The quiet colossus

Osman Samiuddin

March 23, 2005





Pakistan's giant © Getty Images



The way he is, he shouldn't be a batsman. He shouldn't even be a sportsman. Where other batsmen stride to the crease, Inzamam-ul-Haq lopes and mopes to it, shoulders hunched. He drags his bat along with him like a scolded schoolboy would his satchel. Not for him the bravado entrance of a Mathew Hayden or a Virender Sehwag, chest out, brandishing the bat as weapon. Increasingly when he is dismissed, he loiters despondent for an eternity, not as protest but because of an acute awareness of its implications. Hayden and Sehwag can afford bluster; if they go, they have Ponting, Gilchrist, Sachin or Dravid. But if Inzamam falls, as John Wright's fist-pumping celebration at Kolkata in the second innings suggested, half the battle with Pakistan is often won.

As with all his best innings, Inzamam's 100th Test has crept up on us almost unnoticed. Only three Pakistanis – Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Salim Malik – have played in over 100 tests and it somehow seems right, bearing in mind the larger-than-life personality each possessed, that they achieved the landmark. With Inzamam, it sounds mildly implausible; 100 tests? Really? He will probably end up eclipsing Miandad as the greatest batsman Pakistan ever produced. How, given his inert demeanor, has he managed it?

He stretches the traditional confrontation between ball and bat. Not till the very last moment, at which point the ball invariably looks like winning the battle, does he react. By that time, motionless almost apart from an incongruous shuffle here or there, the length is clear in his mind and it remains only for him to bring down his bat, with strength or otherwise, but always, always, with quick hands. Energy conservation is maximised and only as much as necessary is ever spent. You see it in his running and his fielding, especially in the short cover position he lately loves.



Recognise that slim boy-wonder? © Getty Images


It's not so much a technique as an attitude and with it he has become the most important Pakistan batsman of his time, possibly ever. Two innings in the 1992 World Cup made him, and won it for Pakistan. His undefeated 58 decided the Karachi thriller against Australia in 1994-5, but it has been only since 2000, by which time both Miandad and Malik were gone, that his value has become clear. For much of the time since, Pakistan's batting has disintegrated, while his, in inverse proportion, has flourished. The most wretched and vivid example of this dependence came at Multan in 2003, where but for his 138 not out, Pakistan's batsmen would've contrived to lose to Bangladesh. In 41 tests since 2000 he has averaged nearly 57, with 12 centuries. How important is he to Pakistan? More than statistics will ever tell you, for they don't tell you of the thin support and heavy load he has had to bear. Still, they are revealing. Of his 20 test centuries, 15 have contributed to Pakistan wins and he averages over 75 in all their wins since 2000.

So what, you say? In a golden age for batting, does he really bear comparison with the greats? Lara, Sachin, Hayden, Ponting, Dravid after all have better figures, players who, when that ludicrous question of having someone bat for your life is asked, would rightly get picked before him. And he won't be remembered in the same way a Lara or a Sachin will be. Where they have saved their very best for the best - Australia and South Africa of the nineties – Inzamam has average, even poor records against them. No, even though he may not lack their batsmanship, he lacks the drive, the ruthlessness, the sustained pursuit of excellence, the sheer force of will and personality which has marked their greatness.

But of course he does; it is a result of the very attitude which pulls us to him in the first place. Despite his apparent insouciance and the pressures on him, his lumbering starts, his unsportsmanlike appearance, he has managed to achieve all that he has; 100 tests, over 7000 runs and an average threatening 50 and that is worth appreciating. Occasions such as his 123 at Karachi last year against the Indians, or his 86 at Mohali last week, when he outshone even the most stellar batting line-up of our time are worth cherishing. These are occasions when everything clicks, when his very casualness suddenly becomes his redeeming feature and not a glaring hindrance. These are occasions where his genius emerges, where he fleetingly and slyly hints, rather than emphatically asserts, to being the best batsman in the game today.

ella731 said:

Where's to piccy? It's just a 'Tripod' thingy

BLUUUGH cricket

BLUUUGH cricket

Taureau said:

Did you Org.Note Ella for premission to post on this thread before your blasphemous comment

Ever since he burst upon the scene at Lord's in 1996, Rahul Dravid has been one of the main pillars of the Indian batting with his blend of technical proficiency and stylish strokes. In a side bristling with dashing batsmen, he has frequently played the sheet anchor role to perfection. His style of batting was once regarded as too slow for the one day game, but through sheer practice, innovative strokes and imaginative placing of the ball, he has transformed himself into an integral part of the team in the shorter version of the game also. He was verily the batsman of the 1999 World Cup with two hundreds and the highest aggregate. For this, he was named as Wisden cricketer of the year last year, one of the few Indians to receive this special accolade.

For sheer consistency, Dravid has few equals and has maintained a Test career average of over 50. His temparament is exemplary and his concentration legendary. A batsman who revels in a crisis, Dravid, against New Zealand in January 1999, joined the ranks of Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar as one of only three Indians to have scored a century in each innings in a Test. The poor run in Australia in 1999-2000 was only a passing phase and he returned to top form the next season, including notching up his first double century in Tests. His promotion as vice captain was widely acclaimed. Dubbed as ``The Wall'' for obvious reasons, the modest, unassuming and well behaved Dravid is one of the most popular and instantly recognizable players in the land.

senik said:

i was going to but she threatened to orgnote me back! anyway noone ever taught me the rules of cricket so it's just a knee-jerk reaction I'm afraid

Taureau said:

Oh silly taureau you cant beat me in numbers so you decided to bash me in cricket...when will you learn, I ALWAYS WIN

ella731 said:

You're givin' us the horn luv I normally pay £1.50/min for this kind of service

oh hold on my brain just fell into place. You mean she DOESN'T charge you?

Crickets a fool game. I come from USA and now live in UK and I was like "where the fuck are the baseball legues"?

"nope, we play good ol' cricket 'round here u stupid yank"

Problem I have with cricket was that u want ur team mates to go out so u get a go!

Baseball is harder then cricket too.

Crickets a fool game. ...Baseball is harder then cricket too.

thesexofit said:

Are you flying off your tits on glue again!!!

thesexofit, don't test me on this one man, I mean it.

Rahul Dravid has done his bit in India's bid to win the Kolkata Test, scoring a century in each innings of a match for the second time in his Test career. He was cool and composed when he spoke to the press at the end of the fourth day.



Rahul Dravid scored a hundred in each innings to boost India's chances of winning the Kolkata Test © AFP



On how he rates the second century in comparison to the first
It's very hard to rate hundreds, I hate rating innings. Both hundreds in this game were equally good, and like on the first day, I felt in control today also. Having said that, it is very satisfying because it came in the second innings, when we needed it. The second-innings century was tougher than the first because the pitch played lower and slower. Each innings has its challenges, but the circumstances under which today's knock was made, made it more special. It's especially a challenge to get a big score immediately after making a hundred in the first innings.

On whether these twin tons are more valuable than the twin tons in Hamilton, 1999
This definitely means a lot more. The first century in Hamilton was a good and important innings, but the second came when the game was all but drawn. This has a lot more meaning. I have always wanted to score a hundred in both innings in a winning match, especially after reading about Steve Waugh's twin hundreds against England [Manchester, 1997]. That was always at the back of my mind, to score a hundred in each innings and help play a role in the team's victory.

On whether he expected the pitch to have done more on the fourth and fifth days
We knew coming into this game that this would be a good wicket, but we expected a bit more turn. Some balls are keeping low, but the ball hasn't turned as much as we expected it to. The conditions are quite tough and it is going to be a challenge tomorrow. The side that's fitter and holds its nerve better will win the day tomorrow. This match is a great advertisement for Test cricket. Going into the final day, all three results are a possibility. The pendulum has swung in every direction, and there will be no predictions today about how this game will pan out. We have confidence in ourselves and are positive about our chances, and I am sure they are too.

On Dinesh Karthik's innings
It was a crucial partnership, a critical phase of the match. Dinesh played beautifully; it was a fantastic knock by a youngster under pressure. The balance could have shifted in either direction, but he played a stand-out innings. I just told him to back and trust himself. He took his time to settle down and then played his strokes, which helped.

On what the non-striker feels when he sees a batsman getting hit
You do have concern for your mate, but once you know he is alright, you have got to carry on. You have to focus on your job and stick to it; you have to move on because you have a job at hand and a task to do. I was trying to take the external factors out, play one ball at a time, focus on the present and stick to my plans. I do feel the pressure, everyone does, but you have to try and focus on something else, like the ball or team plans and individual goals.

thesexofit said:

Are you flying off your tits on glue again!!!

thesexofit, don't test me on this one man, I mean it.

Taureau said:

senik said:

a lady never reveals their secrets