In 1972, Karachi was playing against another local club, the captain of Karachi was on the crease and the situation was tough & tense, the scoreboard reading was that Karachi required 18 runs off last three deliveries. A young boy asked the manager to call the captain back in the pavilion as he was a defensive sort of player and let the young man face the situation. The manager initially hesitated but then agreed to do so. Came out the youngster and Karachi won the match as he hit three consecutive sixes to the other sides attacking bowler. That young man never new that he would be called the Mum & Dad of cricket in future.
In the next year 1973, He scored a triple hundred while playing for Karachi Whites against the Pakistan Railways at the age of 17 years. This world record has still to see a contest, by that mammoth 311 runs innings he become the youngest player to make a triple hundred in first class cricket in the world.
After two Years in 1975, that young lad was selected in the World Cup squad of his country Pakistan. Playing his first match against the giants of world cricket West Indies, who was full of terrorist bowlers and killer batsmen, that young man denied every bowler to take his wicket. While bowling in the same match he captured the wicket of Super Captain of West Indies, Clive Lloyd . By that performance he made his presence on the field bright. When he came out to bat, the commentators were calling him Pervez (they were thinking that this man is Pervez Meer) but he made them think twice and then they were calling him by his name.
The next year 1976, Kiwis toured Pakistan for 3 test series. In the first test match this young man made his debut, he came out when Pakistan had lost Majid Khan, Mushtaq Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas, Sidiq Mohammad at a score of 44, the scoreboard reading was 44/4 and Asif Iqbal was on the crease, out came the youngster and scored a scintillating 163 in his first innings with completion of the ton with three successive boundaries. On that occasion Asif Iqbal said that the young boy was even guiding him during their tremendous partnership, Asif said that he was happy that he made 3 runs more then the cricketing brain. In the second test that young man made the writing on the wall easier by hitting a marathon 206 not out against the poor kiwis who had the services of bowlers like Richard Hadlee. By hitting this double hundred he made a world record of being the youngest in the world to score a double century and this record of his still has to see a contest. It was the time when people of the cricket world and the lords of the cricket world started to stare at each other quietly.
In 1978, the Indian team, the arch rival of the young man's squad, toured Pakistan and this boy helped Pakistan win the series, and then he was included in the list of greats of cricket. In the later part of the year he was unable to score something mentionable against the West Indies because of the death of his Father NOOR MOHAMMAD MIANDAD KHAN.
In 1979, the young man was appointed captain of the team by the board president Air Marshal NOOR KHAN, which many people think that was not a wise decision, but I don't agree with them because that young guy proved himself to be the best. In 1981-82 he toured Australia with his team and gave a tough time to the Aussies and when Lilee kicked him he showed the guy that what happens when you kick a man and the man is Miandad. That year he stepped down from the captaincy for Imran Khan and accepted the place of his deputy and he was happy with Imran Khan . The cricket world knows the The IMRAN-MIANDAD combination is unbeatable at any forum. Then these two giants of cricket started to lift the babes of cricket towards the destination which was achieved after a decade.
In the next memorable session 1982-83, India again visited Pakistan for a six test match series, in the second test match at Niaz Stadium Hyderabad he scored 280* not out and made a world record of the highest partnership for any wicket in test cricket (451 runs) and also equaled the world record of William Ponsford and Donald Bradman which was set in 1938 against English team. The master was stopped by breaking the record of Sir Garfield Sobers by the captain Imran Khan, who declared the innings when the wonderboy was on 280 and going great guns. Imran did not even ask him for a particular time and the number of overs he can play, and that was one of the or may be the worst decision of Imran Khan as captain of Pakistan cricket team. But the great man never complained about it, instead he went on making four more double hundreds in his remaining career.
In 1984, Imran Khan got injured and the captaincy was given to the master again and he proved to be the right choice again when he beat Sri Lanka three-nil in the test series and also hit a double hundred against the Lankans. During this time he had played in all the three World Cups which were held in England and helped Pakistan to win but the lady luck was not with his squad.
In 1986 he suddenly turned around the table of One Day Cricket for Pakistan when in Australasia cup he showed the perfect way and combination to win a game of this level, In Sharjah India set a target of 245 runs for Pakistan and The cricketing brain made it possible for the Pakistan by hitting an unbeaten 116 with a six on the last ball of Chetan Sharma also finishing the career off for the poor chap. He was a real Super Hero by that time, people started to copy him all over the world, he was named as the Man of Crises and the Master batsman.
The next year in the extravaganza of the world cup in India and Pakistan, he was again the deputy of Imran and he helped or we can say steer Pakistan to the semi-final of the cup, but the lady luck again favoured Australia when Pakistan was set a target of more then 250 and Pakistan's wicket keeper got injured, the man told Imran not to worry for he will keep the wickets, and he did it magnificently against the bowlers like Imran, Qadir and Akram, he kept the wickets for 45 overs then batted in the whole Pakistan innings and made 70 runs but in vain, Pakistan Lost, another chance missed, the nation shocked .
Next season he proved that he is the only man in the world who can not be dominated when he hit two hundreds in West Indies and hitting a double hundred in England and a hundred in One Dayer in England. In 1989 he was again awarded with the captaincy and he again washed the kiwis out in a three test series 3-0 after hitting another double hundred against them in Auckland, then in 1990 came Imran and the bad back. He was not very prolific in the 1990-91 but certainly most dangerous, so because of his bad medical condition and bad politics he was dropped for the national squad for a match or two in different series, but he was still confident and the nation waited for his action and magical form.
Then came the 1992, When the team was announced on the national television his name was not included, he got dejected by hearing that .But Imran came to the decision that we can't win without that man, so he was called to down under and proved his fitness in the first outing in a warm-up match against Sri Lankans by hitting an unbeaten 80*, then he scored the most runs in that world cup after Martin Crowe who had the advantage of small grounds and home crowd, he scored 437 runs with 5 fifties in 9 outings. After Winning the world cup Imran retired leaving the mum&dad in charge, he went to England and crushed England by a 2-1 victory in the tests and the Kiwis by 1-0 and when he came back to his country he was thrown away from the leadership, and his heart was crying on the manners adopted by the cricket board towards him so as the Pakistan Cricket future.
In 1993 he agreed to play under his pupil Wasim Akram, as he hit another Hundred against the South Africans making brilliant stroke play against Allan Donald towards Jonty Rhodes, when after that match Jhonty was asked about his failure in stopping those mastered shots he commented "I've got the legs, He's got the brain" . In 1994, for the first time in his illustrious and brilliant long career he was dropped from the team by his own pupil, Akram. That decision cost Akram his captaincy and fame in Pakistan. The master batsman announced his retirement in 6th April 1994 while crying in a speech and the cricket lovers in Pakistan went mad,chanting (No Miandad,No Cricket) the then Prime Minister of Pakistan and President of Pakistan had to come in the happenings and request the batting wizard to reconsider his decision. He in the best interest of the nation and the cricket of Pakistan unretired himself and made himself available for the selection.
In 1996, he was selected in the World Cup squad on merit by scoring high number of runs in the trial matches in Pakistan. Wasim Akram placed him at sixth number in the batting lineup "what a waste" where he was of no use he was no longer a young and energetic man, what he had at that time was charisma and experience to over come all the teams playing in the cup. In Bangalore, he replayed the scene for those who were children or not born till 1975 when he made his debut. Just Like the debut match he was denying every bowler to take his wickets and he was successful, In the debut match he batted on 5th place just like the Bangalore encounter. Pakistan lost the game in 1975 same happened in 1996, but was there one difference? Indeed a huge one, in the match of 1975 MIANDAD was coming to cricket whereas in 1996 MUM&DAD was leaving it.
Players will come and players will go, but will there be any other street fighter, will there be any other 'never an out', will there be any other wonder boy and will there be any other Mum&Dad of cricket? the answer is 'NO'.
We Lost him and we did not even bother for a standing farewell to the
great Javed Miandad. God Forgive Us.
[END]
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