Aaqib Javed - Pakistan - Batsman

Aaqib Javed was one of the workhorses of the Pakistan team in a period where their bowling

was dominated by the brilliance of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Armed with a nice

run-up and a high arm action, Aaqib put in some memorable performances, mostly against

Pakistan’s arch-rivals, India.

Aaqib made his ODI debut in 1988 during the Benson and Hedges tri-series in Australia

featuring the West Indies. Aaqib made a solid start as he picked up 10 wickets in eight

matches. His most memorable moment, though, came against India during the 1991 Wills

Trophy final. Aaqib became the youngest player to take a hat-trick in ODIs when he snapped

up Ravi Shastri, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar in three balls. He finished up

with the then, best haul of 7/37 as Pakistan demolished India by 72 runs.

During the 1992 World Cup, in the absence of Waqar Younis, Aaqib opened the bowling and

bowled his heart out. In 10 matches, he picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 3.86. He

continued to put in some good performances, especially against India. In 39 ODIs against

them, he picked up 54 wickets, including three five wicket hauls.

He had a limited impact in Tests. During the 1992 tour to England, he was involved in a

sweater-tugging incident with umpire Roy Palmer during the Test at Old Trafford which

earned him a reprimand. However, with the passage of time, Aaqib’s potency waned and he

announced his retirement in 1998.

Following his retirement, Aaqib coached the Pakistan U-19 team to victory in 2004. He

also helped in the development of the Afghanistan cricket team and he also was the bowling

coach of the Pakistan national team. In 2012, he resigned and became the bowling coach of

the UAE cricket team. He is currently the chief coach of the National Cricket Academy in

Pakistan.