pakistanicricketplary: Saeed Anwar

Saeed Anwar Biography
Saeed Anwar (Urdu: سعید انور; born 6 September 1968) is a former Pakistani opening batsman. A left-hander, Anwar is most notable for scoring 194 runs against India in Chennai in 1997, then the highest, and now the joint third highest individual score in a One Day International.[1][2]Personal life

Saeed Anwar graduated from NED University, Karachi in 1989 and is an engineer by profession. He was planning to go to the United States for his Master's studies before becoming a professional test Cricketer.
He faced a personal tragedy in 2001, when his daughter died after a prolonged illness.[3] As a result he turned to religion.[4] He made his return to Cricket after a long hiatus and was one of the most consistent Pakistani batsmen in the 2003 World Cup.
On 15 August 2003, he announced his retirement from Cricket after he was dropped from the squad for the upcoming One-Day International tournament in Sharjah.[5] He devoted his life to preaching Islam across Pakistan with the Tablighi Jamaat. He led the funeral prayers for his former team mate Wasim Akram's spouse, Huma Akram, in Lahore.[6] He is also believed to be responsible for Yousuf Youhana's conversion to Islam in 2005. Youhana was the only Christian on the Pakistan cricket team till then and was said to be heavily influenced by Aanwar and the Tablighi Jamaat.
[edit]Career

[Anwar] used an eclectic approach to batting – classical betrothed to unorthodox, footwork against spin as quick as a hiccup supple yet powerful to brush the field like a Picasso.
Ramiz Raja, 2010.[7]
An opening batsman capable of annihilating any bowling attack on his day, Anwar was an attacking batsman in one-day matches and once settled in Test matches, scored quickly and all over the field. His success came from good timing.Anwar became famous for his trademark flick. He was able to lift a ball that had pitched outside off stump for six over midwicket. Anwar's timing and ability to score quick runs made him a crowd favourite. He was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997.
Anwar was the first Pakistani batsman to score a century against India on Indian soil in a one-day match. He has the highest Test batting average (59.06) of any Pakistani against Australia, and once scored three consecutive centuries against them. He scored a classic century against South Africa in Durban, which allowed Pakistan to win a Test match for the first time in South Africa.
On 21 May 1997 in Chennai, Anwar scored 194 against India in India in an ODI match.[8] Charles Coventry equalled the feat on 16 August 2009, against Bangladesh.[9] This was the highest individual score by any batsman in the world till Sachin Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 200 against South Africa on 24 February 2010 which later was surpassed by Virender Sehwag's 219.
Anwar is a member of the exclusive club of batsmen who have scored three successive hundreds in ODIs, with hundreds against Sri Lanka, West Indies and Sri Lanka during the 1993–94 Champions Trophy in Sharjah. He scored two successive hundreds on three other occasions in his career, and was the first batsman to complete this feat in ODIs.[10]
[edit]Records

Anwar (194) and Charles Coventry (194*) shared the record for highest individual score in an ODI match until it was overtaken by India's Sachin Tendulkar (200*) against South Africa cricket team on 24 February 2010 and Virender Sehwag's 219 against West Indies on 8 December 2011 at Indore. Anwar has scored two or more successive hundreds on four occasions. He holds the highest Test batting average (59.06) of any Pakistani against Australia in Test matches, and made 20 hundreds in One Day Internationals as a Pakistan opening batsman.

Saeed Anwar's career performance graph.
[edit]Centuries scored by Saeed Anwar

[edit]One Day International centuries
In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career
One Day International centuries of Saeed Anwar[11]
Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year
[1] 126 12 Sri Lanka Adelaide, Australia Adelaide Oval 1990
[2] 101 20 New Zealand Lahore, Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium 1990
[3] 110 34 Sri Lanka Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium 1993
[4] 107 39 Sri Lanka Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium 1993
[5] 131 40 West Indies Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium 1993
[6] 111 41 Sri Lanka Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium 1993
[7] 104* 65 Australia Rawalpindi, Pakistan Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium 1994
[8] 103* 76 Zimbabwe Harare, Zimbabwe Harare Sports Club 1995
[9] 115 107 Sri Lanka Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi Gymkhana Club 1996
[10] 104* 112 New Zealand Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium 1996
[11] 112* 113 Sri Lanka Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium 1996
[12] 194 121 India Chennai, India MA Chidambaram Stadium 1997
[13] 108* 136 West Indies Lahore, Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium 1997
[14] 104 139 India Sharjah, UAE Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium 1997
[15] 140 145 India Dhaka, Bangladesh Bangabandhu National Stadium 1998
[16] 103 178 Zimbabwe London, United Kingdom Kennington Oval 1999
[17] 113* 179 New Zealand Manchester, United Kingdom Old Trafford Cricket Ground 1999
[18] 105* 210 Sri Lanka Nairobi, Kenya Gymkhana Club Ground 2000
[19] 104 211 New Zealand Nairobi, Kenya Gymkhana Club Ground 2000
[20] 103 246 India Centurion, South Africa Centurion Park 2003
[edit]Test Cricket centuries
In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career
Test Cricket centuries of Saeed Anwar[12]
Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year
[1] 169 3 New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Basin Reserve 1994
[2] 136 5 Sri Lanka Colombo, Sri Lanka P Saravanamuttu Stadium 1994
[3] 176 17 England London, United Kingdom The Oval 1996
[4] 107 21 New Zealand Rawalpindi, Pakistan Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium 1996
[5] 118 28 South Africa Durban, South Africa Kingsmead 1998
[6] 145 32 Australia Rawalpindi, Pakistan Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium 1998
[7] 126 33 Australia Peshawar, Pakistan Arbab Niaz Stadium 1998
[8] 188* 38 India Kolkata, India Eden Gardens 1999
[9] 119 41 Australia Brisbane, Australia Brisbane Cricket Ground 1999
[10] 123 47 Sri Lanka Galle, Sri Lanka Galle International Stadium 2000
[11] 101 55 Bangladesh Multan, Pakistan Multan Cricket Stadium 2001
[edit]Player of the Series Awards(Tests)
S No Series (Opponents) Season Series Performance[13]
1 New Zealand in Pakistan (Test Series) 1996/97 157 Runs (2 Matches & 3 Innings, 1x100, 0x50); 2 Catches

Saeed Anwar