Inzamam-ul-Haq

Syed Inzamam-ul-Haq, also known as Inzi, is a former Pakistani cricketer who was captain of the Pakistan national Test team between 2003 and 2007, born in Multan on 3 March 1970. He is regarded as one of the greatest players Pakistan has produced and one of the best middle-order batsmen of all time, and was part of the squad that won the 1992 Cricket World Cup. ^{1 2 3}

He is the leading run-scorer for Pakistan in One Day Internationals and the third-highest for Pakistan in Test cricket, and the only Pakistani batsman to score 20,000 runs in international cricket. ¹

Inzamam-ul-Haq was born in Multan, Punjab, on 3 March 1970, the youngest of five siblings. The article records that his family had moved from Hansi in Punjab, British India, after the 1947 partition, and that his Syed family was historically involved in Sufism and the preaching of Islam; the museum records his family life only in this outline. His nephew Imam-ul-Haq also plays cricket for Pakistan. ¹

Outside cricket, he and Saeed Anwar started Meat One, a chain of specialty meat shops, in 2010, and in 2017 he launched a clothing store in Lahore. ¹

He started his career playing for his hometown club Multan in 1985 and went on to represent United Bank Limited, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, National Bank of Pakistan and Water and Power Development Authority in Pakistan. He made his debut in English county cricket late, joining Yorkshire in August 2007 at the age of 37 as a replacement for Younus Khan, without transferring his international form. After retiring internationally he joined the Indian Cricket League, captaining the Hyderabad Heroes in its inaugural edition and the Lahore Badshahs, a team composed entirely of Pakistani cricketers, in its second edition. ¹

He made his ODI debut in a home series against the West Indies in 1991 and started well. Handpicked by former Pakistan captain Imran Khan for the 1992 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the 22-year-old Inzamam was relatively unheard of before the tournament and was persevered with despite modest early returns. He rose to fame in the semi-final against New Zealand at Auckland: with his team in a precarious position chasing 262, he hit a fiery 60 off just 37 balls to rescue his team and guide them into the final, in an innings regarded as one of the finest World Cup performances. In the final he scored 42 off 35 balls, helping Pakistan reach 249 after a sluggish start, and Pakistan won the title. ¹

He made his Test debut against England in 1992 and went on to establish himself, helping Pakistan to many memorable victories and becoming the ICC's number-one ranked batsman in 1995, a spot he reclaimed in 1997. His Test highlights include 329 against New Zealand in Lahore in 2001–02, the second-highest Test score by a Pakistani; a century in his 100th Test (184); and a century in each innings against England in 2005, becoming Pakistan's leading centurion ahead of Javed Miandad. In all he scored 8,830 Test runs in 120 matches at 49.60 with 25 centuries, and 11,739 ODI runs in 378 matches at 39.53 with 10 centuries and 83 half-centuries, then a record number of ODI fifties. ¹

He was a destructive batsman in both formats who picked the length of a delivery very early and played very late, was especially strong off his legs and among the best exponents of the pull shot; Imran Khan called him "the best batsman in the world against pace" because "he seems to have so much time on his hands before the ball reaches him". He also gained a reputation as a poor runner between the wickets, having been run out 40 times in ODIs. ¹

He was appointed captain in 2003, and his tenure ended after Pakistan's early exit from the 2007 Cricket World Cup. He retired from international cricket in 2007 after the second Test against South Africa, three runs short of Javed Miandad as Pakistan's leading Test run-scorer at the time. He coached Afghanistan in 2015–2016, was appointed chief selector of the Pakistan national team in April 2016, and was appointed chief selector again in August 2023, resigning later that year as the article records. ¹

His public significance lies in his standing among Pakistan's greatest batsmen, his ODI run records, his decisive part in the 1992 World Cup win, and his later influence as captain, chief selector and coach. ¹

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