Pakistani Cricket Players: Saqlain Mushtaq

Saqlain Mushtaq Biography

Full name: Saqlain Mushtaq
Born: December 29, 1976, Lahore, Punjab
County: Surrey
Other teams: Ireland, Pakistan, Islamabad Cricket Association, Pakistan International Airlines, Sussex
Test Debut: Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Peshawar, September 8-11, 1995
ODI Debut: Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Gujranwala, September 29, 1995
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Off-spin

Sussex showed faith in the former Pakistan off-spinner when they signed him on a two-year contract for the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

He has taken 208 Test and 288 one-day international wickets for Pakistan and will be qualified to play for England next year, having married his British wife nine years ago.

Saqlain was one of the first to develop the doosra delivery and was the fastest bowler to 100 one-day wickets.

During a Test match, at Chennai in 1998-99 he claimed ten wickets in the match that allowed Pakistan to claim a 12-run win against India.

He was not eligible to play county matches until May 2007 when he received his British passport and became EU qualified, playing in four championship matches and taking 18 wickets.

However, he left Sussex at the end of the 2007 season, citing personal reasons, and returned to his old stomping ground of the Brit Oval where he spent several successful seasons forming a spin partnership with Ian Salisbury.

The 2008 season saw him claim 38 championship victims and he ended as the county's leading wicket-taker. He also claimed six wickets in two Twenty20 matches.

He was released ahead of 2009, his links with a rebel league part of the rationale.

Saqlain Mushtaq