Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist has revealed his top three Pakistan batters of all time. The legendary Aussie, known for his explosive batting and sharp wicketkeeping, shared his thoughts during a segment at the Big Break, shedding light on some of Pakistan’s finest cricketing talents.
Number Three: Mohammad Yousuf
At number three, Gilchrist picked Mohammad Yousuf, the former Pakistan batting great who was known as Yousuf Youhana earlier in his career. Gilchrist highlighted Yousuf’s extraordinary achievement of being the leading run-scorer in a calendar year, where he scored nine Test centuries.
“Mohammad Yousuf, Yousuf Youhana he went by that name for much of his career, at one calender year he was the leading run-scorer, I think he scored nine Test match centuries in a calender year, he was a class act so much composure, so much calmness around a time when it was a bit of a transitioning time for Pakistan cricket, so they built their whole match plan around him,” Gilchrst said.
Number Two: Inzamam-ul-Haq
Coming in at number two was Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain and chief selector. Gilchrist reflected on Inzamam’s career, especially his performance in the 1992 World Cup.
“He arrived in the 1992 World Cup at such a young age, and there’s a famous victory in Hobart in 1999 where we chased down the total. I don’t mention that because I got some runs, but the turning point in that game was when Mark Waugh took a blinder catch to get Inzi out. Inzi got a second innings hundred. If he doesn’t hold on to that, it was a turning point for Pakistan at that time,” Gilchrist explained, emphasizing Inzamam’s crucial role in some of Pakistan’s defining moments.
Number One: Javed Miandad
Topping the list was none other than Javed Miandad, widely regarded as one of Pakistan’s greatest ever cricketers.
“What stood out for me about Javed Miandad were his numbers, which are outstanding. He was immaculate in Test cricket. But what makes him exceptional is the quality of attacks he had to face in his era. He faced the mighty West Indies, the formidable Australian attack, and many others. It was an era where most nations had really strong attacks, so he had to take them on against the best. That’s why he’s my number one,” Gilchrist remarked, lauding Miandad’s resilience and skill in facing the best bowling attacks of his time.