Javed Miandad

Javed Miandad is the greatest batter Pakistan has ever produced. There was little doubt in the mind of Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistan's first Test captain and influential administrator, when he first laid eyes on him as a youngster in the early 1970s and famously predicted Miandad "the find of the decade". He wasn't wrong, as a stupendous debut series against New Zealand in 1976 started to prove.

Miandad was not of the classical school of batting, though he possessed a beautiful square cut and most shots in and outside the book: he was a fine early reverse-sweeper. But he worked the angles and spaces equally well; he knew, above all, how to score runs in almost any situation. These qualities presented themselves through his career, and uniquely, not once did his career average fall below 50. No Pakistani has scored more Test runs than him, and Inzamam-ul-Haq aside, probably no batter has won as many matches for Pakistan.

There was often a touch of genie or genius about his finest innings, like his two hundreds in successive Tests in the West Indies in 1987-88, or the big double-hundreds against India and England. Problems on the bouncy pitches of Australia or the swinging ones of England were overcome with time, and if people questioned his record against West Indies, they never did after that 1987-88 series.

Miandad was versatile as well, as evidenced by a marvellous ODI career. Here his supreme running - it is said that he was one of the early pioneers of aggressive ODI running - shot placement and mental strength produced outstanding results. All qualities came together in a near-miraculous ODI century against India in Sharjah that won the Australasia Cup for Pakistan in 1986. He often saved his best for India, never more so than when he smote Chetan Sharma for a last-ball six to win that final. The match led to years of Pakistani domination over India, particularly in Sharjah. In 1992, battling age and back problems, Miandad played a lead role in Pakistan's only ODI World Cup title win, with six half-centuries.

He was also Pakistan's youngest captain and always considered to be the most tactically astute. Imran Khan often acknowledges the role Miandad played as vice-captain, with key on-field decisions, though the two were chalk and cheese. But as captain possibly he was too abrasive to get on with all of his players, as at least two player revolts against his leadership suggest. And given his peak years coincided with the leadership of Imran, Miandad never captained in as many Tests as he might have done. As with most subcontinental greats, he possibly lingered for longer than might have been advised, finally bowing out in 1996 after, ironically, a loss to India in the World Cup.

The problems of captaincy re-emerged when he became Pakistan's coach, where he had his ups and downs. Results were mostly positive but the complaints from players about his excessively hands-on approach wasn't so good. After three stints in charge, he parted company with the team in 2004 to make way for Bob Woolmer after being blamed for Pakistan's home one-day and Test losses to India.