Babar Azam’s recent decision to return to first-class cricket and explore his bowling credentials has generated considerable debate among cricket fans.
Following Pakistan’s Tri-Series triumph last month, in which Babar endured a disappointing run with the bat, he turned his attention towards reinventing himself as an all-rounder. While representing Lahore Whites against FATA in Islamabad, captain Aamer Jamal asked him to bowl, and clips of the former Pakistan captain rolling his arm over soon began circulating on social media.
Some fans questioned why a batter of Babar’s stature would consider becoming an all-rounder, particularly at a time when batting standards are arguably at their peak.
But there is nothing unprecedented about it. Younis Khan, Pakistan’s only batter to cross the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket, also turned his hand to bowling at different stages of his career. If Babar chooses to follow a similar path, it would be nothing out of the ordinary.
However, history offers several fascinating examples of legendary batters who occasionally turned bowlers and dismissed players of equal, if not greater, stature. Maybe the ‘King’ is aware of the dismissals, that’s why he took to bowling.
Even the Don features on this list of great batters dismissing great batters.
Arguably the best batter the game has known, Don Bradman was on both sides of the wicket, as he was dismissed by a bowler who himself was a ‘don’ in his own country, and also dismissed a batter who was one of his fiercest rivals.
During the 1947-48 Test series against India, Don Bradman was dismissed hit wicket for the only time in his Test career.
Having already scored a magnificent 185, he stepped back to negotiate a tricky delivery from his rival captain Lala Amarnath, but accidentally dislodged his own stumps, bringing his innings to an unusual end.
Amarnath had made history years earlier by becoming the first Indian to score a Test century. He went on to serve Indian cricket in several roles, including selector, manager, coach and broadcaster much like Bradman did in Australia. All three of Amarnath’s sons also played first-class cricket, with two of them going on to represent India in Tests.
Bradman may have been cricket’s ultimate run machine, but even with the ball in hand,he had the occasional moment to savour. In the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval in January 1933, he bowled England’s great Wally Hammond for 85 one of just two Test wickets in Bradman’s career. The two batting giants were anything but friends, which gives the dismissal an extra layer of intrigue in the story of their rivalry.
And then there was our ver y own ‘Asian Bradman’, Zaheer Abbas, who fell to a person not known for taking wickets. In fact, the batter claimed only two wickets in international cricket across Tests and ODIs and both times it was Zaheer.
A rare double distinction for Sunil Manohar Gavaskar. In the second ODI at Sialkot on October 13, 1978, Gavaskar dismissed Abbas for 48. Eight days later, in the first Test at Faisalabad, Abbas fell to Gavaskar again, this time for 96 in the second innings. Abbas had scored 176 in the first.
Would you believe that Inzamam-ul-Haq dismissed Brian Lara in only his second ODI appearance? The score book says so, as do many eyewitnesses, including myself, who saw it happen. In the third ODI against the West Indies on November 24, 1991, Inzamam dismissed Lara for 45, caught by wicketkeeper Moin Khan. The venue was Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, the same ground where Zaheer had 13 years earlier fallen for 96.
If you thought Inzamam-ul-Haq was the only legendary batter to have dismissed Brian Lara, think again. Australian captain Ricky Ponting also makes the list.
Renowned for his batting and brilliant fielding, Ponting could occasionally produce a bowling breakthrough too. In the third ODI against the West Indies on January 14, 2001, he dismissed Lara for 19, who edged a slowish delivery through to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.
Like Lara, Saeed Anwar was also known for his elegant batting in the 1990s.
Ironically, in the ODI series in which Lara made his debut, Anwar accounted for the wicket of another West Indian great, Desmond Haynes, who later became his rival in the race for ODI centuries. In the second ODI at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on November 11, 1990, Anwar used his slow left-arm bowling to dismiss Haynes for 66, caught by Waqar Younis.
Anwar himself once fell to another celebrated batter. In Jaipur on March 24, 1999, Rahul Dravid dismissed him for 95.
Dravid finished his ODI career with just four wickets, the other three being Gary Kirsten, Lance Klusener and Shaun Pollock.
Saeed’s dismissal may have reminded Pakistan’s coach Javed Miandad, who was sitting in the balcony watching Dravid dismissing him, of his own ODI debut.
On June 11, 1975, a day before turning 19, Miandad dismissed the West Indies captain Clive Lloyd for 53 at Edgbaston, caught by wicketkeeper Wasim Bari.
The match was one of the closest ODIs played, when West Indies won by one wicket, thanks to a 60-odd partnership by their last batting pair.
English grounds have witnessed many such dismissals. On one occasion, it was their very own Kevin Pietersen, who was dismissed by Virat Kohli, with his first-ever delivery in international cricket as a bowler. In the one-off T20I at Old Trafford, Manchester, on August 31, 2011, Kohli bowled a wide down the leg side, but Pietersen advanced out of his crease and was stumped by MS Dhoni. An extraordinary first international wicket and quite a name to have on the scorecard! Michael Hussey was one of Australia’s most dependable middle-order batters, but he also had a moment with the ball against Kumar Sangakkara. During the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia at Pallekele, which began on September 8, 2011, Hussey dismissed Sangakkara for 48 in Sri Lanka’s first innings. It was a rare bowling contribution from a player better known for his batting.
Cricket’s greatest batters are remembered for their runs, not their wickets. But these rare moments show that even the finest can spring a surprise with the ball. Babar Azam may have faced criticism for bowling, but who knows one day, he might just prove his critics wrong and deliver a crucial breakthrough! The writer loves old films, cricket, music and reading books. X: @suhaybalavi