The 1992 World Cup final at Melbourne stood at a knife’s edge. Pakistan’s total of 249 was competitive but hardly unassailable. England, despite early setbacks, found stability in captain Graham Gooch and the free-stroking Graeme Hick. At 59 for two, they seemed poised for a calculated chase.
And then, Mushtaq Ahmed entered the scene.
The 21-year-old leg-spinner, with his bouncy and
idiosyncratic action, delivered a ball just short of a good length, outside the
off-stump. Hick, confident in his reading, went on the backfoot to steer it down
to third man—only to be undone by prodigious spin. The ball deviated wickedly,
striking him on the knee roll in front of the stumps. It was a moment
reminiscent of Eric Hollies shattering Don Bradman’s farewell innings in
1948.
Moments later, Gooch, England’s most dependable batsman,
fell to his trusted sweep shot, failing to keep it down as Aaqib Javed ran in
from deep square-leg to complete a tumbling catch. From the other end, Wasim
Akram unleashed a spell of searing pace and reverse swing, while Mushtaq wove a
web of deceit. When Dermot Reeve attempted an audacious reverse sweep, only to
miss by an embarrassing margin, Mushtaq responded with a mischievous smile and
twirling thumbs—a silent declaration of the mastery he wielded.
That evening, as Imran Khan held the trophy aloft, Mushtaq
had left an indelible mark, finishing with three for 41. The youngest member of
Pakistan’s triumphant squad had spun his way into cricketing folklore.
A Legacy of Spin:
Learning the Craft
Mushtaq Ahmed was a disciple of Abdul Qadir, Pakistan’s
original wizard of leg-spin. Through the 1980s, Mushtaq mimicked Qadir’s every
move—the same whippy run-up, the same extravagant appeals, the same theatrical
exuberance. Before he turned 10, he was already mesmerizing older boys with his
ability to extract turn from docile surfaces.
His First-Class debut for Multan came just before his 17th
birthday, and he made an immediate impression. A year later, he ran through
England’s touring side while playing for Punjab Chief Minister’s XI, snaring
six for 81. By 19, he was playing for Pakistan, a precocious talent groomed for
greatness.
Yet, the transition to Test cricket was not seamless.
Mushtaq’s vast repertoire—googlies, flippers, top-spinners—often worked against
him. The eagerness to outfox batsmen led to inconsistency. His wicket-taking
potential was evident, but his economy suffered. Patience, the cornerstone of
successful leg-spin, eluded him in the early years.
The Turning Point:
Warne’s Influence
His breakthrough came in 1995. During Pakistan’s tour of
Australia, Mushtaq sought advice from Shane Warne. The Australian maestro
imparted a fundamental lesson—control the scoring, force the batsmen into
mistakes. Mushtaq returned with a new sense of discipline, and the results
followed.
At Hobart, he took his first five-wicket haul, and at
Sydney, he followed it with another. The momentum carried into New Zealand,
where he ripped through the hosts with a seven-wicket haul at Christchurch. Then,
in England, he orchestrated two remarkable victories—at Lord’s and The
Oval—bamboozling Mike Atherton with a Warne-esque dismissal, bowling from
around the wicket.
By the end of 1996, he was at his peak: 107 wickets from 26
Tests at 27.00, named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year, part of a “glittering
triumvirate” of contemporary wrist-spinners alongside Warne and Anil Kumble.
Unlike them, Mushtaq could turn both his leg-breaks and googlies prodigiously
and at will, making him a rare breed.
The Fall: Match-Fixing
Shadows and Decline
Yet, as swiftly as he rose, Mushtaq’s career took a downward
spiral. Accusations of match-fixing loomed large. He was fined, and while never
banned outright, the stain was never fully erased. His Test form plummeted—30
wickets in his last 16 matches at an alarming 63.23 apiece.
Pakistan moved on. A once-prized spinner was reduced to a
journeyman, turning to county cricket for redemption. His stint with Somerset
had already established him as one of their finest overseas signings, but it
was at Sussex that he rediscovered his magic. From 2003 to 2008, he was the
leading wicket-taker in five consecutive seasons, spearheading Sussex to three
County Championship titles.
Yet, his Pakistan career was over. A brief recall in 2003
yielded just two wickets for 199 runs. It was the end of a fascinating,
turbulent international journey.
Beyond the Pitch: The
Coach and the Mentor
Despite his abrupt exit from the international stage,
Mushtaq found a second calling. He became England’s spin-bowling coach, working
behind the scenes to develop Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar. When England
triumphed in India in 2012, much of their spin success was credited to his
influence.
His career remains a paradox—flashes of brilliance, an
undeniable legacy in county cricket, and yet a Test record that never quite
reached the heights expected of him. At 185 wickets from 52 Tests, he finished
within touching distance of his idol Qadir’s tally. But the trajectory—a
meteoric rise, a golden peak, a dramatic fall—encapsulates the unpredictability
of leg-spin itself.
For all his inconsistencies, one truth remains: there was
seldom a dull moment when Mushtaq ran in to bowl. His guile, his effervescence,
his ceaseless pursuit of deception—these made him a true artist of his craft. A
spinner who, in his finest moments, belonged to the pantheon of cricket’s most
compelling enigmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment