Background

Inzamam-ul-Haq grew up in a cricket-playing family. He played cricket with his brother until Javed Miandad discovered him. Then, after Javed recommended him to Multan's cricket club, Inzamam-ul-Haq began his domestic career with Multan at just 15 years old.

Afterward, in November 1991, he was called up to play for the Pakistan national team in a match against the West Indies.

First Appearance

Inzamam made his ODI debut in 1991 against the West Indies in a series he played well in, recording a half-century in one of his two games. Immediately after that series, he delivered another amazing performance in a 4-match series against Sri Lanka, scoring two centuries and a half-century.

Inzamam played his first Test in 1992 against England at Edgbaston, where he was not out with a score of 8. As a result, he averaged only 13.2 runs per innings in his first Test series. In that series, Pakistan lost 2-1 to England. His Test performance, however, soon turned around and by 1994 he was playing an integral part in Pakistan's test cricket victories.

Ascend to Glory

Inzamam was hand-picked by Pakistani cricketing legend Imran Khan for the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup. During the early stages of the tournament, he disappointed both his team and Imran Khan. However, he began to deliver crucial performances at the most crucial moments. In the semi-finals, he scored 60 runs off just 37 balls, which helped Pakistan win. After this, Pakistan's maiden World Cup victory was sealed with another side-saving inning of 48 runs.

He made 58 not out with the tail in a test against Australia in Karachi in 1994, which led Pakistan to a one-wicket win and a 1–0 series win. His success came in 1995 when he became the top-ranked batsman by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Low Point

Throughout his career, Inzamam's weight and running between wickets were constant targets of ridicule. At several points, Inzamam's physical condition was questioned due to the increased athletic nature of the game.

At the 1997 Sahara Cup match against India in Toronto, Inzamam assaulted a member of the crowd, Shiv Kumar Thind, an Indian living in Canada who mocked his physique in public.

During Pakistan's tour of England in 2006, Inzamam instructed his team not to re-enter after tea at The Oval due to accusations of ball tampering. A discrimination charge has also been brought against him for allegedly discriminating against cricketers based on their religious beliefs.

Captaincy

Inzamam led the Pakistan cricket team from 2003 to 2007. During his time as Pakistan's captain, he won 11 tests, drew 9, and lost 10. Inzamam's batting improved as a result of his captaincy, as he often led by example in pressure situations. As a captain, he averages better (52) than as a regular player (50).

As team captain, Inzamam enjoyed less success in the second half of his tenure, which culminated in Pakistan's disappointing exit from the 2007 Cricket World Cup at the hands of lowly-ranked Ireland.

Inzamam’s Records

• Inzamam still holds the record for the most runs scored for Pakistan in ODIs with 11,701.
• As a player, he played 378 ODIs, which ranks him 6th all-time in ODI history.
• The Pakistan men's team won 11 Tests, lost 10, and drew 9 under Inzamam's captaincy.
• In Test cricket, he is one of only four Pakistan players to have scored a triple hundred.
• Inzamam's 329 against the Black Caps in 2002 is still Pakistan's second-highest individual score after Hanif Mohammad's 337.
• To date, he is the only Pakistani batsman with more than 20,000 international runs.

Retirement

He called upon his ODI career after Pakistan was eliminated early from the 2007 World Cup. That same year, he retired from Test cricket after playing his last match against South Africa in October.

Afterward, he worked for the Pakistan cricket team as a batting consultant and as a coach for the Afghan national cricket team. Inzamam also served as Pakistan's chief selector.