On occasions like the one falling today the country’s 64th Independence Day it is customary to work out the dream team, pick up the best captain, locate the best all-rounder and so on.The who-might-have-been-what factor does not get too much attention, for traditionally it is an occasion for celebration, not for soul-searching. But it doesn’t hurt to be unconventional once in a while.So let’s pick up some contenders for the top three most unfortunate cricketers among the 206 who have donned the green cap in the 59 years since Pakistan got the Test status. Out of contention are many who had the potential to make it big but shot themselves in the foot like Younis Ahmed, Qasim Omar and Basit Ali. Also, out of the race are those who got too few opportunities to fully showcase their talent. For instance, Jalaluddin played just six Tests and eight ODIs in a three-year international career.Then there was this fellow Wajahtullah Wasti who scored two centuries in six outings, looked good, but was then dumped for no fault of his own. Hasan Raza was too good a talent to get just seven matches. Bazid Khan got just one. The unluckiest in this category would probably be Asim Kamal, who scored eight scores of 50-or-more in his 12-Test career. In a side that was notorious for being a pack of cards, his ability to stay on the crease should have been considered an asset, but that was not to be.
Having set the context thus, let’s move to the main business. Sikandar Bakht—Test Cap number 74—was the least unlucky of the top three in this rather unenviable category. Tall and slim—frail, actually—Sikandar was deceptively lively, if not quick, on most pitches. He was the perfect foil for the Imran-Sarfaraz duo, especially because Sarfaraz was an erratic soul and his availability was not always guaranteed. Sikandar was a true workhorse who could bowl longish spells to keep one end going.Sikandar’s highest point came on the 1979-80 tour to India where he had to bear the burden of being the lone functional fast bowler in the camp owing to captain Asif Iqbal’s decision not to have Sarfaraz on the tour, and the injury to Imran Khan. He bowled his heart out on placid Indian tracks for a series haul of 24 wickets. Imran, who had by then come into his own as a true fast bowler stood overshadowed by Sikandar’s performance.To everyone’s horror, the highest wicket-taker on the tour was dropped for the first match of the very next series. This must have been some morale-booster for the fellow who was all of 25 years at the time. By the looks of it, his peak turned out to be his downfall. From thereon, he was never given the confidence or selection consistency which brought his career to a premature end, just six years after it had begun in Karachi.Shoaib Mohammad Test Cap number 97 paid the price for being part of the Mohammad family. Everyone in the cricketing establishment who had a grudge with the Mohammeds tried to take it out on the young lad who, in any case, was under tremendous pressure of keeping up with the legacy of his illustrious father and uncles. He was constantly picked and dropped on one pretext or the other. Sometimes it was because he was considered too slow; sometimes for being reckless; sometimes for concentrating too hard; sometime for not doing so In 45 Tests that Shoaib played, he scored at an average of 44.34, which is a decent effort for an opener. In contrast, Ramiz, who was the preferred choice, played 57 Tests; at an average of 31.83, which is less than ordinary by any standard. Shoaib, despite always being on trial, scored seven centuries; Ramiz, despite his permanent place, scored two.The unluckiest of them all was Waseem Raja. In his elements, he was a sight to behold, taking on the might of the West Indians with the languid grace that few could match. And, by that very same token, what a wasted talent he represents in Pakistan Cricket. As the legend goes, he was a dissident in the camp. Mild-mannered and cultured to the core because of his educated background, he had the guts to stand up for what he believed. Pakistan Cricket has never been comfortable with such characters and never allowed him to settle down in the line-up. It is some indication of his strength as a player that he still ended up playing 57 Tests, but he was always on trial.Raja, with the kind of talent and potential he had, should have been counted among the legends of Pakistan Cricket, but the new generation hardly knows his name. What a pity.
