july 8 – 10, 2016 £2
Imran Khan Javed Miandad
Mushtaq Ahmed
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contents 05: Welcome
from Chief Executive Zac Toumazi
06: Pakistan
links
Paul Weaver on some of the great Pakistanis who have played for Sussex
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Academy 18: Remembering How could Sussex supporters ever forget him?
Mushy
20: proud
links with pakistan
Paul Weaver, of The Guardian, remembers Imran, Javed and Mushy
Squad Profiles
14: Captain
Floor design service
calling
22: Past
meetings
against Pakistan
Home visits The Chalet The 1st Central County Ground Eaton Road, Hove BN3 3AN
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Print: L&S Print Editor: Bruce Talbot. Contributors: Mark Baldwin, John Barnett, Paul Weaver Design: Alison Cooper 07762357670 Photography: Getty Images, Telephoto Images, Sussex CCC Archive (thanks to Phil Barnes)
Luke Wright assesses Sussex’s County Championship season so far
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10: Pakistan
16: Aldridge
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welcome Hello and welcome to our prestigious three-day tourist match with Pakistan at The 1st Central County Ground. I sincerely hope that you enjoy your visit to Hove. It’s great that we are once again able to welcome an international team to our ground and we trust that the Pakistan players, staff and management, and indeed their families, enjoy their stay with us ahead of their Test Series with England. We’ve had many touring international teams visit Hove over the years and we hope that this tradition will continue for many seasons to come. You only need to cast your mind back three years to remember our three-day match with Australia, played in heat that was more akin to South Australian than the South Coast! The Australians, like many other teams, loved the welcome we were able to provide, and we are proud that this is the case when the stars of world cricket descend on our ground. The first morning of the Australia game actually felt like the first morning of a Test Match at Lord’s or the Oval and it’s the closest we’ll get these days to hosting a full international game here at Hove, which is one of the reasons
we cherish these matches so much. We were delighted to host England Women in their Ashes series with Australia last season; it was another T20 sell-out to add to the list and it was one of the best atmospheres of the season. Sadly, the nature of county cricket has deemed some tourist matches to not be of the stature of what they once were, with some even losing their first-class status. As you’ll read about later in the publication, there have been many well-fought battles between Sussex and Pakistan over the years and we hope to provide our Tourists with a suitable test in English conditions. Away from cricket, in little over a week we’ll be welcoming Sir Tom Jones! It really is a big coup for the club to attract big name stars such as Sir Tom to play at our venue, as well as being another route of generating revenue away from cricket. We are always on the lookout on innovative ways to maximise the usage of our facilities and ultimately this also benefits us on the cricket side of the budget too. If you’re visiting our ground for the first time today, I sincerely hope that Hove leaves a positive lasting memory in the mind and that you will return soon. We believe we are lucky enough to play at one of the most attractive county grounds in England, and what could be better than being a short walk from the seaside? Sit back, relax and enjoy some
fine cricketing action from the two sides during this match and I hope to see many of you with us again next Friday evening when we host Hampshire in the NatWest T20 Blast under the floodlights.
Good Old Sussex by the Sea! Zac Toumazi, Chief Executive
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Past meetings Inzaman-ul-Haq scored 157 on Pakistan’s last visit to Hove in 1992
May 1954 Match drawn. The first meeting between Sussex and Pakistan was dominated by the Sussex batsmen. Hubbert Doggart made 101 in Sussex’s 271 and after Pakistan responded with 278 John Langridge (85) and Don Smith (78) put on 171 undefeated in Sussex’s second innings of a rain-affected draw.
May 1962 Sussex won by 7 wickets. Don Bates took 4 for 13 as Pakistan were dismissed for 144. Sussex declared on 348 for 7 in reply thanks to 117 by Ted Dexter and half-centuries from Ken Suttle and Giles Cooper. Javed Burki made 110 in Pakistan’s second innings 260 before Sussex knocked off their target of 57 with three wickets down.
July 1967 Match drawn. Majid Khan’s unbeaten 112 was the highlight of Pakistan’s 245. Half-centuries from Ken Suttle (78), Jim Parks (78*), Giles Cooper (65) and Les Lenham (51*) took Sussex to 338 in reply before Pakistan responded with 245 for 7 in their second innings. Needing 153 to win, Sussex reached 18 for 1.
August 1974 Pakistan won by 9 wickets. Sadiq Mohammad’s unbeaten 76 guided Pakistan to victory after they had been set 154 to win. Jerry Morley (85), Tony Greig (59), Mark Faber (58) 6 www.sussexcricket.co.uk/tickets
and Geoff Greenidge (55) all made contributions to Sussex’s 348 for 5 and Pakistan replied with 352 with Zaheer Abbas scoring 117. Sussex were then dismissed for just 157 as Nasser Malik, a right-armer who played three ODIs, took five wickets.
June 1982 Pakistan won by an innings & 13 runs. Mudassar Nassar made the only double hundred in this fixture with an unbeaten 211 as Pakistan piled up 450 for 2. Moshin Khan supported him with 150 before legendary leg spinner Abdul Qadir got to work. He took 7 for 44 and despite 48 from Gehan Mendis, Sussex followed on after being dismissed for 209. They did slightly better in their second innings with 228, half of those runs being scored by Mendis. But Qadir took 6 for 78 to finish with match figures of 13 for 122 in a crushing Pakistan victory.
May 1987 Drawn. A three-day game dominated by batsmen. Javed Miandad made an unbeaten 211 against his former county as Pakistan piled up 444 for 4. Neil Lenham scored an unbeaten 104 in Sussex’s reply of 299 for 8 in a rain-affected contest.
Javed Miandad, who later had a spell as Pakistan coach, scored a double hundred against his former county in 1987
then took 4 for 35 as Sussex were dismissed for 236 despite 47 from Franklyn Stephenson and Martin Speight’s 43. Sussex gained revenge the following day. Despite 53 from Rameez Raja, Pakistan were bowled out for 230 and Sussex successfully chased their target in 51.3 overs with Stephenson (71) and Speight (53) setting up victory with a fifth-wicket stand of 123.
May 1992 Two 55 over games were played on successive days. Pakistan won the first match after Inzaman ul-Haq led them to 321 for 2 with 157. Mushtaq Ahmed www.sussexcricket.co.uk/tickets 7
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The Pakistan Squad
Younis Khan
Yasir Shah
Sohail Khan
One of Pakistan’s modern greats. The 38-year-old has played in 104 Tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20 internationals, scoring more than 9,000 Test runs including 31 hundreds. The 38-year-old made his Test debut 16 years ago and has played for three English counties.
Leg-spinner who served a threematch ICC suspension in February for breaching the anti-doping code. The 30-year-old has taken 76 wickets in 12 Test matches.
32-year-old right-arm fast bowler who made the last of his two Test appearances back in 2011 before returning to the international fold during the one-day series in Australia during 2015.
Asad Shafiq The 30-year-old right-hander has scored eight centuries in 41 Tests since making his debut in 2010. That year he also toured England and scored his maiden half-century during the one-day series.
Misbah-ul-Haq
Shan Masood
The 42-year-old has led his country impressively since taking over at the age of 36 after Pakistan’s last tour of England in 2010. The experienced right-hander has scored more than 4,300 runs, including nine hundreds, in 61 Tests and played 162 ODIs before retiring in 2015.
Left-handed opening batsman, who played for Durham MCCU earlier in his career. Has scored one hundred in seven Tests since making his debut in 2013.
(main image)
Mohammad Hafeez Experienced opener, 35, who made his Pakistan debut 13 years ago but only became established in the team in 2011. Providing he recovers from a knee injury, Hafeez will make his 300th appearance for his country on the tour. He averages 40.85 in 47 Tests and has scored nine Test hundreds.
(pictured right)
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Sami Aslam 20-year-old left-handed opener from Lahore who made his Test bow in the two-match series against Bangladesh earlier this year.
Azhar Ali Captain of Pakistan’s one-day team and vice-captain in the Test side, Azhar has played 78 times for his country and averages 43.37 in Tests, having scored nine hundreds. Attractive toporder batsman.
Iftikhar Ahmed 25-year-old right hander with two ODI and one T20 international appearance for Pakistan. Made an unbeaten 66 when Pakistan A beat England Lions in an ODI last December.
Sarfraz Ahmed First-choice keeper in all formats for Pakistan since making his debut in 2010. He has scored three Test hundreds in 21 matches. A former captain of Pakistan under-19s.
Mohammad Rizwan The 24-year-old right-handed batsman from Peshawar is also backup wicketkeeper and has played 15 ODIs and nine T20 internationals.
Zulfiqar Babar 37-year-old left-arm spinner who made the last of his 13 Test appearances against England during last winter’s series in the UAE. Has taken 51 Test wickets.
Mohammad Amir
Imran Khan 28-year-old right-armer who has made seven Test appearances since making his debut against Australia in 2014 when he was rewarded for consistent performances in Pakistan’s domestic cricket.
Banned for five years following the spot-fixing scandal on Pakistan’s last tour in 2010, the 24-year-old left-armer returned to international cricket earlier this year during their one-day series in New Zealand.
Wahab Riaz 30-year-old left-armer who has taken 43 wickets in 15 Tests. He has the pace to trouble good batsmen but has sometimes lacked the necessary consistency.
Rahat Ali 27-year-old and another left-armer in the Pakistan bowling attack. He has taken 40 wickets in 14 Tests since making his debut against South Africa three years ago.
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Work to be done All is not lost in Sussex’s bid for an immediate return to Division One of the Specsavers County Championship.
Wright gave a typically honest assessment of Sussex’s performances so far. “There is
That’s the assessment of captain Luke Wright, who led the team for the first time in the four-day competition at Arundel last month when Sussex had their sixth draw out of seven against Northamptonshire. It left them in sixth place, 31 points behind leaders Essex, albeit with a game in hand. That might seem like a sizeable gap but in a league where no team has won more than two matches as we approach the halfway point of the season it can quickly be overhauled.
Arundel.
still plenty of time to make an impression on the season but it has to start soon and we have to start playing better cricket,” was his verdict after
“Even when we beat Derbyshire for our first win of the season we didn’t feel we’d played the perfect game. The bowling unit performed in patches but not throughout the whole game. So there are plenty of areas we are work on. It’s not a disaster, because we haven’t lost a game yet but we’ve got to score more hundreds, get more big partnerships and bowl in better areas on a more consistent basis. It’s pretty simple really!”
The two outstanding individuals so far have been openers Ed Joyce and Chris Nash. Battle-hardened after years of trying to blunt top-flight new-ball bowlers, they have relished second division attacks. Joyce, who made a career-best 250 at Derby in May, went into last week’s game against Glamorgan as the leading run-scorer in Division Two and Nash who, like Joyce, has scored 50 or more seven times already, not far behind.
“Ed Joyce and Chris Nash have given us good starts all season – they have been brilliant – but we need to back them up more. Hopefully I can do that now I am playing.” said Wright.
The skipper’s presence in the middle order at Arundel, after recovering from early-season back and wrist problems, was certainly reassuring and Wright is capable
himself of emulating the form of Sussex’s consistent openers in the second half of the season. His rallying cry, though, is for a collective improvement and for players currently on the fringes of the team, to make a case for selection with consistent runs and wickets. “It is time for the whole squad to step up. When you get picked in this team you are there to score runs or take wickets, you’re not there for the experience or a day out,” he added. “We need everyone to stand up. You want guys in the second team to be putting pressure on them by getting big runs or taking wickets.”
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is that we’re tired. We’re fresh and looking forward to the second half of the season.”
said Wright.
Skipper Luke Wright is looking for Sussex to kick on in the second half of the Championship campaign Leading scorers
Leading from the front: Openers Chris Nash and Ed Joyce have already scored more than 1,300 runs between them this season
It might also help Sussex’s prospects if the weather perks up. In the first seven games of the ‘summer’ they had lost 716 overs to rain and bad light, the equivalent of seven days. On certain occasions the weather has probably come to their aid, but at Derby it denied them almost certain victory. The one benefit of extended periods off the field is that the Championship side is relatively fresh. “One thing we can’t say
(after 7 games) Ed Joyce 765 Chris Nash 651 Luke Wells 353 Ben Brown 322 Matt Machan 291
Leading wicket-takers
Best partnerships
Steve Magoffin 17
310: Joyce & Wells v Derbyshire (Derby)
Ollie Robinson 13 Ajmal Shahzad 12 Stuart Whittingham 11
188: Nash & Joyce v Essex (Hove) 93: Nash & Taylor v Leicestershire (Hove)
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Centre of Excellence This specialist state-of-the-art cricket centre includes: • three lanes of indoor cricket nets with full run ups • full service gym for strength and conditioning • physiotherapy room • a Sussex Premier League standard cricket square New £1.8m cricket facility opens in Brighton Former England captain Charlotte Edwards CBE was guest of honour at the opening of the Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket Centre on June 29. Charlotte, who retired from international cricket recently, was the first player, either male or female, to score 2500 runs in T20 internationals. She led England on 220 occasions, during which time the side won three Ashes series and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2014. Current New Zealand women’s captain Suzie Bates was present at the event. Bates, who was the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year in 2013, is a Southern Vipers Ambassador, along with Edwards. The Centre will be home to the Aldridge Cricket Academy (ACA), a unique partnership between Brighton and Portslade Aldridge Community Academies and Sussex Cricket. It will enable Sixth Form students to study for academic qualifications alongside professional cricket development. 16 www.sussexcricket.co.uk/tickets
was the first international cricketer to get involved in the development of the ACA when she visited to talk to students and run a coaching session in March 2012. Inspired by the success she’s achieved I am sure it won’t be long before we see an Aldridge student playing for Sussex, and hopefully one day for England.”
The Official Opening Ceremony. Dylan Davies (Principal, BACA), Luke Wright (Sussex Captain), Simon Funnell (Director of Sports, BACA & PACA), Alexia Walker (Director of Cricket, BACA & PACA), Sir Rod Aldridge OBE (Founder, Aldridge Foundation), Charlotte Edwards CBE (Former England Women’s Captain and Southern Vipers Ambassador), Jim May (Chairman, Sussex Cricket)
Left to right:
The Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket Centre is in the grounds of Brighton Aldridge Community Academy at Falmer.
The Centre will provide students with dedicated training and playing facilities. It will also promote sporting excellence in order to enable local students to develop cricketing talent and maintain fitness. The Centre has been designed with Sussex Cricket to be a hub for cricket in Brighton and Hove. It will be the home for the ACA and also be used by local primary schools. This indoor school will be a base for Sussex Women’s and Girl’s cricket in the future as well as a satellite for the Sussex Cricket Academy and for Sussex’s Emerging Players Programme. With the new centre being supported by Sussex Cricket, club captain Luke Wright and fast bowler Tymal Mills were also present at the opening ceremony. Sir Rod Aldridge said: “This
facility is a wonderful asset for BACA and PACA, and for the development of young cricketers in Sussex as a whole. The Aldridge Cricket Academy is all about giving local students, both boys and girls, the same kinds of opportunities that students in fee paying schools generally have, which are rare for players attending state schools. Charlotte
Sussex Under-11s take part in the first coaching session in the Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket Centre with former England Women’s Captain Charlotte Edwards, current New Zealand Women’s Captain Suzie Bates and Sussex’s Georgia Adams
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He first came to prominence in
Memories of Mushy When Mushtaq Ahmed arrived at Hove in 2003 he was a familiar face and name to Sussex supporters from previous exploits at both county and international level.
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The 1992 World Cup Final against England – a spindly leg-break bowler who bounced to the crease seemingly on tiptoe and with a whirl of the arms. I first saw him in 1995 in a Benson & Hedges zonal match at Taunton, when he was in his third season with Somerset. Chasing 242, Sussex cruised to 93-1. Mushy came on and that was quickly 93-4 then 137-7 as the hosts won by 54 runs. Later that summer, I was at Bath as in a game arguably typical of the era, Sussex led on first innings and had the home side in trouble second time around, but found themselves needing 297 on day three. Mushy had already snared six victims in the first dig, and then got stuck into the middle order, finishing with 4-62 as his side won by a comfortable 124 runs. After a truncated campaign with Somerset in 1998, he slipped off the radar until he arrived at Hove with Surrey in 2002, having signed a short-term deal. It has been well documented how this match led to Peter Moores and Chris Adams identifying him as the man to fill the second overseas spot for the following year. It is also well known what a sensational career Mushy had down on the south coast and what an enormous contribution he made in his 5 and a half years. Bowling a huge number of overs, it became a familiar sight to see Mushy wheeling away. He was never afraid of nor disenchanted by going for a few runs, he knew he would invariably get his revenge -
be it a batsman fatally padding up to the googly or popping a catch to a close catcher, being deceived by the bounce he was still able to generate. There were countless five-wicket hauls, often as part of ten-fors in the match. How do you select the highlights? Dismantling the Nottinghamshire batting – including Kevin Pietersen cheaply - in a hitherto high-scoring match at Horsham that sped the Martlets to a ten-wicket triumph, Mushy taking 12 in the match. And having not beaten Warwickshire in any competition since 1993, there was something extra special about the seven second-innings victims he secured during an innings win. Eleven wickets in the heavyweight clash with Lancashire would prove to be crucial, and while the match with Middlesex at Hove in early September will be remembered for an astonishing batting fight-back, reducing the visitors from 309-3 to 392 all out on day one with 6-145 made that possible. Throw in a half-century and another four
wickets, and the little magician was inspiring his county towards their first ever title. With two games to go and only one needed for 100 first-class wickets, it was hard to believe when he remained on 99 in the return game against Lancashire. Despite losing by an innings,
there was another fifty which helped to earn a second batting point, and rule Surrey out of the title race in the process. So it was all set up for a grand finale on home soil, still one wicket needed, and six points for the championship. As you no doubt all know, Leicestershire cruised to 111-1, then came the famous dismissal of Brad Hodge and soon after the visitors had collapsed to 179 all out, four wickets for Mushy making it 103 for the season. The title was heading to Hove. The next two seasons saw 84 and 80 wickets, but it is hard not to focus on the championship-winning years.
final match Mushy had got through a huge workload. Nonetheless, the rewards were massive and so often when it really mattered he delivered – 7-72 in the thrashing of Shane Warne’s Hampshire, nine wickets in the match to see off emerging challengers Durham, four second innings scalps in the pivotal victory over Lancashire at Liverpool, and five in Yorkshire’s first innings, another crushing win. The best came in the final game against Worcestershire. Struggling with a knee injury, he produced one last effort and a match haul of 13 wickets as Sussex won their third title in five seasons. By the time he retired in 2008
As Sussex take on Pakistan, John Barnett remembers with affection the irrepressible Mushtaq Ahmed – the catalyst for the most successful period in our history Two matches in 2006 stand out, both against the same opposition. Sussex should have had no right to beat Notts at Hove having been dismissed for 143, but Mushtaq’s six wickets ensured a deficit of only 86. Requiring only 162 for victory, Notts were rolled over for 120, another three wickets falling to Mushy. Sussex needed to win the final match of the season at Trent Bridge to clinch the title and 11 wickets for Mushtaq secured another 100-wicket landmark. The 2007 triumph was undoubtedly the hardest of the three as injuries and international call-ups took their toll, and by the
he had taken a phenomenal 478 wickets. Mushy’s contribution was immense and almost immeasurable. It wasn’t just the wickets and the victories they brought, but having rediscovered his faith, he was an absolute inspiration to those around him, be it fellow Pakistanis Rana Naved and Saqlain Mushtaq, or the young players that came through in that time. Greatest ever Sussex XIs and players have been and will be debated forever, but there can be no doubt about this man’s right to a place in any of them.
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Pakistan greats were pride of Sussex Sussex cricket has many exotic Asian associations, most of them Indian. But when the county’s cricket is being assessed it can be seen that three outstanding Pakistan cricketers featured for the club.
The last of them, Mushtaq Ahmed, was Sussex’s most important player when that first county championship was won in 2003. But before that there was Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. Even among great cricketers, these two stand out. If Garry Sobers was the most accomplished cricketer of all time, Imran was not far behind him in the list of outstanding all-rounders. When Richie Benaud compiled his all-time World XI a few years he found room for both Sobers and Imran in his side. About 30 years ago I interviewed
Sussex supporter Paul Weaver, of The Guardian, remembers Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, two of the finest overseas players to represent the county Sir Richard Hadlee for The Guardian on the subject of the world-class all-rounders operating in the game at that time. There was Hadlee himself, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Imran and – stretching it a little - Malcolm Marshall. So who was the best of them, I asked the New Zealander known as Paddles because of his big feet? “It’s not even close,” he said. “Imran is out there on his own.” And he was. Along with Maurice Tate, he was surely the finest all-rounder to play for Sussex. It was that great, fast bowler’s
Steaming in: Imran in full flight at Hove was a wonderful sight in the 1980s
Richard Hadlee claimed Imran was the best all-rounder in the world during his pomp. He had a better batting average than Ian Botham
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leap before delivery that pricks the memory more than anything else. He was fast and a bit nasty, like all fast bowlers should be. He was strong and powerfully built, yet in 1971 Worcestershire’s Glenn Turner told the skinny youngster that he had the wrong build to make it as a fast bowler. One disappointment for Sussex supporters is that they never saw Imran opening the bowling with John Snow, who was 11 years his senior. Imran regretted it too. He told me in an interview: “It was very disappointing for me that Sussex sacked John Snow in 1977, because that was the year I joined
the county. I had looked forward to bowling with such a great fast bowler who passed on lots of helpful tips to me. “John was at his peak when I first toured England as a very young member of the Pakistan team in 1971 and the following year I enjoyed his great battle with Dennis Lillee in the Ashes series. Men like that made me want to bowl fast. I got to know John more during World Series Cricket.”
Sussex from 1977 until 1988. He was, of course, much more than a fast bowler. He was also a fine batsman, a clean-hitter, but one with a finely honed technique, rather like Botham. Many people seem surprised to learn that Imran had a better batting average than Botham, both at Test and overall first-class level. And he was a faster and more penetrating bowler too. (continued)
Imran had a long county and international career, particularly for a fast bowler. After his spell with Worcestershire, he played for www.sussexcricket.co.uk/tickets 21
Javed’s cheery face lit up Hove during his time with Sussex – and he knew how to lay his hands on a crate of beer!
As a bowler, I recall Imran steaming in at Hove. But as a batsman my happiest memories of him are at Eastbourne which, according to the old England batsman Ken Barrington, was once the best batting strip in the country. Imran helped Sussex to victory in the Gillette Cup in 1978, and in the NatWest Trophy eight years later, when he made an unbeaten half-century. His biggest regret as a Sussex player was the failure to win the county championship in 1981, when he formed a mighty opening partnership with Garth le Roux. Sussex were generally 22 www.sussexcricket.co.uk/tickets
considered to be the best side in the country that season, and would have won the title had they beaten Notts at Trent Bridge. They should have too, but Mike Bore was given not out by the umpire when Imran hit him in front of the stumps. Imran was also an inspiring captain and unified an often difficult Pakistan team, leading them to the victory in the World Cup in 1992, his 40th year. Javed played only a handful of matches for Sussex and would play more county cricket for Glamorgan. It was a double century for Glamorgan at Colchester, in a
losing cause, that was described to me by a number of Essex players as the greatest innings they had ever witnessed. It was the young Javed’s cheerful, smiling personality that caught the eye almost as much of his batting during his short time at Hove. But Sussex, who had an embarrassment of riches in the overseas department, decided to let him go. He went on to become one of Pakistan’s finest middle-order batsmen. He surely would have been one of Sussex’s greatest players had he remained. Most of all, I recall that brilliant, twinkling eye. I remember him once walking across his stumps to play a delivery from Curtly Ambrose that was wide of off stump. Then he glanced it past his leg stump for four. Audacious! And long before the coming of Twenty20 cricket. Ranji would have enjoyed that invention. Javed, like Imran, went on to captain Pakistan, but with less conspicuous success. But he was a prince of a batsman. My fond memories of Javed extend beyond the breathtaking quality of his cricket. When I was touring Pakistan many years ago Javed – now retired – offered me a warm welcome and asked if there was anything he could do to make my stay more enjoyable. I replied immediately: as drinking opportunities were difficult to find it would be very nice, I said, if a crate of beer was delivered to my room. It was there within the hour.
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