There has been no shortage of superstars to turn out for Pakistan over the years, with some of the country’s finest talents proving the most naturally gifted players to have ever taken up the game.
Here, we whittle down the list to the top 10.
SHAHID AFRIDI
‘Boom Boom’ is one of the most-loved cricketers, not just in Pakistan, but around the globe. A real crowd favourite, the all-rounder changed the limited-overs game as we know it when he smashed the fastest ODI century off just 37 balls back in 1996 at the age of 16. Still holds the record for most T20I wickets (97), too.
WASIM AKRAM
The Sultan of Swing, the left-armer is one of the all-time greats, with his pace and ability to move the ball probably still giving retired batsmen nightmares now. Perhaps the mastermind to Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup success, he also claimed 414 Test wickets in a career which helped redefine the art of fast bowling.
YOUNIS KHAN
Pakistan’s answer to Rahul ‘the Wall’ Dravid, this man could bat and bat he did. His retirement last year left a huge hole in Pakistan cricket, which will remain for a long while yet. The scorer of 10,099 Test runs – more than anyone else for the Green Army – makes him one of the most decorated batsman to have ever played the game.
SHOAIB AKHTAR
There have been few sights in cricket better than seeing the man nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express steam in and bowl fast. One of only a select band of pacemen to have broken the 100mph barrier and more, Akhtar was so quick in the mid-2000s that some batsmen said they couldn’t even see his deliveries.
MISBAH-UL-HAQ
The run machine and captain led Pakistan to the top of the Test rankings for the first time in August 2016 and can be largely credited for his country’s successes in recent years. After a late and stop-start beginning to his fully-fledged international career, Misbah played well into his 40s and is one of the most respected Pakistan cricketers ever.
WAQAR YOUNIS
In tandem with Akram, the Burewala Express bowled with blistering speed and harnessed the ability to move the ball both ways off the deck. A player with real leadership skills and charisma, he was the youngest Test captain for Pakistan, aged 22 back in 1993. Took 789 international wickets in a stellar career.
IMRAN KHAN
Known more nowadays for his political career, the legendary all-rounder led his team to World Cup glory against England and was one of Pakistan’s first genuine all-rounders. A real hero for millions of people, the cricketing nation have probably not produced a player of his ilk since his heyday.
INZAMAM-UL-HAQ
An intimidating batsman with real authority at the crease, he was both the mortar and cement in the Pakistani middle-order for over a decade. Scored over 20,000 runs combined in Tests and ODIs – and was nigh-on impossible to get out when he got going. Now chief selector of the team, he is still one of the most notable figures around.
JAVED MIANDAD
To this day, Pakistan fans are still celebrating his last-ball six which clinched a famous victory against India in the Austral-Asia Cup final in Sharjah in 1986. Fondly remembered as one of the best and most technically gifted batsman in cricket history, he could control games and caress matches in ways others couldn’t.
ZAHEER ABBAS
Distinctive for wearing spectacles when he played, he was one of the pioneers of attacking cricket for Pakistan in the one-day game and his 47.62 average with the bat from 62 matches was well ahead of the era in which he played in (1970s and 1980s). A cult figure who would get in most XIs.
