Daily Times

LAHORE: Former captain Javed Miandad was formally inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame when Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief executive Faisal Hasnain presented him with a commemorative cap and plaque on Saturday. 64-year-old Miandad was Pakistan cricket’s heartbeat from 1975-1996, during which he scored 16,213 international runs with 31 centuries in 357 matches. In a 402-match first-class career from 1973-74 to 1993-94, Miandad scored 28,663 runs at an average of over 53 with 80 centuries and 139 half-centuries. Miandad said: “I feel humbled and honoured to have been inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame. It is appropriate that these inductions are taking place when an international cricketer is at the helm of Pakistan cricket affairs as he understands better than anyone else the hard work and sacrifices a cricketer makes to reach to the top pedestal. Every time I stepped on to the field of play, I wanted to contribute for my team and country through my performance. To make this happen, I developed my own training and preparation plans using innovative methods visualising the oppositions and conditions I would encounter. I am delighted my efforts produced good results and I was able to serve my team and country with performances that made us a proud cricketing nation. One thing I did with great success throughout my career was to quickly forget my previous performance and switch focus towards the next challenge. Of course, I took learnings from the previous game into the next match and tried to improve, but I didn’t dwell on what I had achieved in the past matches. I was fortunate to always have had excellent and outstanding contemporaries who supported and encouraged me and I want to especially thank the people of Pakistan for their overwhelming support and love till date. This always remained my inspiration and motivation in the pursuit for excellence.”

Miandad played in the 1975 World Cup as an 18-year-0ld and then went to participate in five more World Cups, winning the 1992 event in Australia under Imran Khan. In 33 World Cup matches, Miandad scored 1,083 runs at an average of over 43. Miandad scored a century (163) on Test debut in Lahore in the first Test against New Zealand in 1976 and then scored first of his six double-centuries (206) in the third Test in Karachi. In his 100th Test in Lahore in 1989, Miandad scored 145 to become only the second batter (other being Gordon Greenidge) to score centuries in debut and 100th Test. Miandad scored over 1,000 Test runs against Australia (1,797 in 25 Tests), England (1,329 in 22 Tests), India (2,228 in 28 Tests) and New Zealand (1,919 in 18 Tests), while he scored over 1,000 ODI runs against Australia (1,019 in 35 matches), India (1,175 in 35 matches), Sri Lanka (1,141 in 35 matches) and West Indies (1,930 in 64 matches).