Aaqib Javed

Talent alone rarely guarantees opportunity, and few careers illustrate that better than Aaqib Javed's. A right-arm fast-medium bowler with a mastery of both conventional and reverse swing, Javed possessed the skills of a frontline strike bowler, yet spent much of his career playing second fiddle to two of the greatest fast bowlers the game has produced.

Aaqib broke into international cricket as a teenager, making his ODI debut against West Indies in 1988 before making his Test debut the following year. His biggest individual moment came against India in the 1991 Wills Trophy final. Aaqib produced a remarkable spell of 7 for 37 at Sharjah, taking a hat-trick by dismissing Ravi Shastri, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar. It was a performance that established him as a bowler capable of producing something special on the biggest occasions.

Aaqib was also an important member of Pakistan's 1992 World Cup-winning side. With Waqar Younis unavailable for parts of the tournament due to injury, he was entrusted with the new ball and finished the competition with 11 wickets in 10 matches. He played his part in a Pakistan attack led by Wasim Akram and helped the side complete their memorable campaign in Australia. Although his Test career never reached the same heights as his ODI career, Aaqib remained a useful part of Pakistan's bowling group for much of the 1990s.

Javed's career took another direction after his playing days. Aaqib moved into coaching and became involved in developing Pakistan's next generation. One of his early achievements came with Pakistan's Under-19 side, which he coached to the World Cup title in 2004. His coaching journey eventually took him overseas, with Aaqib becoming the UAE's head coach in 2012. He spent several years leading the UAE setup before returning to Pakistan, where he took on senior coaching and development roles.

Aaqib also became closely associated with Lahore Qalandars, taking on coaching and cricket operations responsibilities and playing an important role in the franchise's long-term player-development programme. He returned to the national setup in a senior capacity in 2024, joining Pakistan's selection committee before being appointed interim head coach for white-ball cricket that November.

Within weeks, his brief expanded to the Test side as well, and by April 2025 he had been confirmed as head coach across all formats, a role he held through Pakistan's campaign at the 2025 Champions Trophy. He was subsequently appointed Pakistan's Director of High Performance, giving him a broader role in the development of the country's cricket structure.