An under-rated fast-medium bowler who mastered traditional and reverse-swing. He had a sprinting run-up which culminated in a high action, allied to a hostile attitude towards batsmen. Aqib Javed was allegedly only 16 when he made his Test debut in 1988-89, but he spent much of his career in the shadows of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, despite playing a key part in Pakistan's 1992 World Cup victory when he opened the bowling effectively in place of the injured Waqar. The subsequent tour of England was eventful too. Aqib was involved in a notorious sweater-tugging incident with umpire Roy Palmer after he had gratuitously pitched short at England's No. 11 Devon Malcolm. Aqib was in and out of the side too much for his liking, and made more of an impact as a one-day player. His career ended amid the acrimony of Pakistan's match-fixing controversy, in which he was seen as one of the clean players.
Kamran Abbasi