The Abdul Razzaq Chapter : Domestic & International Career, Facts & Figure
Abdul Razzaq Domestic & International Career
Cricket PassionEditor
Posted - 2022-03-23T12:14:06+06:00
Updated - 2022-03-23T12:14:06+06:00
Abdul Razzaq is a former mid-paced bowler and right-handed batsman from Pakistan who made his debut in 1996. He was born on December 2, 1979 in Lahore.
He is a right middle arm bowler and right-handed batsman who emerged in international cricket in 1996 with his One Day International debut against Zimbabwe at his home ground of Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. just a month before his seventeenth birthday. He was part of the Pakistan Cricket Team squad that won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20. He played 265 ODIs and 46 Tests.
At the age of 38, Abdul Razzaq announced he would be making a comeback at national level to play top-flight cricket again, having only briefly worked as a coach for some local teams in Pakistan since retiring from international football in 2013.
Abdul Razzaq is a cricketer who plays for the Pakistan national cricket team. He has been part of the team since 1999 and has enjoyed a successful period with the team. Abdul Razzaq was born on December 2, 1979 in Lahore, Punjab. Abdul Razzaq made his debut for the Pakistan national cricket team in 1999 in the ODI/T20/Test format.
Playing primarily as a batsman on the team, Abdul Razzaq is a prolific right-hand batsman who has scored many runs for the teams in both domestic and international cricket. He can also bowl fast-medium part-time with spin/pace and right arm. He is a brilliant outfield player and can set up anywhere on the ground. He is good with both his ground field and his catching.
Abdul Razzaq plays for the Pakistan National Cricket Team ODI/T20/Test format. He represents Asia XI, Duronto Rajshahi, Hampshire, Hampshire 2nd XI, Hyderabad Heroes, ICL Pakistan XI, Khan Research Labs, Lahore, Lahore Lions, Lahore Qalandars, Leicestershire, Melbourne Renegades, Middlesex, Pakistan International Airlines, Surrey, Worcestershire, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited team in domestic cricket.
Domestic Career
Indian Cricket League
In 2007–2008 he played in the Indian Cricket League and played for Hyderabad Heroes. His superb performance in the last game during the Indian Cricket League Final allowed his team to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three final. The final was eventually won by Hyderabad Heroes 2-0. During this period his international career remained in doubt as the Pakistan Cricket Board had banned players participating in the unofficial league.
After playing two seasons, he left the Indian Cricket League to be selected and play for the Pakistan national team. He said he hopes the Pakistan Cricket Board's ban on Indian Cricket League players will be lifted soon and that he has a desire to play for the Pakistan national team again, reiterating that his retirement is not necessarily a permanent decision.
England County Cricket
He has also played at county level for Middlesex, Worcestershire and Surrey. He joined Surrey on a short-term contract in June 2008 to compete in the Twenty20 Cup. He helped Surrey win against Sussex by hitting 39 runs from 19 balls. Despite his brief stint with The Oval, Razzaq became a favorite among Surrey supporters.
In March 2010, Razzaq signed for Hampshire County Cricket Club as one of their four foreign players for the English Twenty20 competition. He played a starring role in their final-day win over Somerset at Hampshire's home ground, the Rose Bowl.
Razzaq signed for Leicestershire County Cricket Club as the second foreign player for England's Friends Life t20. At Friends Life t20 2011 he again played for the winning team, this time as a Leicestershire player, against Somerset on the final day. He also played in both of Leicestershire's Champions League T20s games but was unable to help Leicestershire through the qualifying stage. He has signed for Staffordshire club Hem Heath for the 2014 season.
International Career
Razzaq made his One Day International debut in November 1996 against Zimbabwe but had to wait just over three years to make his Test cricket debut for Pakistan, finally doing so in Brisbane in November 1999 against Australia. He rose to fame in the 1999–2000 Carlton and United Series season and was named Man of the Series for his all-around performance. During a game in Hobart against India, Razzaq scored half a century and took five wickets. In the same tournament, he beat former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath for 5 fours for a total of 20 runs in an over.
Razzaq also played well with the ball, his most notable stint being in the 1999 Coca-Cola Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in October 1999. Pakistan was knocked out for 196 with Razzaq not missing out on 7. However, Razzaq's all-round ability proved more than capable as he took his first draw with five wickets, dismissing Romesh Kaluwitharana, Mahela Jayawardene, Suresh Perera, Chaminda Vaas and Chamara Silva to finish with match numbers of 5/31, which means Sri Lanka were also bowled out for 196, resulting in a tied match after being once at 157/2.
Former captain Wasim Akram praised Razzaq's skills with the ball and said he was becoming one of the best all-rounders in the world. Razzaq's amazing nine-ball spell, which he took four times in vain, helped secure a tie from what seemed a certain Sri Lankan victory and became Man of the Match on the strength of his performance.
1999 Cricket World Cup
Razzaq became a permanent member of his national team during the 1999 World Cup in England. During the event, he caught the attention of the selectors as he performed well with both the ball and the racquet. His brilliant performance with the racquet came in the group game against Australia, where he scored his first half-century with 60 carries in a long and stable partnership with Inzamam-ul-Haq that helped Pakistan reach a defensible 275 goal.
Pakistan won the game by ten runs, qualifying for the Super Six stage. He put on a brilliant performance with the ball against the tough West India cricket team, winning three wickets for 32 runs with three maid-overs, which proved crucial for Pakistan in Bristol.
After 99 World Cup
In 2000, Razzaq became the youngest cricketer in the world to score a Test cricket hat-trick in a match against Sri Lanka. He has scored three centuries and twenty-two fifties in One Day International games. His highest scoring was 112 carries against South Africa in 2002, where he shared a 257-carry partnership with Pakistan batsman Saleem Elahi. His second century scored 107 runs without an out in a 2004 game against Zimbabwe.
During that game, he saved Pakistan from a disastrous start and eventually won the game. His first fifty came in 90 deliveries before accelerating in the second fifty runs scored in just 21 balls. Also in 2003–2004, he hit 89 carries from 40 balls against New Zealand, whose captain Stephen Fleming called him the "best batsman" in the world. In January 2005 he was involved with the ACC Asian XI taking on the ICC World XI in the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal charity match at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia.
A fast bowler, Razzaq experienced a steady decline in his speed and power during the 2003 and 2004 Cricket World Cup. Razzaq dropped Tendulkar, who later went on to post a 98 (75) match win. During this time, he stayed on as a supporting bowler. However, from 2005 to late 2006, he regained speed and won many games for Pakistan with his bowling.
His best bowling numbers in a One Day International match is 6 wickets for 35 runs. His other notable performance was against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 1999 where Pakistan went all out for 196 runs and he won 5 wickets for 31 runs to draw the game. During the 2005–2006 Test match series against India, Razzaq took 9 wickets and scored 205 runs in two Test matches he played, which led to an improvement in his performance. His batting remained generally consistent from 2000 to 2006, although his place on the Test team was never assured.
Temporary Retirement in 2007
On August 20, 2007, Razzaq announced his retirement in exchange for his omission from the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 roster. However, on 27 October 2007, Razzaq rescinded his decision after discussions with his local cricket club and coach, saying: "Maybe I made that (decision to retire) in the heat of the moment."
He signed up for the Indian Cricket League and played for the Hyderabad Heroes as one of their star players. He eventually split from the league in September 2008 and returned to international cricket in June 2009 where he helped Pakistan win the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup.
2009 World Twenty20 Championship
In 2009 he was chosen to replace injured fast bowler Yasir Arafat in Pakistan's squad for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England, marking his return to international cricket and becoming the first Indian Cricket League player to have his suspension lifted by the Pakistan Cricket Board .
He played an important role in Pakistan's victory in the tournament, taking 5 wickets with an average of 14.80 and a save rate of 5.92. His numbers of 3 wickets for 20 carries played a significant role in Pakistan's victory over Sri Lanka in the final. As a result, he was awarded medium-term 'A' category central contracts by the Pakistan Cricket Board along with another ex-Indian Cricket League player, Mohammad Yousuf.
In the 2009–2010 season, Razzaq missed tours of New Zealand and Australia due to injury. However, he was selected in February 2010 in the Twenty20 International series with two games against England. His innings of 46 runs, not declining from 18 deliveries in the second match of the series, cemented Pakistan's victory, their first in 11 international games.
On 30 December, while playing in a match for the Melbourne Renegades, former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh described Razzaq as a "cardboard cutout" due to his apparent disinterest in playing.
With players like Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik suffering selection problems, it was Razzaq who took on the role of a senior player in the Pakistan cricket team. He was selected to the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 squad and put in an admirable performance with the racquet, hitting five sixes during the tournament. Pakistan was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Australia in the semifinals. Razzaq then competed in the 2010 Asia Cup.
In July 2010, Razzaq played in the two T20Is against Australia as Pakistan won both games effortlessly. He was not selected for the Test series against Australia and England and next played against England in the Twenty20 and ODI series in September 2010. The Pakistani team was surrounded by spot-fixing allegations as the team lost both Twenty20 games due to low morale.
Razzaq missed the first two ODIs against England with a back strain as Pakistan lost both games. He returned for the third ODI, scoring 31 runs in a fruitful partnership with Shahid Afridi before Afridi went out and Razzaq was subsequently caught in the deep square leg as Pakistan ejected for 241. England opened the innings strongly before Umar Gul took six distant batsmen and Razzaq took two wickets to seal a 23-run victory for Pakistan.
2011 Cricket World Cup
Razzaq was included in Pakistan's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup, hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka between February and April. His role was to open bowling and knock down the order. He managed just 10 balls in his first two games, however he scored 20 balls out of 24 against Australia to lead Pakistan to victory and ended Australia's 34-game unbeaten run at World Cups.
Retirement
In 2016, Razzaq announced his retirement from international cricket after playing his last game in 2013.
Records
- Test debut against Australia in Brisbane in 1999–2000.
- Best Test batting result of 134 runs was in Dhaka against Bangladesh in 2001–2002.
- Best Test bowling numbers of 5 wickets for 35 runs were in Karachi in 2004–2005 against Sri Lanka.
- He scored his first Test hat-trick against Sri Lanka in 2000 at Galle International Stadium.
- One Day International debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 1996–1997.
- The One Day International best batting result of 112 runs was in Port Elizabeth against South Africa in 2002–2003.
- Best One Day International bowling numbers of 6 wickets for 35 runs came against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2001–2002.
- Best 7th wicket record (109 balls from 72) against South Africa in Abu Dhabi in October 2010.
Achievements
- He is one of 53 players, including 8 who have represented Pakistan, who have doubled 1,000 Test runs and 100 Test wickets.
- He is the youngest bowler to score a hat-trick against Sri Lanka in 2000 at the age of 20.
- Batted in every position from an opener to No. 11
- In 2009 he tied with Nasir Jamshed for the all-time highest 3rd wicket partnership in any form of T20s (162).