OTD 1997: Saeed Anwar scored 194 against India

Saeed Anwar is one of the finest openers to have played for Pakistan. The left-handed batter used minimal footwork but had the gift of timing. He was very pleasing to the eye but also had the ability to hit lofted shots with consummate ease. He played many memorable knocks during his illustrious career, but none was as historic as the 194 he amassed against Pakistan’s arch-rivals India on May 21, 1997, in the hot and humid conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
During his epic knock, Saeed Anwar scored 194 off 146 balls. Shahid Afridi had to step in as his runner as Anwar was battling severe heat cramps. The southpaw belted 22 fours and five sixes, including three back-to-back maximums against the iconic Anil Kumble.
This turned out to be the highest individual score in ODI cricket, and remained so for 13 years before Sachin Tendulkar broke it with a double century against South Africa on February 24, 2010, in Gwalior.
Coming back to Anwar’s knock, it came in the sixth match of the Independence Cup. After Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja won the toss and opted to bat first, Afridi departed early. Raja and Ijaz Ahmed got themselves off to sedate starts but couldn’t capitalise. However, Anwar took the Indian bowling attack to the cleaners.
Inzamam-ul-Haq remained unbeaten on 39 off 33 balls after Anwar was dismissed for 194, caught by Sourav Ganguly and bowled by Tendulkar.
The Men in Green finished on 327/5 in their 50 overs. In reply, Rahul Dravid scored a gritty century, while Vinod Kambli also contributed with a fifty. However, the Men in Blue were eventually bowled out for 292 in 49.2 overs, losing the match by 35 runs. Aaqib Javed was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan. He finished with magnificent figures of 5/61 in 10 overs. Saqlain Mushtaq also bagged two wickets, with Saleem Malik and Mohammad Hussain chipping in with one scalp apiece.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan made it to the final, which was a best-of-three affair. The Lankan Lions won the first two matches to bag the trophy. Anwar scored just 73 runs in the other four matches he played in the campaign.
The 57-year-old drew curtains on his stellar career after playing 55 Tests and 247 ODIs. In the red-ball format, he scored 4052 runs at an average of 45.52. Meanwhile, in ODIs, he finished with 8824 runs at an average of 39.21 and a strike rate of 80.67. In Tests, he notched up 25 fifties and 11 centuries. On the other hand, in ODI cricket, he registered 20 tons and 43 fifties. With his part-time left-arm spin, Anwar picked up six wickets in Tests.

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