Zaheer Abbas

Zaheer Abbas was dubbed the Asian Bradman for his extraordinary hunger for runs, and when settled into an innings, it would take something special to disrupt his concentration or beat his immaculate defences. He became the first player from the subcontinent to score a century of centuries, and on no fewer that eight occasions he scored hundreds in both innings of a first-class match. And, despite wearing glasses throughout his 21-year career, he became one of the game's top slip catchers as well, with 34 victims in 78 Tests.

Zaheer's scoring feats were legendary. He made 274 against England in 1971, in only his second Test appearance, and followed that up with 240 on his second tour to England in 1974. His tally of 583 runs in three Tests against India's fabled spin quartet was another record, while his 13-year career with the unfancied county side, Gloucestershire, yielded a mountain of successes, including 2,544 runs in a single season in 1976.

But Zaheer's game was about more than just runs. The style and elegance with which he batted took the breath away, not least from those opponents who assumed a player of such grace could only ever be a rash shot away from dismissal. He was equally strong off frontand back-foot alike, and his high, guillotine of a backlift ensured that the ball whistled to the boundary whenever he made contact. In short, there can have been few players in history to rival his mastery of bowling, of all shapes and sizes.