OTD Aaqib Javed was born in 1972

One of the top bowlers to come out of Pakistan in the 1990s was Aaqib Javed, who was born on this day on August 5 in 1972. The right-arm seamer was a consistent presence in all formats and was a great complement to players like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Imran Khan handpicked Aaqib Javed, who quickly demonstrated his talent.

Javed was born in Sheikhupura in Punjab and started playing international cricket at the tender age of 16. He made his Test debut in 1989 against New Zealand in Wellington while his ODI debut came in 1988 in Adelaide against the West Indies.

Pakistan has long been known for producing fast bowlers. Javed was unique because he could bowl in a single channel, unlike Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, or Waqar Younis, who were all classic out-and-out pace bowlers.

He replaced Waqar Younis in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup squad and played the perfect supporting role to Akram, who took 18 wickets, and Mushtaq Ahmed, who took 16 wickets. Javed picked 11 wickets with a best of 3/21, handling the middle bowling overs, as Pakistan won their only ICC World Cup to date.

Javed picked 54 wickets in 22 Tests with a best of 5/84 and took 182 wickets in 163 ODIs with a best of 7/37. Javed was only the second bowler to take seven wickets in ODIs, a feat that came against India in Sharjah in 1991. He had also taken an all-LBW hat-trick in that match, dismissing Ravi Shastri, Mohammed Azharuddin, and Sachin Tendulkar.

The rise of faster bowlers forced Javed out from the team, and by the time the new millennium approached, Pakistani selectors had begun to move on, with his appearances becoming sporadic. The rise of players like Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, and Shoaib Akhtar rendered Aaqib Javed obsolete.

When Javed switched to white-ball cricket, he eventually stopped playing international cricket. He played his last Test and ODI in 1998.

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