The opening conundrum

Popular opinion suggests a tour to England requires a settled opening pair. Typically, Pakistan's experience muddles the truism. Only two pairs were required on the celebrated maiden tour in 1954 (between Hanif Mohammad, Alimuddin and Imtiaz Ahmed), while through the disasters of 1962, four different combinations cobbled together a highest stand of only 60 in five Tests.

But in the 2-1 loss in 1982 (widely considered then their most successful tour since the first) Pakistan stuck with Mudassar Nazar and Mohsin Khan, in the commendable belief that stability would bear fruit. The loyalty was fully tested by three starts of zero, in six innings. Mohsin, at least, found personal success on the tour; in fact he is one of the few Pakistan openers in recent times able enough to deal with bounce in Australia and the swing in England. In 1987, three different opening pairs were used; five years later, Rameez Raja and Aamir Sohail were untouched by tour selectors. Two different partnerships each were used in the short three-Test series of 1996 and the shorter two-Test series of 2001. Pakistan won every series bar the last, which was drawn.

This uncertain link echoes a broader, historical Pakistani trend. Successive captains have rarely benefited from the luxury of the top two names on any Pakistan line-up being the first two names on the sheet. Yet, it has never particularly hindered success (a learning not lost on Inzamam). Their start in Test cricket was a false precursor on two counts: Nazar Mohammad and Hanif began with a stout 64-run opening stand against India and the pair survived all five Tests. Had Nazar not retired almost immediately after the series with an arm injury, thanks to what historian Dr Khadim Baloch suggestively describes as "an unfortunate incident that involved the famous singer Noor Jehan" the partnership may have provided more than the three fifty-plus stands they did in that series.

Thereon, the situation deteriorated. Hanif found useful, but not long-lasting, partners. With Imtiaz he opened 13 times, the most celebrated collaboration, a 152-run start that helped them save the Barbados Test in 1957-58. But it wasn't until Majid Khan became an opener on the 1974 tour to England, to partner Sadiq Mohammad that Pakistan happened upon a worthy opening pair. Eventually, they ended more than that; arguably Pakistan's best pair, in 14 Tests their average start was over 60, including four century stands and nine fifty-plus ones and many were against strong Australian, English and West Indian attacks.

Mudassar and Mohsin had stickability at least going for them, if not always success; they averaged just under 40 but 37 Tests together, in the eighties, is the more impressive statistic in this context. Sohail and Saeed Anwar's 25 Tests together is the only other really notable partnership we celebrate; for good reason too as their left-handedness provided, on average, nearly 45 runs as a start and the 1563 runs they drove, cut, slashed and flicked together included four hundred stands. That, though, is that. Hobbs-Sutcliffe, Lawry-Simpson, Greenidge-Haynes, Hayden-Langer; you must be kidding. And still, Pakistan are second only to Australia with the highest Test winning percentages (based on matches with a definite result).

In times of scarcity of choice, Pakistan have had to make do with makeshift options, as they are doing now with Shoaib Malik. And when he hasn't played, he has been replaced by Kamran Akmal - a replacement for a makeshift no less. But a wicketkeeper-opener is not so rare in Pakistan's history.

Imtiaz was an accomplished prototype, promoted because of AH Kardar's hunch that he might cope better than Alimuddin against fast bowlers in England and particularly the West Indies. Others such as Ijaz Butt (deputy keeper behind Imtiaz) and Taslim Arif have also walked out to the new ball. But Imtiaz as opener made an impact beyond the immediate (17 Tests as wicketkeeper-opener, two hundreds, five 50s and an average nearing 34). Soon after he retired in 1962, selectors juggled with the skills of Abdul Kadir and Naushad Ali, both playing for Karachi teams, both wicketkeepers and both openers (though both also floated to the middle order when required). Between them, they managed ten Tests in 1964-65, appearing together twice and opening together once (Ali was the keeper). In this light, talk of Akmal as opener - in either version - is not quite as radical as it initially appears.

Perhaps we are unsure what mould our openers should come in? Pakistan has diverse experience. Imtiaz was an early departure from the orthodox, dour opener; Hanif, the straight guy in their partnership, seemed offended by Imtiaz's lack of caution when he wrote that he was "one of the most reckless opening batsmen in first-class cricket," during the 1957-58 Caribbean tour.

No offense was taken as Imtiaz argued: "I believe that opening an innings is the job of a specialist. You have to be brought up to exercise caution outside the off stump." He still managed a ninety and a hundred in the Tests. Wes Hall, still almost a year away from his international debut, suffered at Imtiaz's hands in a tour game for Barbados and called him "one of the finest hookers" he had seen. He, who was to so terrorise batsmen soon after, admitted to sleeping uneasily that night at the thought of Imtiaz "swotting every ball I tossed down like he would swot a disagreeable fly." Later, Sadiq and Majid were hardly the blushing kind and not much about either Sohail or Saeed Anwar was dull.

But there is also admiration for the patience and correctness of a Hanif or the dourness of either of the Nazars; if dad scored Pakistan's first Test century, an unbeaten, matchwinning, eight and a half hour 124 against India, then his imprint was evident over each of the 557 minutes it took his son to make a hundred against England - the slowest of all time. Hanif's son, Shoaib also opened on occasion and like his father, took his time about things. His ode to Hanif - a 720-minute 163 - wasn't as opener, though that would have been small consolation to Wellingtonians in February 1989, who first had to endure Mudassar and Rizwan-uz-Zaman (himself no dasher having once sped to 60 in five hours in Calcutta), before Shoaib came in at number three.

Above all, selectorial capriciousness with openers seems to be a genetic failing over the years. Is it any wonder we make so much of the 14 Tests Sadiq and Majid played together? In 32 Tests, spread over 12 years (1962-1974), before they came along, Pakistan tried 22 different opening pairs. Including the last time Hanif and Imtiaz opened together - in 1962 - Pakistan went 10 successive Tests with a different opening pair each time. Talat Ali, who opened the bowling domestically with Sarfraz Nawaz, opened with Sadiq during this period on five occasions (spread over three stints); that was the most for any one pair in that period.

Imtiaz himself wasn't immune to it as selector. He is keen to blame the coach and captain now, insistent that it isn't just a good opener can't be found but that "nobody is willing to stick with one pair. If they fail it doesn't mean you drop them immediately." And if you ask him why so many combinations were tried during his time as selector, particularly in his first stint in the late 60s and 70s, he replies, "naturally it happened. We didn't have that many openers around at the time."

Similar arguments come from the team management today; there just aren't any openers and we have to do with what we have. Or rather, don't have. And why blame them? Apparently, we (almost) always have done.