আব্দুল রাজ্জাক

Abdul Razzaq came into the Pakistan side at the young age of 17 as a genuine fast bowler who could bat a bit. But over the years, he has developed into an exploding batting option, while his bowling has not been as quick as it once used to be. His ability to swing the ball both ways and the power and versatility he brings with the bat made him grow as one of Pakistan's premier all rounders after the legendary Imran Khan. Razzaq made him ODI debut in 1996 against Zimbabwe and soon became a regular in the limited overs version of the game. However, he had to wait for his opportunities in Test cricket, which finally arrived 3 years later against Australia in 1999.

His techniques and suitability to Test cricket was always questioned, but the same batting style helped him grow from strength to strength in the ODI format. His all-round abilities came to the fore in the tri- series involving Australia and India at Australia in 2000, where he emerged as the Man of the Series.

Though not as successful in the Test format, Razzaq would often chip in with useful contributions. In 2000, he became the youngest cricketer in the world to take a Test hat-trick when he performed the feat in a match against Sri Lanka. A minor slump in form with the bat and a steady decline in pace with the ball saw Razzaq become a support bowler post 2002. Although his place in the ODI squad was never questioned, calls for his head from the Test team grew louder . But Razzaq found his form and pace back post 2005, when he scored 205 runs and took 9 wickets against India in 2 Test matches.

Things became worse for Razzaq in 2007, when a knee injury forced him out of Pakistan's World Cup squad. If that was not enough, he was dropped from the Pakistan team for the inaugural World T20 championship owing to poor form. He announced his retirement in protest and revoked his decision a few months later. He also signed up for the Hyderabad Heroes to play in the Indian Cricket League and became a 'rebel cricketer'. He eventually severed ties with the ICL and returned to play for Pakistan in the 2009 T20 championship, where his all - round skills played a part in Pakistan's successful campaign.

Razzaq became a regular member of the ODI squads and became a part of Pakistan's plans for the 2011 World Cup. He was in great form going into the tournament, as he enjoyed good success against South Africa and New Zealand in the pre - World Cup season. It included a match-winning unbeaten 109 off just 72 balls against South Africa in Abu Dhabi. However, he didn't enjoy much success at the World Cup, and was dropped from the squad to play against the West Indies. Although he was dropped from the ODI side, Razzaq continued playing T20Is, he was part of the squad that played the 2012 T20 WC. During a T20I series against South Africa, he injured himself and was ruled out of the forthcoming return series. Since then he has found it difficult to get back into the team and was even overlooked for the 2014 T20 WC.

Interesting facts: Abdul Razzaq was addicted to spinach, earning him the tag 'popeye' amongst his teammates.

In the 2003 World Cup, Razzaq dropped Sachin Tendulkar off Wasim Akram's bowling. 'Do you know whose catch you have dropped?' asked an irate Akram. Sachin went on to play a match winning knock of 98 runs.

By Karthik Lakshmanan As of April 2014