Miandad reveals all in new autobiography

The launch of Cutting Edge, the long-awaited autobiography of the controversial former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad, attracted a gathering of the great and the good in Karachi at the weekend. And Lt-Gen. Tauqir Zia, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, used the occasion to praise Miandad's many achievements.

"Javed is the most committed cricketer I have come across in my three-and-a-half years' association as board's chairman," Zia told the gathering. "Some players underachieved and never did justice to their talent, but Javed was one exception. When I took over as PCB chairman, Javed was the first man that I discussed cricket with. To know Javed one does not have to read the book because he is such a famous personality."

Miandad has never baulked at speaking his mind, but nevertheless he insisted that there were some things that he had not dealt with before that he had revealed in the book. "I wanted to express my feelings since I had experienced a lot of difficulties during my career," he explained. "I don't want the current players to go through the ordeal I had to face." With a mind to sales, he quickly added: "If you go through the book you will find out a lot about me which was never published in the past."

Miandad on his infamous clash with Dennis Lillee "I played a delivery from Lillee towards square leg and pushed off for a single. About three-quarters of the way down the pitch, I collided with him as he blocked my path and on his way back he kicked my pads and swore at me."

Miandad on playing against India "One of the greatest things about Pakistan-India cricket has been that despite the political uneasiness, relations between the players have always been excellent and players have come to loathe the mixing of politics and sports."

Miandad on Indian supporters "Rivalry with Pakistan apart, Indians are among the best cricket connoisseurs and know how to appreciate a performance."

Miandad on sledging "Sledging is one of the things that gives cricket an aggressive edge and it should be thought of as gamesmanship. Sledging is an art form in Australian cricket and Lillee used it better than most."