Majid Khan

A flamboyant personality, Majid Khan's career had many phases. A strapping fast bowler to begin with, he was crippled by fitness issues, particularly a back injury that forced him to give up that mode of bowling. Majid turned to off spin bowling, that too as a part time option. His batting credentials improved as his career went on and that made him a specialist batsman who went on become a successful opener for Pakistan. Born in a cricketing background, Majid was greatly inspired by his father Jahangir Khan who was a successful cricketer during his days. Bred in Cambridge University, there was a lot of Englishness in Majid who did everything with a sense of effortlessness around it. In international cricket and first-class circuit, Majid amassed runs with aplomb. Over 27000 runs in FC spread with 73 tons at an average above 43 showed the prowess of a man who got better with age.

Unlike many other run machines of his era, Majid wasn't a slow scorer by any means and batted with an extremely positive intent. He loved to take the bowling on, creating pressure on the opposition in a jiffy. Majid's favorite shots were the crispy drives and powerful hook/pull strokes which he unfurled on demand when on song. Unfortunately for Majid, he couldn't score a century after the three-figure knock at home against Australia in 1980. Over the next three years, his form dipped in a big way and that eventually led to his exclusion from the side. It was at a time when his cousin Imran Khan had taken up the reins of captaincy and this event did stir the pot a bit between the two. After retirement, Majid spent a considerable amount of time in administration.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan