Moulded like his role-model and Pakistan legend Abdul Qadir, Mushtaq Ahmed was Pakistan's frontline spinner in the 1990s. A short man, Mushy had a short run up and would throw both his hands simultaneously in the air before delivering the ball. The weird action and his repertoire of variations which included a well disguised googly made it hard for the batsmen to pick, who often were forced to guess which way the ball would spin. He played a big part in Pakistan's 1992 World Cup win, and memorably deceived Graeme Hick with a googly in the final.

Mushtaq Ahmed was dropped from the team after a loss of form in the 2000-01 season. Pakistan's loss proved to be Sussex's gain, as he became the first bowler to pick 100 wickets in the county championships and drove Sussex to the title in 2003. He was recalled to the Pakistani side after this performance, but was left out soon after to groom young spinner Danish Kaneria. Sussex once again benefited, as his performances helped them to County titles in 2006 and 2007, where he picked up 102 and 90 wickets respectively. He was the leading wicket taker in the County circuit for 4 seasons in a row.

He never played again for Pakistan, and spoilt the little chances he had by signing up for the rebel Indian Cricket League in 2008. A knee problem forced him to retire from domestic cricket towards the end of 2008, and he soon became England's spin-bowling coach.


By Karthik Lakshmanan