Saqlain Mushtaq
Encyclopedia
Saqlain Mushtaq (born December 29, 1976) is a Pakistani
cricket
er, regarded as one of the finest off spin bowler
s of all time.
He is best known for pioneering the "doosra
", which he employed to great effect during his career. Saqlain has not been active in international cricket
since 2004.
. He picked up four wickets at an average of 26.75 in the first test of the series. The highlight of his Test career came in the away series against India in January/February 1999, where he achieved his first ten wicket haul in a test match. In the first test, with India needing only 17 runs to win, Saqlain effectively sealed Pakistan's win by taking the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar
who had scored 136. He ended the series with twenty wickets at an average of 20.15, which earned him the Man of the Series award.
for eight successive seasons, from 1997 to 2004. However, his time there was interrupted and his international career with Pakistan
effectively ended in 2004.
In August 2005, he played his first match after recovering from injury against Bangladesh A
, and took 4-87 from 35 overs bowled over two innings. However that same week, in his return to the County Championship
, he conceded 110 off 28 overs against Gloucestershire
, taking just one wicket.
In February 2006, he signed for Ireland for the C&G Trophy
, along with fellow team mate Abdul Razzaq.
Later in February 2007, Sussex announced that Saqlain had signed a two-year contract with them. His initial requirement was to cover for fellow Pakistanis, Mushtaq Ahmed
and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
who were part of Pakistan's World Cup
campaign.
On 26 September 2007, Saqlain was released by the county on his request. On 8 October 2007 Saqlain was re-signed by Surrey.
On 28 October, according to Cricinfo, he was released by Surrey.
In April 2009 he joined Old Whigiftians CC to play in the Surrey Championship. He took 64 wickets in his first season, including five 5 wicket hauls to earn Whits promotion to the first division. He was also involved in the youth game setup. In 2010, after relocating to Leicestershire
, he joined Syston Town Cricket Club, playing in the Everards County League.
In late 2010, he was training in Taunton
at the facilities of Somerset County Cricket Club
, whom he has now joined as a temporary spin-bowling coach for the 2011 Caribbean Twenty20
competition.
", an off-spinner's delivery which is bowled with an action very similar to that of an off-break. However, it spins in the opposite direction (i.e. from the leg side
to the off side), easily confusing batsmen, making it a very effective weapon. Saqlain became well known for this variation ball, which was integral to his success, although he received criticism for overusing it.
His other variation was the arm-ball, which again uses a similar action to the off-break, but causes the ball to go straight on without turning.
During his time at Surrey
, Saqlain worked on developing new deliveries which he called the "teesra" and the "chotha". However little else is known about these deliveries.
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er, regarded as one of the finest off spin bowler
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
s of all time.
He is best known for pioneering the "doosra
Doosra
A doosra is a particular type of delivery by an off-spin bowler in the sport of cricket, invented by Pakistani cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq. The term means " second ", or " other " in Urdu...
", which he employed to great effect during his career. Saqlain has not been active in international cricket
International Cricket
International Cricket is a cricket video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System that was only released in Australia in 1992. Developed by Melbourne-based Beam Software, it was the only cricket game released for the NES. There were no attempts to release a cricket video game to the North...
since 2004.
Career
Saqlain made his international debut in September 1995 playing against Sri Lanka at PeshawarPeshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
. He picked up four wickets at an average of 26.75 in the first test of the series. The highlight of his Test career came in the away series against India in January/February 1999, where he achieved his first ten wicket haul in a test match. In the first test, with India needing only 17 runs to win, Saqlain effectively sealed Pakistan's win by taking the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
who had scored 136. He ended the series with twenty wickets at an average of 20.15, which earned him the Man of the Series award.
Domestic career
Saqlain represented SurreySurrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
for eight successive seasons, from 1997 to 2004. However, his time there was interrupted and his international career with Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
effectively ended in 2004.
In August 2005, he played his first match after recovering from injury against Bangladesh A
Bangladesh A cricket team
The Bangladesh A cricket team is a cricket team representing Bangladesh, and is the "second tier" of international Bangladeshi cricket below the full Bangladeshi cricket team. The team played its first game, against the full Pakistan side, in 2001/02...
, and took 4-87 from 35 overs bowled over two innings. However that same week, in his return to the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, he conceded 110 off 28 overs against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, taking just one wicket.
In February 2006, he signed for Ireland for the C&G Trophy
C&G Trophy
The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom.It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties compete each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland...
, along with fellow team mate Abdul Razzaq.
Later in February 2007, Sussex announced that Saqlain had signed a two-year contract with them. His initial requirement was to cover for fellow Pakistanis, Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq Ahmed
Mushtaq Ahmed is a retired Pakistani cricketer who specialised as a leg spin bowler. He was known for his hard-to-pick googly. He memorably trapped Graeme Hick in front with one during the 1992 World Cup final. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997...
and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan is a cricketer who plays for the Pakistani Test and One Day International teams...
who were part of Pakistan's World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
campaign.
On 26 September 2007, Saqlain was released by the county on his request. On 8 October 2007 Saqlain was re-signed by Surrey.
On 28 October, according to Cricinfo, he was released by Surrey.
In April 2009 he joined Old Whigiftians CC to play in the Surrey Championship. He took 64 wickets in his first season, including five 5 wicket hauls to earn Whits promotion to the first division. He was also involved in the youth game setup. In 2010, after relocating to Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, he joined Syston Town Cricket Club, playing in the Everards County League.
In late 2010, he was training in Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
at the facilities of Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
, whom he has now joined as a temporary spin-bowling coach for the 2011 Caribbean Twenty20
2011 Caribbean Twenty20
The 2010–11 Caribbean Twenty20 season is the second season of the Caribbean Twenty20, a domestic Twenty20 tournament administrated by the West Indies Cricket Board. The season began on 10 January 2011, six months after the 2010 tournament, and concluded with the final on 23 January...
competition.
Playing style
Saqlain is credited with the invention of the "doosraDoosra
A doosra is a particular type of delivery by an off-spin bowler in the sport of cricket, invented by Pakistani cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq. The term means " second ", or " other " in Urdu...
", an off-spinner's delivery which is bowled with an action very similar to that of an off-break. However, it spins in the opposite direction (i.e. from the leg side
Leg side
The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...
to the off side), easily confusing batsmen, making it a very effective weapon. Saqlain became well known for this variation ball, which was integral to his success, although he received criticism for overusing it.
His other variation was the arm-ball, which again uses a similar action to the off-break, but causes the ball to go straight on without turning.
During his time at Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, Saqlain worked on developing new deliveries which he called the "teesra" and the "chotha". However little else is known about these deliveries.
Records and achievements
- Saqlain was selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 2000.
- A statistical analysis conducted by WisdenWisden 100The Wisden 100 is a set of lists created by Wisden which attempted to objectively rate the 100 best individual innings performances in Test and One Day International cricket in each of the disciplines of batting and bowling...
in 2003 revealed Saqlain as the all-time greatest ODI spinner, and sixth greatest of all ODI bowlers.
- Was the fastest to reach the milestones of 100, 150, 200 and 250 wickets in ODIs.
- He was the first of only two spinners to have taken a hat-trickHat-trickA hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in an ODI (the other being Abdur Razzak), and the second of only four bowlers to have taken two ODI hat tricks (Wasim AkramWasim AkramWasim Akram is a former Pakistani left arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman in cricketer and model. who represented the Pakistan national cricket team in Test cricket and One Day International matches....
, Chaminda VaasChaminda VaasWarnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas , usually known as Chaminda Vaas, is a Sri Lankan cricketer is regarded as the best fast bowler to have come out of the country - he has been described as the 'most penetrative and successful new-ball bowler Sri Lanka have had'...
and Lasith MalingaLasith MalingaSeparamadu Lasith Malinga is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a fast bowler with a rare round-arm action, sometimes referred to as a sling action, which leads to his nickname, "Slinga Malinga"...
being the others), the second of which was only the second hat-trick in a World CupCricket World CupThe ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
match.