Ijaz Ahmed snr

One of the most unorthodox batters that the cricketing world has ever seen, Ijaz Ahmed, also known as 'The Axeman', is a former Pakistani cricketer hailing from the Sialkot region. Ijaz Ahmed made 60 Test and 250 ODI appearances for his nation between 1986 and 2001. His fielding was on par with some of the best fielders in the world and he played a pivotal role in Pakistan's World Cup triumph in 1992.

Ahmed was never a consistent player and thus he had the lowest average among his star teammates. However, he shared a superb record of the most centuries against Australia for a Pakistani player alongside legend Javed Miandad. Ahmed's Test career was an eventful one. Ijaz has 12 Test and 10 ODI centuries to his name, showing that he possessed the pedigree to play big innings as well. In 1992, Ijaz was dropped from the team after the successful World Cup triumph but he kept his head down and was soon recalled in the next season after performing consistently in the domestic circuit.

Ijaz played in the 1999 World Cup as well at the pivotal no. 3 position pushing the likes of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Salim Malik down the order. He failed to justify his selection and was dropped again from the squad. Ahmed though again made a comeback but the emergence of superstar Younis Khan and some poor performances in the series against New Zealand and England made sure that he never played for his national side again.

There were a number of highlights in Ahmed's career. In April 1997, Pakistan faced off against Sri Lanka in a Test match. In a bizarre turn of events, Ijaz was assumed to be run out on 97 and he went back to the dressing room. However, after the replays rolled in, the umpires decided that it was his partner, Salim Malik, who was run-out. Ijaz Ahmed was called back to the crease later and he resumed his innings to complete his century. It was the first time since 1987 that such an incident had happened. Another major highlight of Ijaz's career came against arch-rivals and neighbours India. Again in 1997, this time at his own turf, Ahmed lit up Pakistan as he destroyed the Indian bowling attack by scoring unbeaten 139 runs off just 84 balls in an ODI match in Lahore. After a stellar career which also included a World Cup winner's medal, Ijaz Ahmed decided to call time on his international career as he announced his retirement in 2003.

In 2019, Ijaz Ahmed returned to cricket but this time as the coach of the Pakistan U-19 team. He also plays the role of the batting coach and consultant for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League. Pakistan will be hoping that their legend continues to contribute towards the nation's favourite sport.