Pakistan veteran opening batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq lashed out at India’s Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over their perceived unfair player exchange policy. The 51-year-old retired batter made his stance known during his appearance on a local TV programme:
“Keep aside the Champions Trophy. Top players participate in IPL but Indian players don’t participate in other leagues. Other boards should stop sending their players to IPL. If you (the BCCI) don’t release your players for leagues, then other boards should take a stance,” he said.
India’s cricket governing body refuses to allow their players take part in overseas leagues unless they retire. Indian players must retire from all forms of international cricket and the IPL to feature in other countries’ competitions. Inzamam sees this policy as unfair to other cricket boards that allow their players feature in the IPL.
Why Did Inzamam-ul-Haq Say “Keep Aside the Champions Trophy”?
His reference to “keep aside the Champions Trophy” refers to India’s reluctance to tour Pakistan after 17 years. The Men in Blue have not honoured any bilateral series vs Pakistan since political tensions heightened between both nations since 2008. Teams scheduled to play India at the Champions Trophy must make a gruelling 2,000km journey to Dubai throughout the tournament.
Inzamam-ul-Haq’s Career
In Test cricket
Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq had an impressive international career with several consistent performances as a batsman across formats. His reliable batting play produced 8,830 runs in 200 innings with a 49.60 average in Test cricket alone. He also managed a 329 high score alongside a remarkable ability to play long-running and vital plays in crucial innings.
Inzamam secured 25 centuries and 46 half-centuries in Test cricket throughout his career in the format. He provided Pakistan ample firepower with 1,105 fours and 46 sixes as a career Test batsman.
In ODIs
ul-Haq also performed at the highest level in ODIs for Pakistan. His ODI career was a run-laden adventure with 11,739 runs across 350 innings (39.5 average and 74.2 strike rate). Inzamam bagged a 137 high score during his time as a fifty-overs cricket opener.
His impressive batting skill in ODIs earned the cricketer 10 centuries and 83 half-centuries in this format. He remains one of Pakistan’s most-prolific batters in cricket’s modern era, particularly in Tests and ODIs.
Inzamam’s overall game impact
The overall game impact of ul-Haq was remarkable throughout his career as an international. He only bowled a handful of overs but compensated for his scanty performances in that area with skilful fielding.
The talented cricketer secured 81 catches in Tests and 113 in ODIs throughout his career. His impressive fielding ability was only inferior to his man-management as a skipper. He doubled his usefulness to Pakistan’s cricket team with a long-running and consistent set of performances to become a fan favourite.
All his impressive contributions as a Test and ODI cricketer also mirror his input in the domestic circuit. The cricket star had a stellar run in First-Class and List A cricket throughout his remarkable sporting career. Many fans remember the cricketer’s dependable output as one of Pakistan’s most-prolific players of all time.
Top Inzamam-ul-Haq Records
Top 10+ Inzamam-ul-Haq Test Records
| Rank | Record Description | Value |
| 2nd | Most runs in an innings (by batting position) | 329 |
| 3rd | Most runs from fours and sixes in an innings | 206 |
| 5th | Most nineties in career | 8 |
| 5th | Most triple hundreds in a career | 1 |
| 5th | Hundred in hundredth match | 184 |
| 16th | Most runs in an innings | 329 |
| 16th | Most fifties in career | 71 |
| 19th | Most fours in career | 1105 |
| 21st | Most fours in an innings | 38 |
| 21st | Fastest to 8000 runs | 175 |
| 22nd | Most runs in career | 8830 |
Top 10+ Inzamam-ul-Haq ODI Records
| Rank | Record Description | Value |
| 5th | Most runs on a single ground | 2464 |
| 6th | Most matches in career | 378 |
| 7th | Most runs in career | 11739 |
| 8th | Fastest to 11000 runs | 324 |
| 10th | Most fifties in career | 93 |
| 13th | Most ducks in career | 20 |
| 13th | Most player-of-the-series awards | 6 |
| 13th | Fastest to 10000 runs | 299 |
| 14th | Most fours in career | 971 |
| 15th | Fastest to 9000 runs | 273 |
| 19th | Most catches in career | 113 |
| 21st | Most sixes in career | 144 |
| 21st | Most player-of-the-match awards | 24 |
| 21st | Fastest to 8000 runs | 231 |
Top 10+ Inzamam-ul-Haq Combined Records
| Rank | Record Description | Value |
| 7th | Most nineties in career | 12 |
| 9th | Most fifties in career | 164 |
| 11th | Most matches in career | 499 |
| 12th | Most runs in career | 20580 |
| 14th | Most fours in career | 2076 |
| 18th | Most runs on a single ground | 2564 |
| 23rd | Most player-of-the-series awards | 9 |
| 25th | Most player-of-the-match awards | 33 |
| 29th | Most ducks in career | 35 |
| 30th | Most hundreds in career | 35 |
| 34th | Most matches as captain | 122 |
| 38th | Most hundreds against one team | 9 |
| 39th | Most catches in career | 194 |
| 44th | Most sixes in career | 193 |
| 49th | Most runs in a calendar year | 2164 |
