Saeed Anwar

Saeed Anwar PP (born 6 September 1968) is a Pakistani former cricketer and a former captain for Tests and ODIs.

Saeed Anwar was born on 6 September 1968 in Karachi.

In 1973, he shifted with his family to Canada and came back to Karachi in 1977.

Anwar went to high school at Government Degree Science College, Malir Cantt and went to university at NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi.

An opening batsman and occasional slow left arm orthodox bowler, Anwar played international cricket between 1989 and 2003.

Considered one of greatest opening batsmen Pakistan has ever produced and also regarded as one of the finest batsmen of his era.

Anwar has scored twenty centuries in ODIs, more than any other Pakistani batsmen in this format.

He played 55 Test matches, scoring 4052 runs with eleven centuries, average 45.52.

In 247 One Day Internationals (ODIs) he made 8824 runs at an average of 39.21.

He graduated from NED in 1989 majoring in Computer System Engineering.

He was planning to go to the United States for his Master's studies before becoming a professional Test cricketer.

His father, a businessman by profession, played cricket at club level whereas his brother, Jawed Anwar, represented Lahore Under-19 cricket team.

Anwar is credited for being one of the most stylish batsmen of 1990s alongside Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn and Sourav Ganguly.

His timing, elegance and placement of cricket shots are widely admired by cricket fans.

Anwar got a pair at his Test debut against the West Indies in 1990, and scored 169 runs in his third Test against New Zealand in February 1994.

He made his Test debut against the West Indies in a match which Pakistan lost at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, in 1990.

He made seven ODI centuries at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, including three consecutive during 1993–94.

Anwar scored two successive hundreds on three occasions in his career.

Saeed Anwar was the highest runs scoring batsman for Pakistan in 1996,1999 and 2003 World Cup.

Anwar married his cousin, Lubna, a doctor by profession, in March 1996.

He is most notable for scoring 194 runs against India in Chennai in 1997, the highest score for that time, and now the tenth highest individual score in an ODI.

Anwar participated in three Cricket World Cups, and captained Pakistan in seven Tests and 11 ODIs.

In 1998–99, he became the third Pakistani to carry his bat through a Test innings, and scored his highest Test score of 188 not out.

He faced a personal tragedy in 2001 when his daughter, Bismah, died after a prolonged illness.

As a result, he turned religious and starting preaching Islam across Pakistan with the Tablighi Jamaat.

In August 2003, he announced his retirement from International cricket.

He made his return to cricket after a long hiatus and was one of the most consistent Pakistani batsmen in the 2003 World Cup.

However upon his return, he lost his previous touch and could not perform as he did before.

He was criticized for the loss of form which led to his retirement from cricket soon.

"I retired because I felt unwanted", he said.

At the time he left cricket he was a computer engineer by profession.

During his career, he was an elegant batsman and played particularly well on the off side, his trademark flick being a sure shot feature in almost all of his innings.

He led the funeral prayers for his former teammate Wasim Akram's spouse, Huma Akram, in Lahore.

Anwar was an outstanding opener in Test cricket.

He played 55 Test matches for Pakistan and scored 4052 at the average of 45.52.

He is the seventh-highest run scorer for Pakistan in Test cricket, and scored 11 centuries and 25 half-centuries during his international career.

As an aggressive opening batsman, most of his centuries turned into relatively big scores.

He scored many of his centuries away against almost every team he toured, and averaged more than 40 against three of the four nations – South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England – which have been most difficult for Asian batsmen.

He has the highest Test batting average (59.06) of any Pakistani against Australia, and once scored two consecutive centuries against them.

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja commented the "[Anwar] used an eclectic approach to batting – classical betrothed to unorthodox, footwork against spin as quick as a hiccup supple yet powerful to brush the field like a Picasso."