Sarfraz Nawaz

Modern fast bowling owes a significant, if under-recognised, debt to Sarfraz Nawaz. Long before Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis made reverse swing a global spectacle in the late 1980s and 1990s, it was Nawaz who first discovered how to make an old ball move unpredictably through the air. He worked out the method alongside fellow paceman Sikander Bakht, and later passed the skill on directly to a young Imran Khan.

Nawaz made his Test debut against England in 1969 and went on to form one of Pakistan's most effective new-ball partnerships alongside Khan. His game relied on unerring accuracy and the ability to move the ball both ways. He also proved a handy contributor with the bat down the order, becoming one of the few Pakistan players to complete the double of 1,000 Test runs and 150 Test wickets.

His most famous spell came against Australia in Melbourne when He took 9 wickets for 86 runs in an innings. His burst included 7 wickets for just a single run across 33 balls, as Pakistan turned a losing position into an unlikely victory. He finished his Test career with 177 wickets from 55 matches at an average of 32.75. He also spent well over a decade in English county cricket with Northamptonshire.

After retiring, Nawaz moved into politics, serving as a member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from 1985. He went on to build a long second career as an outspoken cricket commentator, known for being one of the earliest and most vocal figures to raise concerns about match-fixing in the sport.