The Surfer

The nearest thing to WG Grace

Inzamam-ul-Haq didn’t have a happy time on Pakistan’s tour to England, but Guardian’s Frank Keating insists that Inzamam provided him with the “most rewarding purr of content all summer”.

S Rajesh
S Rajesh
25-Feb-2013
Inzamam-ul-Haq square drives on course to a fine fifty, England v Pakistan, 1st Test, Lord's, July 17, 2006

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Inzamam-ul-Haq didn’t have a happy time on Pakistan’s tour to England, but Guardian’s Frank Keating insists that Inzamam provided him with the “most rewarding purr of content all summer”.
Watching with intense pleasure his two cameo masterclasses at Lord's in July I was smitten by a rare and cherished eureka moment which has not gone away. As the burly, noble fellow toyed with England's perspiring bowlers in the sun, I half closed my eyes and, of a sudden, the revelation overwhelmed me - in form, style, bearing and ingrained majesty, Inzy must be the nearest thing I'd ever seen to witnessing WG Grace at the wicket. The massiveness was all, and the control. In my reverie, it really could have been "the Champion" down there.

S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo. Follow him on Twitter