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Full name Saqlain Mushtaq
Born December 29, 1976, Lahore, Punjab
Current age 31 years 210 days
Major teams Ireland,Pakistan,Islamabad Cricket Association,Lahore Badshahs,Pakistan International Airlines,Surrey,Sussex
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
49
78
14
927
101*
14.48
3603
25.72
1
2
82
7
15
0
ODIs
169
98
38
711
37*
11.85
1434
49.58
0
0
45
4
40
0
First-class
189
256
57
3330
101*
16.73
1
14
67
0
List A
323
182
67
1339
38*
11.64
0
0
80
0
Twenty20
9
4
0
24
14
6.00
24
100.00
0
0
2
0
2
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
49
86
14070
6206
208
8/164
10/155
29.83
2.64
67.6
12
13
3
ODIs
169
165
8770
6275
288
5/20
5/20
21.78
4.29
30.4
11
6
0
First-class
189
43890
19263
829
8/65
23.23
2.63
52.9
60
15
List A
323
16062
11261
478
5/20
5/20
23.55
4.20
33.6
16
7
0
Twenty20
9
9
210
265
14
3/24
3/24
18.92
7.57
15.0
0
0
0
Career statistics
Test debut
Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Peshawar, Sep 8-11, 1995 scorecard
Last Test
Pakistan v India at Multan, Mar 28-Apr 1, 2004 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut
Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Gujranwala, Sep 29, 1995 scorecard
Last ODI
Pakistan v South Africa at Faisalabad, Oct 7, 2003 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class debut
1994/95
Last First-class
Nottinghamshire v Surrey at Nottingham, Jul 11-14, 2008 scorecard
List A debut
1994/95
Last List A
Surrey v Essex at The Oval, May 11, 2008 scorecard
Twenty20 debut
Hampshire v Surrey at Southampton, Jun 24, 2003 scorecard
Last Twenty20
Essex v Surrey at Chelmsford, Jun 20, 2008 scorecard
Profile
A trend-setter. Saqlain Mushtaq was perhaps the first offspinner to master the doosra, a
delivery that spins away from the batsman even though it is delivered
with an offspinner's action. Saqlain has a fast, short-stepping action with a halting delivery, and has a propensity to bowl no-balls, unusually for a bowler with such a short run. He is criticised for attempting too much variation and he often throws in the doosra the first time a batsman faces. Saqlain's international career got off to a splendid start - he was the fastest bowler to 100 one-day wickets, and his phenomenal control meant that he regularly bowled at the death. But his finest moment arguably came in a Test match, at Chennai in 1998-99, when his ten-for allowed Pakistan to sneak nerve-tingling 12-run win against India. However, his stock has fallen a long way since then, with Shoaib Malik, a better batsman than Saqlain, usurping the spinner's spot in the ODI line-up and Danish Kaneria becoming the frontline Test spinner. Saqlain did get an opportunity to have a go at the Indians again in the 2003-04 series, but unflattering figures of 1 for 204 at Multan meant that he was quickly consigned to the scrap heap. He was unable to force his way back ahead of Danish Kaneria and he was blighted by injury after a prolific time with Surrey. However, his career was given a lifeline in 2007 when he joined Mushtaq Ahmed at Sussex and there was even talk of him qualifying for England. That could remain a distant dream, after signing a contract with the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League.
Kamran Abbasi February 2008
