It has been over a year now and he is no longer out there in the middle.
You don=92t hear his =91expert=92 commentary on important matches. His
knowledge of the game is second to none and his comments would make much
more sense to the onlooker than listening to experts saying =91need to
score as many runs as possible=92.

MOHAMMED JAVED MIANDAD KHAN, started his cricketing life with a bang and
ended it without giving away his wicket to any bowler. He made his debut
in an era when the Pakistanis were brilliant as individuals but stood
nowhere as a team. When he left Pakistan cricket, individual glories
were no longer the focus and a team had rediscovered itself. Miandad was
the complete team man and the backbone of the side who controlled the
nucleus. For me, Miandad was the lonesome warrior who fought many a
battle and won many a war. He was special and perhaps never achieved the
kind of appreciation he so richly deserved.

Miandad never had the grace of a Gower, the power of a Richards or the
brutality of a Lloyd. Miandad did not have the style of an Azhar or the
exquisite timings of a Zaheer, nor the vitality of a Border. Yet he was
as good or better than any or all of them. Being the street fighter that
he was, Miandad simply never gave up. That was Miandad=92s highest
quality. Viv Richards was once asked who he would like to see bat for
him, if his (Richard=92s) life was on the line? Raising his brow and
chewing his gum even more intensely, the Richards replied:
=93Miandad.=94

John Arlott once wrote about Miandad =93for Javed cricket is war and
batting, a lone-man=92s battle against eleven predators=94. His innings
against India at Sharjah is the perfect example of this. After India=92s
massive score and Pakistan=92s, then usual, slump in the middle inning,
Miandad kept on going. A tickle here, a nudge there, and an occasional
four. He paced his innings with such precision that a boundary was
required off the final deliver. Javed Miandad hit a six. The rest is now
folklore.

An intelligent planner and a great thinker of the game, Miandad was
considered to have best cricketing brain in Pakistan (and that includes
Imran). When batting, Miandad, in the real sense of the word, would
=91wear=92 the bowlers out. Cheeky singles were his forte. Never to hold
anything back, Javed was not the most admired of cricketers out there.
It didn=92t matter to him. Unlike his predecessors of the 1970s, he would
rather eat with his bare hands than please his hosts by eating with
forks and knives! He knew he had a job to do for his country and he
would make his own rules in trying to achieve the desired results. He
would always, intentionally, give his opponents that half a chance, and
then clobber them all over the place. Miandad, had many an innovative
shot, none more so than when he would jump out of his crease, supposedly
to attack, yet would simply play a forward defensive stroke to the
amazement of all. It made the opposing Captains feel that they were in
control, whereas in reality it would be Miandad, after all, toying with
their bowlers.

Labeled as a =93street fighter=94, he lived up to that reputation. Once,
Dennis Lillee kicked him from behind, Miandad turned around and
immediately had a go at Lillee. That scene became a signature for
Miandad as that picture was posted all over the cricket-playing world.
The fact remains that it was Lillee, who initiated the contact, Miandad
was merely fighting back in self-defense. The famous bat makers, Gray
Nicolls (with whom, Miandad was under contract) saw a humorous side to
all this, and came out with an ad under the infamous picture, entitled
=93For the best blows, use Gray Nicolls cricket bats!=94

The pinnacle of Javed Miandad=92s batting was the World Cup of =9292.
Initially not selected on medical grounds, he was flown in as a last
minute addition. Miandad ended up being the most consistent player for
the Championship winners. He played the last three World Cup=9292 games
under duress and under a bevy of painkillers. Experts talk about
Inzamman=92s heroic efforts and Moin=92s effortless six, but if analyzed
closely, it was Miandad=92s mental toughness that got the Pakistanis
through. He was a great guide to the youngsters, always teaching them
and egging them on.

For the critics, who think the best thing to happen to cricket was
Coopers & Lybrand=92s rating system, let it be known that no batsman has
ever maintained a Test-match average of over 50 from
debut-to-retirement. The list consists only of Miandad and does not
include titans like Tendulkar, Lara, Waugh, Bradman, Headley or Hammond.
Enough said!

I remember him making his debut in Lahore against the Kiwis with Richard
Hadlee. On 90, he hit Dick Collinge for three consecutive fours through
the covers. It seemed that one who was making his Test debut did not
play the shots but perhaps someone in his hundredth match! Later in the
series, Javed got a 200 in the first innings of the 3rd Test by hitting
Peter Patherick for a grand six at 199. When quick runs were needed in
the second innings, Miandad went haywire, belting the hapless Kiwis all
around the square. At 85, just 15 short of a unique record, he
sacrificed his innings for yet another aggressive shot. I do not know of
many players doing that these days - keeping team needs first.

My mind's eye still has a clear vision of something that defines Javed
Miandad. Against the visiting Indians (in a tour match) Miandad was
fielding at third man. Being Miandad, he was involved with the crowd as
well as with the game. A young man had handed him an autograph book,
while another had passed him an apple. While he was signing the
autograph, Miandad decided to take a bite off the apple too. In between
all this =91action=92 Vishvanath played an innocent looking shot towards
him. Without disappointing either one of his young admirers, he held the
apple by his mouth, grabbed the autograph book and pen with his left
hand and attacked the bowl with his right and threw it in one go,
hitting the wickets at the batsmen=92s end and getting a run out!

That, for me, was Javed Miandad, a complete cricketer and a terrific
man. Miandad, I take this opportunity to thank you for all that you have
done for Pakistan, for us and for the game itself. You have made us
proud. A Nation salutes you.

PS: Richie Benaud once said, =93Javed is like an alley cat, most dangerous
when cornered=94. Benaud was right, but then again, we knew it all along
and if there is still proof of this needed ask one Bishan Sigh Bedi or
one Kapil Dev!