The Hindu : Sport : Inzamam bids goodbye to international scene

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Saturday, Oct 13, 2007
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Sport

Inzamam bids goodbye to international scene

Pakistan battles to draw the second Test; South Africa wins series in sub-continent after seven years

Inzamam was inspired by Richards, Martin Crowe and Ponting
I rate him alongside Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar: Wasim Akram

LAHORE: South Africa sealed its first series victory on the sub-continent since 2000 after being held to a draw by battling Pakistan in the second and final cricket Test here on Friday.

Pakistan, set a mammoth 457 to win, finished on 316 for four with Younis Khan scoring a brilliant 130, while Mohammad Yousuf marked his return to the team with a stylish 63.

Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq smashed his bat in frustration after falling agonisingly short of Javed Miandad’s Pakistan Test runs record in his final international appearance.

South Africa last won a major South Asian series seven years ago when it beat India. It won the first Test by 160 runs in Karachi last week.

Inzamam, who quit one-day cricket and resigned the captaincy after Pakistan’s first-round exit from the World Cup in March, lasted just two deliveries.

He took three off the first ball but in the next over he jumped out of his crease and missed left-arm spinner Paul Harris’s delivery to be stumped by Mark Boucher.

Inzamam shrugged in disgust before trudging back to the pavilion for the last time amidst applause by 5,000 home fans and a guard of honour.

The master batsman, who finished with 8,830 runs including 25 centuries in 120 Tests, later broke his bat in the dressing room in a fit of anger. He was three short of breaking Miandad’s landmark.

It may not have been as dramatic as Bradman’s duck in his final innings in 1948 that cost him a Test average of 100, but ‘Inzy’ was every bit as disappointed.

“I wanted to play a memorable knock, but sadly that was not the case today,” Inzamam told reporters. “I wanted to play aggressively and maybe I could have won the match for Pakistan.”

“It’s difficult for me to describe how I felt when I walked in,” Inzamam said of his brief stay at the wicket. I’ve hit a number of deliveries like this one for sixes, but today in the battle of batsman and bowler, the bowler won,” he said.

Inzamam was given a memorable send off at the end of the match. All the Pakistan players lined up in a guard of honour and Inzamam walked through their raised bats for the presentation ceremony.

“It was like yesterday when I began my one-day international career from this very ground (Gaddafi Stadium) in 1991,” Inzamam said. “Today I am satisfied that I am leaving from the same venue.”

Inzamam embraced all his teammates and Shoaib Malik was even seen in tears when he met his former captain for the last time on a cricket field.

“Please don’t ask me, it was quite emotional, I will start crying again,” Malik told reporters.

Respected rivals

Inzamam, who scored 25 Test centuries with 17 coming in matches that Pakistan won, rated former West Indian batsman Sir Vivian Richards, New Zealand’s Martin Crowe and current Australian captain Ricky Ponting as the three best batsmen he had seen. “I have been inspired by the way these three batted,” he said.

Among bowlers, Inzamam rated Australia’s leg-spinner Shane Warne as the top bowler he faced during his illustrious career besides naming Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), Glenn McGrath (Australia), Courtney Walsh (West Indies) and Shaun Pollock (South Africa). “Today I guess it was Paul Harris,” Inzamam joked.

And his future plans?

“I’ve been playing cricket for the last 17 years, I love the game and I am planning to establish a cricket academy.”

Tributes

“I always rated Inzamam as equally talented as (Brian) Lara and (Sachin) Tendulkar but Inzamam did not realise his huge potential and for me he could have done better than he did,” said Imran Khan, under whom Inzamam’s career took off.

“I rate him alongside Lara and Tendulkar,” said former teammate Wasim Akram.

“The lazy elegance, the craft, the sleepy walk and perfect timing, all made him great. I think through his easy-going and calm demeanour he leaves behind a legacy,” he said.

South African paceman Alan Donald also paid tribute. “Bowling to Inzy was almost like bowling to a brick wall. Everything about him was unfazed, nothing could rattle him, he was so solid,” said Donald. — Agencies

SCOREBOARD

South Africa — 1st innings: 357

Pakistan — 1st innings: 206

South Africa — 2nd innings: 305 for four decl.

Pakistan — 2nd innings: S. Butt c sub b Ntini 6, K. Akmal b Harris 71, Younis Khan c Boucher b Kallis 130, M Yousuf (not out) 63, Inzamam-ul-Haq st. Boucher b Harris 3, Shoaib Malik (not out) 20. Extras (b-3, lb-14, w-5, nb-1) 23. Total (for four wkts. in 107 overs) 316.

Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-176, 3-265, 4-272.

South Africa bowling: Steyn 15-2-56-0, Ntini 17-3-60-1, Kallis 15-0-48-1, Nel 20-1-75-0, Harris 40-14-60-2.

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