricket. And learning mathematics.
Pakistan Jury
Arif Abbasi
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XI: Aamer Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Mohsin Khan, Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis, Rashid Latif, Mohammad Zahid
Kamran Abbasi
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XI: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis
Qamar Ahmed
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XI: Hanif Mohammad, Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Moin Khan, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir, Sarfraz Nawaz
Intikhab Alam
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XI: Hanif Mohammad, Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Bari, Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir
Khadim Baloch
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XI: Hanif Mohammad, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Wasim Bari, Fazal Mahmood, Mushtaq Ahmed, Waqar Younis
Shaharyar Khan
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XI: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Rashid Latif, Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram, Fazal Mahmood, Waqar Younis
Chishty Mujahid
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XI: Hanif Mohammad, Mudassar Nazar, Younis Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Imran Khan, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir
Salahuddin Mulla
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XI: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Wasim Bari, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir
Ramiz Raja
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XI: Saeed Anwar, Hanif Mohammad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Mohammad Yousuf, Imran Khan, Wasim Bari, Wasim Akram, Abdul Qadir, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis.
Osman Samiuddin
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XI: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir.
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Rashid Latif is far better keeper oin Khan
Posted by waspsting on (May 7, 2010, 15:43 GMT)@Hasnain Waris - the gentleman Rashid Latif claimed a catch on the half-volley in a tense situation against BANGLADESH. he was asked about it several years later, and admitted that he knew it wasn't legitimate, but that at the time, a loss against Bangladesh would have been disastorous.
i appreciate his honesty, but that isn't my idea of being a gentleman
Posted byJust Awsome Record Of Catching by Rashid Latif
Posted byMy choice is Rashid Latif. For the sheer reason that he symbolizes that cricket is GENTLEMEN' SPORT. His career was cut short. He bore all the brunt but never compromised in values. None of his competitors received death threats for speaking the TRUTH. Unfortunately it cann't be put in the players record. It will be unfair to compare such a gem ( his turmoil full career record) with other legends of his country. He's "ONE OF KIND" as vijay lokapally of SPORTSTAR (India) wrote in 1992. When he had barely started his career.
Posted byWasim Bari and Rashid Latif were both equally spectacular behind the stumps but Latif could bat as well therefore I would choose him over the others. Moin Khan was a good batsmen but in terms of Keeping no where near Rashid and Wasim. Kamran Akmal though has to be the worst keeper to play for Pakistan today again he missed a simple run out chance I mean how hard is it to run up to the stumps and knock the bails down, apparently extremly difficult for Mr. Akmal. I think Sarfraz Ahmed is a far better option and should be given a chance ahead of Akmal.
Posted byMy Choice is Salim Yousuf
Posted by gonie on (May 6, 2010, 15:53 GMT)A keeper MUST not be judged by the catches he takes but the chances he misses
Posted by vikasbindra on (May 6, 2010, 7:59 GMT)o dear bro o dear bro whos is this the ultimate keeping personality in the era of cricket world in happening to be the country of fats bowlers the legend called to be the alright in present time. have a good luck. bye............
Posted by baasad on (May 6, 2010, 7:25 GMT)Name Tests Batting Avg. Catches/ St Avg. per match
Rashid Latif 37 28.77 119/11 3.51 Saleem Yousuf 32 27.05 91/13 3.25 Wasim Bari 81 15.88 201/27 2.81 Imtiaz Ahmed 41 29.28 77/16 2.26 Moin Khan 69 28.55 128/20 2.14
Posted by baasad on (May 6, 2010, 7:23 GMT)Surprisingly, there is no mention of Saleem Yousuf, the man who gave his nine years to Pakistan cricket and appeared in 32 test matches. Wasim Bari was wonderful behind the stamps but his batting capabilities were below average. The man who played key role in supporting devastating fast bowling attack was Rashid Latif. Perhaps, Imran Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz and Abdul Qadir were main challenges for Bari but case of Rashid was entirely different. He provided his amazing support to Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhter and Mohammad Akram on fast and bouncy pitches of England, Australia and South Africa and on uneven tracks of West Indies. In foreign tours of England (1992 & 1996), Australia (1995-96) and South Africa (1998), he took some sharp catches when Mushtaq Ahmed, the leg spinner, was the bowler. He was also very comfortable with bat and a better batsman than Moin Khan before involving in Match fixing controversy, which shaken his career.
Name Tests Bat