Commanders of Pakistan Cricket - by Dr Tariq Raz

Commanders of Pakistan Cricket, the latest in a series by Dr Tariq Raz, is a welcome addition to the few good books on cricket published in Pakistan.

Dr Raz has chosen a novel way to survey Pakistan cricket - through the Pakistan captains over the years. He has written a chapter on each of the captains who led Pakistan in Test matches and one-day internationals. Each is accompanied by a biographical portrait, a list of his achievements in the field, and the essential statistics about his performance, without which no book can be called complete.

The foreword is written by Mr Jamsheed Marker, Pakistan's famous cricket commentator and former ambassador, who says: "All might not be in complete agreement with all of the author's assessments." The publication is bound to generate debate and readers may differ with some of the author's observations. Dr Raz has tried to avoid controversial remarks or subjective observation that could termed in bad taste, but his appreciation of Imran, Mushtaq, Miandad and Kardar is clearly tinged by his admiration for the quartet. The book leaves no doubt that these four were the best leaders Pakistan has produced, although there were others not far behind.

Tariq's previous works include Cricket Scene, Focus on Pakistan Cricket, Winning Account of Pakistan, and Pakistan Test Cricket Sojourn, a summary of all Tests played by Pakistan. All his books were well received and Focus on Pakistan Cricket is also treasured in International Cricket Council's library at Lord's.

It transpires that 25 captains have led Pakistan in both forms of the game, and each has their own chapter. Their write-ups are quite comprehensive despite their brevity brief, and highlights their high and low points. Their performance as a player and as a captain have been surveyed. Career records of the players as captain in both forms of cricket have been given at the end of the write-up. Each captain's sketch is accompanied by couple of his photographs in action.

Some of these photos are rare and enhance the value of the volume. The one showing Hanif Mohammad returning to the pavilion after his memorable 337 is particularly fine. Another interesting photo shows Hanif and Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan's two triple-centurions, standing together. However, some of the photos are rather small and the reader has to make an effort to recognise the faces.

A very interesting feature of the book is the statistical section at the end that should interest any cricket statistician. In great detail, it covers the individuals' performances as captain against each country in Tests and ODIs. It also provides a summary of their performance in all matches they played as captain. The hardbound book is neatly laid out with an attractive cover.

To me it is obvious that Dr. Tariq and his team have taken pains to compile the volume. A venture involving records and statistics is tough in itself and one needs to appreciate the effort involved in Pakistan where very few books of this nature are published or researched.

All cricket lovers would hope Dr. Tariq Raz will continue his mission of enriching the stock of cricket books about Pakistan.

Commanders of Pakistan Cricket is published by Saad Publications, Karachi