**June 12 down the years
The Karachi streetfighter
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1957**
Pakistan’s greatest batsman is born. From the moment Javed Miandad caressed 163 in his first Test innings, against New Zealand at Lahore in 1976-77, his career was touched by genius. He is one of only two men (England’s Herbert Sutcliffe is the other) to have a Test average that never dropped below 50. Miandad made 206 in his fourth Test innings, and five double-hundreds in all. The only blot on his copybook is a modest record against West Indies - an average of 29 from 16 Tests - but it was against them that he played perhaps his greatest innings, a matchwinning 116 in Guyana in 1987-88. There was always the suggestion that you had to knock over all three stumps to get Miandad out at home: he was lbw 15 times in overseas Tests before it happened even once in Pakistan, but he was comfortably one of the finest batsmen of his generation. Miandad, who also played in a record six World Cups, loved a scrap: most famously, he waved his bat threateningly at Dennis Lillee at Perth in 1983-84, and mimicked Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More’s hyena-like appeal by jumping and shrieking during the World Cup match at Sydney in 1991-92.
Even though Miandad played his first test match for Pakistan against new Zealand his debut for Pakistan was against WI at Edgbaston during the 1975 world cup. I watched that match and remember seeing his name on the scorecard and thinking who the hell is this guy. Before that in the previous match against Australia his name was announced in the lineup but in the end Wasim Raja played.
I will post details fo the WI/Pak match. A match in which they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Pak scored 266 off their 60 overs. In reply WI were 166/8 and than 203/9, and went on to win the match with Derek Murray and Roberts humiliating Pakistan. It was the debut match for Greenidge for WI and Miandad and Pervaiz Mir for Pakistan. This is the same Pervaiz Mir who now hosts programmes on ARY.
Man, that’s amazing! Even when the West Indians were at the height of their powers, Pakistan was giving them a run for their money. But how in the world could Pak let them make 100 runs for the last 2 wickets?