Inzy's last hurrah

Am I alone in hoping that Inzamam-ul-Haq does not make the 20 runs he needs in his final Test match, starting today against South Africa in Lahore, to overhaul Javed Miandad's Pakistan record? This isn't anything against Inzy, a batsman I adore to watch and who has been, in my view, a far better batsman and captain than Miandad ever was. The big softy is likely to shed a tear or two when the final innings is over, as he did when he played his final ODI at the World Cup, and I will weep (sort of) to see him go.

No, it is because I loathe the artificiality of a contrived end to a career. Nothing wrong with wanting to leave in front of your home fans, but to announce that you will go after you have become your country's leading runscorer (or after having a chance at the record) smacks of too much awareness of your place in history. Inzamam should have played in the first Test. He didn't and Pakistan lost. They may lose again regardless of what he scores, but if he makes a big final innings or two why not continue? He needs a hundred to record a full set of hundreds against all the Test nations, but if he is in form then surely his country will need him for the Test series in India next month?

Should Inzy fall just shy of the record, he will be in good company, however. Here is an XI of those who needed just one more game...

Graham Gooch, 8,900 runs: Gooch may have needed more than one more innings to become the first Englishman to reach 9,000 Test runs, but it should have come during his difficult period in his late 20s rather than by extending his career past his 41st birthday

Len Hutton, 6,971 runs: Wally Hammond was the first Englishman to pass 7,000 runs but Hutton could have been the second if he had had a second innings in his final Test against New Zealand. Instead the Kiwis were bowled out for just 26

Glenn Turner, 2,991 runs: Turner needed 48 runs in his final Test against Sri Lanka, the newcomers, in 1983 to become the second New Zealander to make 3,000. He made 39 of them

Don Bradman, 6,996 runs: Not just a boundary short of being the first Australian to score 7,000 Test runs, but also one four away from averaging 100. Greg Chappell made 182 in his final Test innings to pass Bradman's haul, the spoilsport

Majid Khan, 3,931 runs: Made a duck in his final innings (and 31 in the two before that) when well poised to be the first Pakistani to 4,000 runs. In any case, Zaheer Abbas made 569 runs in three innings to pip Majid to the mark before his final chance

Eddie Paynter, average 59.23: Not quite in the Bradman league, but Paynter needed to score 29 in his final two Test innings to have an average of 60, beaten by only four players whose careers have finished. He made 9 and 0

Ian Healy, 395 dismissals: The Australia wicketkeeper has been overtaken by Mark Boucher and may soon be passed by Adam Gilchrist but he could have been the first to 400 dismissials

Heath Streak, 216 wickets: Having already been the first Zimbabwean to take 100 and 200 wickets, Streak may have expected to be the first to 300 as well (the next best has only 70) but he and Zimbabwe played their last Test two years ago

Michael Holding, 249 wickets: Retired the same year as Joel Garner, another West Indies great. If Garner had given him one of his 256 wickets they would both have reached a landmark.

Pramodya Wickramasinghe, 85 wickets: Shoulder surgery brought an end to the Sri Lanka fast-medium bowler's career at the age of 29 when he needed 15 wickets to be the third Sri Lankan to take 100. Lasith Malinga (83) has the best chance of joining Vaas and Muralitharan now

Derek Underwood, 297 wickets: Only Botham, Willis and Trueman have taken more Test wickets for England, but surely the spinner had one more Test in him. Finished with eight wickets in his last match

[pic: AFP]

Comments

[Mudassar Rana]

I too am a big fan of inzi, and was upset the way his career has ended probably a year quicker than any off us would have hoped. Inzi was not only talented but in an era of professionalism and sledging, inzi brought to the game an altogether human aspect. His was a lazy, languid and serene player.His philosophy of not liking running was beautiful. and for someone to score so many runs is a testament to his penchant for boundaries and sixes!

[Mickey]

One mr. mohd azharuddin played 99 tests.. fell short by 1, didnt he?

[Mr A Nel]

Don't worry Kidd.

I'll help you out.