Fawad Alam

Slick frame and an unorthodox batting stance, Fawad Alam is the son of a famous Pakistan's first-class cricketer, Tariq Alam. He plays professional cricket for Pakistan national team and Sindh. 

The batter made his first-class debut at the age of 17 playing for Karachi and Pakistani customs which earned him enough praise to get selected into the U-19 World Cup squad which they eventually won. He finished the 2006-07 domestic season as the fifth-highest run-getter in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

After a disappointing 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, Fawad Alam was drafted into the 16-man squad for the series in Sri Lanka. His ODI debut against Sri Lanka on May 22, 2007 was not quite a memorable one as he was dismissed for a golden duck. Later that year, Fawad was picked for the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup. After picking up two wickets in the victorious semi-final against New Zealand, he was dropped in the finals against India in which the men in green lost.

The breakthrough moment for Fawad came in the quadrangular T20 International tournament in October 2008 against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and hosts Canada. In that tournament, he picked up five wickets and scored various important knocks, and proved to be more than a handy all-rounder.

 After an impressive series against England in their conditions, improved him as a lower-order batsman. Fawad was surprisingly dropped from the limited-overs format after the South Africa series in which he scored 123 runs in 5 matches. 

In July 2009, the batting all-rounder became the first Pakistani cricketer to score a Test century on his debut away from home scoring 168 runs in the second innings against Sri Lanka but after failing to score in the next two matches, he was dropped for the Test squad too.

Not playing a single international match for over three and a half years, Fawad made his return in the 2014 Asia Cup after a splendid 2013-14 domestic season. On his return, the Karachi-born all-rounder smashed 74 runs off 70 balls against Bangladesh and went on to score his maiden ODI century against Sri Lanka in the finals.

In August 2020, Fawad Alam played in the second Test against England after a gap of almost 11 years and was dismissed for a duck. On January 3, 2021, he scored his second Test century against New Zealand after a gap of more than 11 years. The composure shown by Alam in that series made him a national hero and in January 2021, he was named in the Test squad against South Africa. In the first Test against the Proteas, he scored another century which led Pakistan to a momentous victory.

Fawad’s irrepressible nature and his adaptability in different conditions served him well after his comeback to international cricket. At the age of 35, his fitness level is tremendous. The reasons for Fawad not being selected for over 10 years remains a mystery, but he is looking forward to what he can achieve in the future.

(As of March 2021)