The 109 off just 72 balls which saw Pakistan securing an unlikely victory over the machine-like South Africans, in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, was the greatest innings that Abdul Razzaq has ever played in any form of the game.
He was cool throughout and appeared totally in control of his nerves and shots. He never once showed any signs of nervous energy, which so many batsmen display through jerky movements and long walks towards square leg.
He knew he was the man to finish the job and declined to go for singles when most would have taken a single and relied on their batting partners to give the strike back to them. He even sacrificed Saeed Ajmal, the number 10, to retain the strike. This shows how calculated his approach was.
It looked as if he had a concept of the way in which he wanted to win the match and he didn’t want to stray from the script. Such was his influence on the game that he scored 62 of the last 65 runs.
He imperiously dispatched the ball flying over the fence on more occasions than he hit fours. Why pierce gaps with ground shots when you can hit huge sixes over the heads of fielders? How many of us gave up hope of Pakistan winning the match when Fawad Alam was dismissed? Not Abdul Razzaq.
For most, who had the pleasure to see his superlative century, this type of cricket is what really defines Abdul Razzaq. He is known for his big hitting and not so consistent performances.
The inconsistency in his performances stems partially from being switched around in the batting order. He has batted at every position from number 2 to 11. Most frequently he has batted at the numbers 7 and 8 positions – 122 out of 212 innings have been at these positions. Once he has even batted as the last man but that was very early in his career.
I remember that he was once even touted as future captaincy material because of his all-round skills, patience and his nerves of steel. The reasons why he didn’t attain that job aren’t apparent but there may be some truth in the allegations that he did not see eye to eye with Inzamam-ul-Haq’s policy of enforced Islamisation of the Pakistan team.
Surprisingly, for a man who has come to be known as a destroyer of bowling attacks – when he is in the mood – he was used in a unique role in the 1999 World Cup in England. In fact, the way he batted patiently at the one down position was even given a name – ‘pinch-blocker’. His 9 innings in that tournament yielded 170 runs at a measly average of 18.89 but amazingly his strike rate was 46.20 per hundred balls - more in keeping with a Geoffery Boycott or a Sunil Gavaskar than the man we know as Abdul Razzaq.
In another uncharacteristic display (for the big hitter in him) during a Test in Mohali, India in 2005, he scored 71 runs in Pakistan’s second innings off 260 balls for which he batted for 346 minutes, i.e., five and three quarter hours. Pakistan managed to stave off defeat thanks to Abdul Razzaq and Kamran Akmal staying together for 56 overs.
It is said that he knows only two ways to bat – stop or stomp. Allegedly, Inzamam-ul-Haq described Abdul Razzaq as having a first and fourth gear only. He does have a tendency to get bogged down if you don't allow him to score off his favourite shots but heaven help you if you can’t stop him from playing his staple big shots.
He first made his appearance based on the strength of his bowling but over the years he has lost some pace and bite. However, many will recall his 5 for 31 against Sri Lanka where he, with devastating reverse swing, took 4 wickets without conceding any runs in just 9 balls. The match was tied even though at one stage Sri Lanka needed just 24 runs off 10 overs with 8 wickets remaining. That performance may have been the bowling equivalent of the match winning century he scored over the weekend.
The soldier-like demeanor of Abdul Razzaq is what the Pakistan team requires but to be fair to the man he needs to have a settled place in the team. The consistency will then be on display.
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