Saeed Anwar, one of the greatest opening batsmen of his era and a legend of Pakistan was born on 6th September 1968. Anwar, who played between 1989 and 2003, represented Pakistan in both Test and ODI formats. Known for his stylish batting, the southpaw was a frequent contributor in the bowling department with his left-arm orthodox bowling.
Born in Karachi, Anwar started playing first-class cricket before completing his education. He stepped into international cricket in January 1989 when he was invited to make his debut against West Indies in an ODI series. He was an immediate success in ODIs and that earned him Test cap the very next year.
Although Anwar possessed an aggressive batting style, he maintained his charm. He played 55 Test matches for Pakistan and scored 4052 runs at an average of 45.53 including 11 centuries. While most Asian batsmen have struggled to score outside Asia in the longer format, Anwar has averaged over 40 against three of the big four nations – South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England.
His numbers are more impressive in the 50-over format. The left-hander has scored twenty centuries in the format – the highest by a Pakistani batsman. Current skipper Babar Azam is on the verge of equalling this record as the right-hander has 19 ODI centuries to his tally. Anwar has amassed 8824 runs in 247 ODI matches and also has 43 half-centuries to his credit.
Notably, Anwar captained Pakistan in seven Tests and 11 ODIs. He was part of the squad which finished as runners-up at the 1999 Cricket World Cup. The former Karachi cricketer was the highest run scorer for Pakistan in the 1996, 1999 and 2003 World Cups, which shows his value to the team.
A little-known fact about Anwar is that he is a member of the exclusive club of batsmen who have scored three consecutive centuries in ODIs. The feat came in the 1993 Champions Trophy in Sharjah against Sri Lanka, West Indies and Sri Lanka. In August 2003, the Pakistan great announced his retirement from international cricket.