Intikhab Alam: leg-spin, aggressive batting and captaincy

Intikhab Alam was among the players who took Pakistan cricket out of the dull, drawn matches of the 1960s and towards the team of the 1970s, which, according to ESPNcricinfo, could beat any country even at its home². He was a leg-spinner, batted hard in the lower order and captained Pakistan for several years. In 47 Tests he took 125 wickets and scored 1,493 runs, including one century¹.

Early life and start of career

Intikhab Alam Khan was born on 28 December 1941 in Hoshiarpur, Punjab (India). He batted right-handed and bowled leg-break googlies. His brother Aftab Alam was also a cricketer. His first-class career ran from the 1957-58 season to 1982. He played for Karachi, PIA, Public Works Department, Punjab, Sindh and the English county Surrey².

His Test career began against Australia in Karachi on 4 December 1959. Batting at number eight, he was run out for a duck in the first innings. He took 2 wickets for 49 runs. His first Test half-century, 56 against India, came at Eden Gardens, Calcutta, on 30 December 1960¹.

According to ESPNcricinfo, when English county cricket opened its doors to overseas players in 1969, Pakistani players gained experience there. Intikhab Alam played for Surrey as a fine all-rounder². That experience later served the Pakistan team.

Memorable bowling against New Zealand

The brightest chapter of Intikhab Alam’s bowling was written against New Zealand. In 15 Tests against them he took 54 wickets at an average of 24.38. Four of his five five-wicket hauls came against this opponent¹.

In the Test that began in Dhaka on 8 November 1969, he took 5 wickets for 91 runs in 56 overs, 26 of them maidens, in the first innings. He took another 5 for 91 in the second. His 10 wickets in the match thus cost 182 runs¹.

An even bigger performance came on the tour of New Zealand in February 1973. In the first innings of the Test that began in Dunedin on 7 February 1973, he took 7 wickets for 52 runs in 21 overs, in the era of eight-ball overs. These are his best Test figures. With 4 for 78 in the second innings, he finished with 11 wickets in the match, and Pakistan won the Test. In the next Test of the same tour, at Auckland on 16 February 1973, he took 6 wickets for 127¹.

Power with the bat and the captain’s responsibility

Intikhab Alam was not only a bowler. According to ESPNcricinfo, his powerful hitting also brought him a Test century². It came against England at Hyderabad (Sindh) on 16 March 1973. Coming in at number seven, he made 138 in 261 minutes with 15 fours and 4 sixes. In the same match he also took 4 wickets for 137 in 65 overs. A few weeks earlier, on the tour of Australia, his 64 at Adelaide and 68 at Melbourne had shown the power of his bat¹.

Between 1969 and 1975 he captained Pakistan in 17 Tests. As captain he took 54 wickets at an average of 31.74. All 5 of his five-wicket hauls and both of his ten-wicket matches came in those years. According to ESPNcricinfo, Pakistan’s tour of England in 1974, on which the team did not lose a Test, rested largely on his leg-spin². In the Test that began at The Oval on 22 August 1974, he took 5 wickets for 116 in 51.4 overs¹.

According to ESPNcricinfo, he was an important captain, although many considered him too gentle for the post, and the aggressive captaincy of Mushtaq Mohammad after him was quite different². In the early years of one-day cricket he played 4 matches, 3 of them as captain. His first one-day international was against New Zealand at Christchurch on 11 February 1973¹.

His last Test began against the West Indies at Port of Spain on 4 March 1977. He took 2 wickets for 90¹.

Statistics

Source: ESPNcricinfo Statsguru¹. The figures are for his international career.

Influence and legacy

According to ESPNcricinfo, his name was always mentioned in the style of “the burly Intikhab” or “the wily Intikhab”, meaning the strongly built and cunning Intikhab². Both epithets suited his game: power with the bat and cunning with the ball.

He remained connected with Pakistan cricket after leaving the game. According to ESPNcricinfo, he was the team’s manager and coach when Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992. In 2000 he became the national team’s coach for a short time, and in October 2008 he was given the responsibility once again².

In Pakistan’s cricket history, Intikhab Alam is remembered as an all-rounder and captain who helped carry the team from one era to the next. His leg-spin gave Pakistan many memorable days on the pitches of New Zealand and England.