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Is Saeed Anwar underrated by even Pakistan fans?

Bhaijaan

Bhaijaan

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10+ years if being on PP, I hardly ever see fans including him in their Top 5.

Growing up as a kid in the 1990s, Saeed Anwar was a batting attraction as good as Tendulkar, Lara.

Oppositions feared him but more importantly everyone were in awe of his majestic stylish batting.

He was destructive and elegant.

Even statistically, he was doing great.

Why then is he not revered nearly as much as he should be. Personally speaking, of all the Pakistani batsmen I have ever seen, Saeed Nawar remains till this day the ONLY one that I wished played for India.

Inzamam and Yousuf both played under his shadow. Saeed Anwar clearly had a bigger aura.

A lot of people will debate about putting him in Top 3 or Top 5 for Pakistan but i believe he's probably even the best that Pakistan has produced.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
10+ years if being on PP, I hardly ever see fans including him in their Top 5.

Growing up as a kid in the 1990s, Saeed Anwar was a batting attraction as good as Tendulkar, Lara.

Oppositions feared him but more importantly everyone were in awe of his majestic stylish batting.

He was destructive and elegant.

Even statistically, he was doing great.

Why then is he not revered nearly as much as he should be. Personally speaking, of all the Pakistani batsmen I have ever seen, Saeed Nawar remains till this day the ONLY one that I wished played for India.

Inzamam and Yousuf both played under his shadow. Saeed Anwar clearly had a bigger aura.

A lot of people will debate about putting him in Top 3 or Top 5 for Pakistan but i believe he's probably even the best that Pakistan has produced.
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Being a 90s kid myself, I think he is somewhat 'underrated' because he stepped out of the limelight too suddenly, without any real warning or signal. The peak years 96-2000, were followed by mediocre years (2001-2003), in part because he redefined his priorities due to the personal tragedy. I can analogize it to Saqlain, who had amazing peak years quite frankly unlike any ODI bowler ever, but then regressed and fell out soon after.

I sometime don't think that people understand how hard opening is as a batsman. They brush it aside, and compare openers' stats to middle order batsmen's starts. This is one of the reasons when people critique(d) Tendulkar for not being a 'match-winner', I often wondered to myself 'What else is an opener supposed to do than seeing off the new ball, making great runs and often setting big scores single-handedly?" Openers surely cannot be expected to see off the entire innings.


Anwar's ODI and Tests stats are simply amazing (notwithstanding Australia and South Africa being his achilles heel), and genuinely reflective of his contributions. Shane Warne even put him in his all time ODI XI (albeit that was made quite a while earlier).
 
smoothcriminal said:
I sometime don't think that people understand how hard opening is as a batsman. They brush it aside, and compare openers' stats to middle order batsmen's starts.
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This precisely.

For an opener, his test statistics also are good.

But people put him down comparing to 50 averaging middle order batsmen. Anwar could have averaged the same or better as a middle order test batsman with a lot of daddy hundreds.

Some people will be rubbed the wrong way but if I am asked, then Saeed Anwar >> Inzamam, Yousuf, Younus, Babar (so far)
 
I'm a 90's kid and I know that feeling of Saeed Anwar opening the batting. He'll always make an all time Pakistan XI. We've not had an opener of his calibre since his retirement. I often watch his bathing on YouTube for that nostalgic feeling. He was as classy as they come.
 
He was a beautiful batsman to watch. Classy drives and flicks. Pure elegance. That 194 in Chennai was a memorable knock.
 
If Anwar debuted in the 2000s, he would comfortably average 50 plus and be up there with the Sehwags and Haydens.
 
I don’t think he was ever the same after the Qayyum corruption enquiry.

In quick succession he was found guilty on minor charges, lost a child, became devoutly religious and lost interest in cricket.

He was a superb batsman, but from a sporting point of view he got his head in the wrong place and his career was effectively over.
 
Junaids said:
I don’t think he was ever the same after the Qayyum corruption enquiry.

In quick succession he was found guilty on minor charges, lost a child, became devoutly religious and lost interest in cricket.

He was a superb batsman, but from a sporting point of view he got his head in the wrong place and his career was effectively over.
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Exactly this. Unfortunate how he regressed after 1997. Still a legend of the game and without a doubt the best opening test batsman of the 90s.
 
subshakerz said:
If Anwar debuted in the 2000s, he would comfortably average 50 plus and be up there with the Sehwags and Haydens.
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Yes no question about it, especially when you think even Hafeez averaged 37 in this era, although even that is clearly inflated by his accomplishments against minnows - If I know anything about cricket that I’ve watched over the years , a young Saeed Anwar playing in Hafeez’s place against the same bowling would have averaged at least 20 more runs then Hafeez in career average as that was the gulf in class between these two Pakistani opening batsmen from different eras. That would put Saeed Anwar with a test batting average of about 57.

If anyone thinks the gap between Saeed Anwar and Hafeez was even greater than 20 runs on career average, I would consider that a definite possibility even.

That’s purely based on my assessment having seen both openers against all types of bowling and in different conditions - and also factoring in the quality of bowling attacks they scored against in their eras.
 
One of the best.. He was a nightmare for bowlers specially after that 194. He stayed away from limelight and is hardly seen.
His comment against Imran khan played a big role as well. Specially I lost bit of respect for him since then.
 
Pakistan fans give Anwar a lot of respect! Not sure who underrates him!?
 
Easily one of the greatest batsmen Pakistan ever produced. I don't think he is underrated by Pakistanis or non-Pakistanis.

For me personally there is a certain sense of disappointment because he easily had another 2-3 good years in him. Had it not been for the personal tragedy he went through he probably could have too. But I guess that's just how life works out some time.
 
If you ask ne, he is the greatest Pakistani batsman in terms of impact, runs against top opposition (tests) and aesthetics.
It was this man who got me into watching cricket when I saw him batting against India in the 1999 world cup.
He didn't score much. But a few of the shots he played, the wristyness, the style just had me hooked.
 
I believe Saeed Anwar is the best LOI opener of all time for Pakistan. He is underrated.
 
MenInG said:
Pakistan fans give Anwar a lot of respect! Not sure who underrates him!?
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Being respected and being underrated are two different things I suppose.

Having watched half of the 1990s and all of 2000s, 2010s i have no doubt Saeed Anwar is a bigger player than Younus and Yousuf and at par or better than Inzamam even. But that rarely reflects in ratings by Pakistani fans.
 
he is very highly rated by pak fans, especially those who understand and follow test cricket, the best test opener of his era imo, and played an exciting brand of cricket.

the fact that he left the game completely after retiring has a lot more to do with why ppl dont really talk about him anymore.

the only thing that goes against him is that he only played 55 tests, he only became a fixture in the test team at 25 and retired at 32 i think.
 
I don't think he is underrated among Pakistan fans. He is talked about as much because he left cricket and he never discusses the current cricketing affairs, or coaches. This means he is forgotten by many. Also, his Test record is fantastic, but his lack of longevity goes against him.
 
Anwar is a legend of Pak cricket despite not having some of the numbers of the other greats. A beautiful player to watch and the batsman I looked forward to seeing the most.

Its a shame the generation of Pak fans after Anwar didn't get a chance to see him live in full flow at his majestic best.

If you think of poetry in motion, Babar Azam being Shakespeare, then Anwar was classical music. His batting being the convergence of a beautiful symphony - Mozart/Beethoven.
 
Anwar is greatly admired amongst Pakistan fans, his batting in full flow was a thing of beauty, and is regarded as the best opener we've produced. We're still struggling to replace him 20 years later !

However to play devil's advocate, I think there were a few factors explaining why he's perhaps gone under the radar compared to the likes of Javed Miandad or Inzamam-ul-Haq.

He had an awful record in ODIs against Australia and South Africa (but a very good Test record).

He was absent from our most famous triumph in the 1992 World Cup; was a big contributor to our defeat in Bangalore vs India in 1996 playing a stupid shot having done so well to get set; his brain fade in the 1999 final where he took an eternity to change his grip and got out next ball which was seen as a pivotal moment; and was a passenger in 2003 bar a slow century vs India on a flat pitch.

He was a very poor captain. Under him we drew to a weak NZ team at home in 1996, lost infamously to South Africa at home in 1997 after the disasterous Faisalabad Test, and lost again at home to Sri Lanka in 2000.

His complete absence from the cricket scene after retirement. Where the likes of Miandad, Inzamam, Yousuf etc have kept themselves in the public eye with coaching or broadcasting stints - Anwar joined the religious circuit and has given very few interviews. I'm not sure if he even follows cricket.

His final two years of his career were unfortunate. His heart wasn't in it after tragically losing his daughter and bowed out on a sour note at the 2003 World Cup.

However the more time passes by, and Pakistan continue to scramble to find a decent all-format opener, Anwar's legacy grows stronger.
 
last i heard him speak on or about cricket, video from some years ago

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/tdheve" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
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May be he is underrated because he played less test cricket. Though he has impressive stats.
 
Injuries and the tragic death of his daughter meant his heart wasn't there...

In 1999 I suffered a knee injury. But I continued playing for a whole year as Pakistan does not have too many alternate players as the Aussies and English do. It got so bad that I had knee surgery in 2000. I was out for a whole year. I came back, scored 60 runs in Sharjah and my wrist was fractured. Then in September 2001, Bisma died. For a father, a daughter is very special. Mine was so extraordinary. I was barely conscious for eight or nine months.

Source of interview from 2003: https://www.arabnews.com/node/227544
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Wonderful player !

Genuine timer of the ball , loved the way he hit the ball outside off stump , pure timing
 
I dont think hes underrated by pakistani fans

Most would have him opening for an all time pakistan eleven in all 3 formats

He was a delight to watch Such artistry in his timing and wrists he had

It was a priviledge to watch him in his pomp
 
Saeed Anwar was done by 2000. He was playing on the basis of seniority and experience from that point on. His daughters demise diminished his interest in the game. The PCB should have dropped him by the end of 2001
 
I dont really think if fans underrate Anwar.

I have the highest most respect for him. I just wish he had scored in at least one of the two most important games of his career. 1996 QF against India and 1999 Final against Australia.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most ODI hundreds for Pakistan:<br><br>20 Saeed Anwar in 244 innings<br>17 Babar Azam in 85 innings<br>15 Mohammad Yousuf in 267 innings<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvWI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvWI</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1534608587351269377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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MenInG said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most ODI hundreds for Pakistan:<br><br>20 Saeed Anwar in 244 innings<br>17 Babar Azam in 85 innings<br>15 Mohammad Yousuf in 267 innings<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvWI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvWI</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1534608587351269377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Babar's 100 to inns ratio compared to Anwar and Yousuf is insane.
 
Kroll said:
Babar's 100 to inns ratio compared to Anwar and Yousuf is insane.
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He’s playing in a different time, power plays 2 balls, free hits , flatter decks, introduction of 20/20 cricket etc. it’s impossible to compare.

A young Anwar would be better than Babar in this generation.
 
Saeed Anwar had an exceptional strike rate for his generation. His ton scoring was also exceptional for his time. Very difficult to compare across generations. Taking nothing away from Babar, but Anwar was a greater impact batsman at his peak compared to Babar so far. Anwar averaging around 40 at a s/r of 80 from the 90s is probably around the equivalent of averaging 50+ at a s/r of 110 today.
 
Junaids said:
I don’t think he was ever the same after the Qayyum corruption enquiry.

In quick succession he was found guilty on minor charges, lost a child, became devoutly religious and lost interest in cricket.

He was a superb batsman, but from a sporting point of view he got his head in the wrong place and his career was effectively over.
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Do you know the charges against him [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION]
 
He wasn’t underrated. I think
the problem is no superlatives are enough. He was just a treat to watch. Not only that, he knuckled down too when it was required.

Todays players are baby players compared to him
 
Kroll said:
Babar's 100 to inns ratio compared to Anwar and Yousuf is insane.
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This is exactly why this no of 100s stat is very much overrated.

I’m a fan of Babar but he’s not a patch on either Saeed Anwar or Mohammed Yousuf
 
Uptil 2010, he wasnt under rated. Any opener we had got was compared to saeed anwar.

Never saw him play though, so dont know if he was there with the likes of miamdad.

But its not the fans but thr broadcasters who form opinions. Saeed anwar isnt that much discussed on tv. Infact, even miandad doesnt get that much discussed. Miandad is admired by people who watches the game druing thes 80s and 90s.

For me, inzamam was over rated. When ever an icc tournament came, the guy would bottle. He was terrible in icc tournaments. Yes yes i know 92 semi final nz, but that was just one performance.

2003 and than 2007 world cup, people hated him for it
 
MenInG said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most ODI hundreds for Pakistan:<br><br>20 Saeed Anwar in 244 innings<br>17 Babar Azam in 85 innings<br>15 Mohammad Yousuf in 267 innings<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvWI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvWI</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1534608587351269377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Babar makes a 100 look far to easy.

Damn, we are blessed to have this player
 
Yes, a lot of kids haven't seen the days of the great Saeed Anwar. IMO him and Sanath were the two proper aggressive openers who were proper batters. His flicks were a thing of beauty. Had shots all over the wicket and when it was his day, you'd know it was his day. He was even a better test opener than he was in ODIs.

It was a big big tragedy when that personal calamity hit him. May Allah bless the soul of his little one. He could never recover from there. And even in 2003 wc, he felt scattered all through the world cup and never looked like he was focused enough.

But yes I have heard a lot about him dodging the fitness tests etc during that time, so he wasn't exactly the ideal bloke you'd want to idolize.

He's our second best ODI batter alongside Javed Miandad. I'd place him higher than Inzi and Yousaf as well.
 
Saeed Anwar was a brilliant Test player, but overrated in ODIs. He did a lot of minnow-bashing.

Tormented Indian bowling when they were at their lowest and was a walking wicket in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. He just couldn’t handle their bowlers in white ball cricket on bouncy pitches and swinging conditions.

He was a stellar Test opener, but his career was defined by the 194 in Chennai and the numerous hundreds in ODIs.

The fact that by 2022, the leading century maker in ODI cricket for Pakistan has 20 hundreds only exposes the pathetic batting legacy of Pakistan. Easily the worst, least talented batting nation ever.

A lot of people are in love with Saeed because he was a glorious player to watch. His timing was out of this world and only Mark Waugh could compete with him in terms of aesthetically pleasing batting.

But he was also a frustrating batsman because he was the king of soft dismissals in white ball cricket. He would often get bowled off his legs while walking across and gave catching practice to the slips.

Pakistan was an ODI-centric team in the late 90’s. The Test results were embarrassing and the Sharjah Cups and the 1999 World Cup was what kept that Pakistan team relevant, and that is why Saeed is more renowned for his ODI exploits. He is also one of the few players who has a higher individual score in ODIs than in Tests.

But anyone who thinks Babar is not a better ODI batsman than Saeed is talking nonsense and you cannot put it down to flatter pitches, two new balls and shorter boundaries. Babar is clear of him and anyone denying this is blinded by the romanticism of nostalgia or prone to overhyping the past.

If you are downplaying the records of contemporary ODI batsman because of flatter pitches, shorter boundaries and two new balls, then you should also downplay the records of the ODI bowlers of the 90’s and early 2000’s because they had the luxury of not bowling to batsmen on flatter pitches, shorter boundaries and two new balls.

So if Saeed Anwar is better than Babar because of the aforementioned reasons, then Shaheen is also better than Wasim due to the same aforementioned reasons.

You cannot have it both ways.
 
adzzy786 said:
He’s playing in a different time, power plays 2 balls, free hits , flatter decks, introduction of 20/20 cricket etc. it’s impossible to compare.

A young Anwar would be better than Babar in this generation.
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If we use this logic then Shaheen is better than Wasim, Cummins is better then McGrath, Rabada is better than Pollock etc.

All these 90s and 2000s bowlers would have worse stats today because of the reasons that you highlighted above.
 
Mamoon said:
Saeed Anwar was a brilliant Test player, but overrated in ODIs. He did a lot of minnow-bashing.

Tormented Indian bowling when they were at their lowest and was a walking wicket in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. He just couldn’t handle their bowlers in white ball cricket on bouncy pitches and swinging conditions.

He was a stellar Test opener, but his career was defined by the 194 in Chennai and the numerous hundreds in ODIs.

The fact that by 2022, the leading century maker in ODI cricket for Pakistan has 20 hundreds only exposes the pathetic batting legacy of Pakistan. Easily the worst, least talented batting nation ever.

A lot of people are in love with Saeed because he was a glorious player to watch. His timing was out of this world and only Mark Waugh could compete with him in terms of aesthetically pleasing batting.

But he was also a frustrating batsman because he was the king of soft dismissals in white ball cricket. He would often get bowled off his legs while walking across and gave catching practice to the slips.

Pakistan was an ODI-centric team in the late 90’s. The Test results were embarrassing and the Sharjah Cups and the 1999 World Cup was what kept that Pakistan team relevant, and that is why Saeed is more renowned for his ODI exploits. He is also one of the few players who has a higher individual score in ODIs than in Tests.

But anyone who thinks Babar is not a better ODI batsman than Saeed is talking nonsense and you cannot put it down to flatter pitches, two new balls and shorter boundaries. Babar is clear of him and anyone denying this is blinded by the romanticism of nostalgia or prone to overhyping the past.

If you are downplaying the records of contemporary ODI batsman because of flatter pitches, shorter boundaries and two new balls, then you should also downplay the records of the ODI bowlers of the 90’s and early 2000’s because they had the luxury of not bowling to batsmen on flatter pitches, shorter boundaries and two new balls.

So if Saeed Anwar is better than Babar because of the aforementioned reasons, then Shaheen is also better than Wasim due to the same aforementioned reasons.

You cannot have it both ways.
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I don’t usually like to contribute in these fans concept opinion threads, but I have to be ultra vigilant reading this guy’s posts because of his tendency’s to distort facts with his over eccentric opinions

Pakistan’s Pathetic batting legacy because the leading century maker has 20 centuries… so who has a great batting legacy?

West Indies? Brian Lara has 19 ODI centuries in the same era as Saeed Anwar

Gibbs has 21 in the same era as Anwar

Guptil has the most ever for NZ at 17 centuries

Ponting has 29 centuries, Warner at No.2 has 18! Gilchrist has 17, Hayden has 10

Joe Root is England’s no.1 at 16 centuries. Babar has 17 now btw.



So what exactly is the definition of a ‘pathetic batting legacy’??
 
TheSultan said:
This is exactly why this no of 100s stat is very much overrated.

I’m a fan of Babar but he’s not a patch on either Saeed Anwar or Mohammed Yousuf
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Saeed Anwar is probably my favourite Pak player ever.

I think Babar is actually a level above due to his overall batsmanship. Yousuf was fantastic at his peak, but again Babar for me here as well.

Of course, difficult to compare eras. If Babar continues playing the way he is and making progress, he is likely to go down as Pak’s greatest ever batsman edging out Miandad.
 
I dont think Anwar was ever over rated or under rated. He was a classy elegant player who was ahead of his time.

It would have been icing on the cake though had he won Pakistan the all important 1996 QF vs India and the 1999 Final vs Australia.
 
babar is a middle order batsman, saeed was a ATG test opener, its not right to compare middle order batsmen to openers, they are not the same role.
 
I don't think he is underrated at all from a cricketing perspective. He just doesn't spring to mind as much on forums/debates especially for modern fans because he is low profile and doesn't talk in the media/social media.

The exploits of many of our players are kept fresh because they are still in the public eye to a certain extent or have held roles in cricket - wasim, waqar, shoaib, saqlain, inzi, yousuf, amir sohail, ramiz etc are all regularly discussed because they are still active in the game or talking about the game.

Another thing that helps the legacy of older players is their time in county cricket which was the pinnacle of the game for the English print media ( which dominated cricket discussion for a long time).

AKAIK Saeed didn't play any so isn't often brought up by non Pakistanis from that era when they share stories etc.
 
Kroll said:
Saeed Anwar is probably my favourite Pak player ever.

I think Babar is actually a level above due to his overall batsmanship. Yousuf was fantastic at his peak, but again Babar for me here as well.

Of course, difficult to compare eras. If Babar continues playing the way he is and making progress, he is likely to go down as Pak’s greatest ever batsman edging out Miandad.
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Not sure about that - especially batsmanship. The impression I’ve always had about Babar is that he has amazing ability, but batsmanship is also about strategising and dominance. Babar seems to just bat (and bat very well) but I don’t see that extra from him. I don’t really see that from him. In fact if he improves in this area he would be a complete batsman. That is what is stopping him.
 
Saeed Anwar played only 55 tests over his entire career. That’s the amount of tests an England player will play in 4 years and will still be finding his feet. I mean Woakes has played 45 tests and we still don’t know if he belongs.

Joe Root has played same number of tests as Younis Khan in half the time and has maybe 70 tests left.

Saeed played 0 T20’s.

Played lots of ODIs - 247 - and that’s what he is most remembered for as a result. Changed the game too.

If he has played 100+ tests at his usual high level, he would have figured in many conversations as a great.

Simple as that.
 
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In ODIs, he is definitely not underrated.

Easily our greatest opener ever, even 2 decades after his retirement.

As a pure ODI batsman he sits behind Babar, Miandad and Inzamam.
 
Saeed Anwar and Sanath Jayasuriya bashed India like no other batsman did in 1990's.
 
I will put him at same level as Rohit Sharma. Amazing bat and better than any other Pakistani batsman.
 
As I said in #21, Saeed Anwar gets plenty of plaudits from our fans with his free flowing, aesthetically pleasing style of batting. However he's "underrated" amongst the wider cricket community for several reasons:

- Low media profile after retirement unlike some of our other legends (read motormouths).

- Poor ODI record away in Australia and South Africa, the two best sides of his era.

- Lacked an iconic WC performance like Wasim or Inzamam. His brainfades in 1996 QF and 1999 Final were a big reason why we lost both.

- Not seen as a charismatic leader in the vein of Imran, Wasim or Miandad. His captaincy stint wasn't particularly successful.

- Played a low number of Tests (55) compared to other Test legends.
 
Waleed93 said:
In ODIs, he is definitely not underrated.

Easily our greatest opener ever, even 2 decades after his retirement.

As a pure ODI batsman he sits behind Babar, Miandad and Inzamam.
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Babar does not even come into this discussion. He's atm just a good batsman, that's it. Pakistan these days often plays minnow/B teams and his high average and ICC rankings does not mean he's become a great suddenly.

I agree on other three names though
 
ChipShot said:
Babar does not even come into this discussion. He's atm just a good batsman, that's it. Pakistan these days often plays minnow/B teams and his high average and ICC rankings does not mean he's become a great suddenly.

I agree on other three names though
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It's not Babar fault that other teams play second string bowling line ups.
 
ChipShot said:
Babar does not even come into this discussion. He's atm just a good batsman, that's it. Pakistan these days often plays minnow/B teams and his high average and ICC rankings does not mean he's become a great suddenly.

I agree on other three names though
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Babar currently averages 60 at a strike rate of 90.

Kohli, the greatest ODI batsman of all time is the only other name to have achieved these kind of numbers.

Secondly, Babar being a minnow basher is nothing but an idiotic myth created by SOME random Indian fans. He has astonishing number against SENA countries in ODIs.

He has even proved himself in international tournaments. He scored more runs than any Pakistan batsman ever did in a single WC campaign in 2019, and followed it up with a top run scoring tournament in the WT20I.

He is scoring runs for fun while playing for a mediocre team where he knows that his wicket is the difference between a 300+ total and a complete collapse like we saw yesterday.

The only thing that goes against him is the fact that Pakistan doesn't play enough ODIs, the main reason why he has already missed out on 6-7 extra ODI centuries.

By the time he retires, he will be clear of Inzamam, Miandad and Anwar. This doesn't downgrade these 3 by any means. It just shows the calibre of Babar as a batsman.
 
Saeed Anwar didn't get noticed for first half of his career as he was overshadowed by more consistent Inzamam. Also he was not consistent great one year flopping next then rise back again. So he slipped under the radar.

Pakistan's test batsman record from 1994 to 2001
[table=class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Player [/td][td]Span [/td][td]Mat [/td][td]Runs [/td][td]Ave [/td][td]SR [/td][td]100 [/td][td]50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Inzamam-ul-Haq [/td][td]1994-2001 [/td][td]64 [/td][td]4800 [/td][td]50.52 [/td][td]52.19 [/td][td]14 [/td][td]28 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Saeed Anwar [/td][td]1994-2001 [/td][td]54 [/td][td]4052 [/td][td]46.57 [/td][td]55.83 [/td][td]11 [/td][td]25 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mohammad Yousuf [/td][td]1998-2001 [/td][td]33 [/td][td]2235 [/td][td]42.98 [/td][td]43.75 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]12 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Saleem Malik [/td][td]1994-1999 [/td][td]31 [/td][td]2011 [/td][td]42.78 [/td][td]49.38 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]8 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ijaz Ahmed [/td][td]1994-2001 [/td][td]41 [/td][td]2572 [/td][td]40.82 [/td][td]46.66 [/td][td]10 [/td][td]9 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Aamer Sohail [/td][td]1994-2000 [/td][td]36 [/td][td]2183 [/td][td]36.38 [/td][td]54.87 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]10 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Moin Khan [/td][td]1994-2001 [/td][td]52 [/td][td]2324 [/td][td]30.98 [/td][td]51.64 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]15 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Wasim Akram [/td][td]1994-2001 [/td][td]53 [/td][td]1799 [/td][td]24.98 [/td][td]53.09 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[/table]

Saeed Anwar's test career by years
[table=class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Career [/td][td]Mat [/td][td]Runs [/td][td]Ave [/td][td]SR [/td][td]100 [/td][td]50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]overall [/td][td]55 [/td][td]4052 [/td][td]45.52 [/td][td]55.77 [/td][td]11 [/td][td]25 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 1990 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 1994 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]836 [/td][td]59.71 [/td][td]58.91 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]5 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 1995 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]202 [/td][td]22.44 [/td][td]42.25 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 1996 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]701 [/td][td]63.72 [/td][td]65.57 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]5 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 1997 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]136 [/td][td]17 [/td][td]47.88 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 1998 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]818 [/td][td]54.53 [/td][td]53.78 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 1999 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]673 [/td][td]48.07 [/td][td]60.57 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2000 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]524 [/td][td]47.63 [/td][td]45.01 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]year 2001 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]162 [/td][td]32.4 [/td][td]76.77 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[/table]
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnThisDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnThisDay</a> in 1999. The brilliant Saeed Anwar made 113 not out versus New Zealand to guide Pakistan to a World Cup final <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/gV6iAW4p5t">pic.twitter.com/gV6iAW4p5t</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1537355608034267136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnThisDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnThisDay</a> in 1968. The stylish, exciting and brilliant Saeed Anwar was born in Karachi. Saeed played 302 times for Pakistan and scored nearly 13,000 runs for his country. He made twenty centuries in ODIs which is more than any other Pakistani batsman in this format <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/4XDpXlb3I1">pic.twitter.com/4XDpXlb3I1</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1567052771341254656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
One of the greatest underachievers. He was the biggest selling point for Pakistan fans as far as batting was concerned until Shahid Afridi arrived.
 
I think he is rated highly enough

Probably the only guy who played cricket for Pakistan like the SENA players do for their countries. Didn’t cling on needlessly and left in good time with his respect in hand.
 
The issue with Indian/Pakistani legends is that they find it very difficult to call it quits

Some carry on for longer than they should and destroy their legacy to quite an extent. Namely:

Inzimam ul Haq
Mohammad Yousuf
Sachin Tendulkar
MS Dhoni
Waqar Younis
Abdul Razzaq
Javed Miandad
Saqlain Mushtaq
 
gazza619 said:
One of the greatest underachievers. He was the biggest selling point for Pakistan fans as far as batting was concerned until Shahid Afridi arrived.
Click to expand...
and pakistani fans lost their bloody minds and not till he left we were going to have a good team.
 
I don't think he is underrated, pretty sure he is almost always included in Pak all time XIs for tests and ODIs. Anwar was one of the very best batsmen of his generation and just a level below Lara, Ponting and Tendulkar.
 
owenhcricket said:
I don't think he is underrated, pretty sure he is almost always included in Pak all time XIs for tests and ODIs. Anwar was one of the very best batsmen of his generation and just a level below Lara, Ponting and Tendulkar.
Click to expand...
yes, he is not underrated by any means. Classy and stylish with every minute spent on the crease. that 194 against India was an absolute class of an innings.
 
Saeed Anwar left behind a lasting legacy with his exceptional style and wristy play.

Players like Lara and Saeed Anwar stood out for their remarkable batting style.
 
SM1989 said:
Caught behind outside the off-stump was his Achilles heal.
Click to expand...

which is why we averaged nearly 50 as opener between 1993 and 2000?

he got caught behind because he used to drive a lot in odis, he was an aggressive batsman and thus ran that risk, in tests where he had the freedom to be more astute with his shot selection he would not have survived if what you say was true.

his short career detracts from his legacy, peak saeed (1993 to 2000) was right up there with the great test openers.
 
Notion that Saeed Anwar declined isn’t factual. His last completed inning (against India in a World Cup) was a century.

Saeed Anwar is simply the best Pakistani ODI batsman. Anyone that’s seen him play, his masterful wrist work and incredible timing of the ball would know how ridiculous it’s to compare him to Babar Azam and these other stats padders.

In his day, he was in the same league as Tendulkar and Lara and all true followers of the game in the 90s know this .
 
The late, great Shane Warne rated him at #29 in his list of 100 greatest players he played with or against. Was a quality batsman.
 
chinaman00 said:
Notion that Saeed Anwar declined isn’t factual. His last completed inning (against India in a World Cup) was a century.

Saeed Anwar is simply the best Pakistani ODI batsman. Anyone that’s seen him play, his masterful wrist work and incredible timing of the ball would know how ridiculous it’s to compare him to Babar Azam and these other stats padders.

In his day, he was in the same league as Tendulkar and Lara and all true followers of the game in the 90s know this .
Click to expand...
Babar Azam is lovely to watch too. But Saeed was breathtaking.
 
Saeed is regarded as one of the best batsmen we have had in the history of Pakistan cricket. Dont think he is under rated at all.

Definitely the most pleasing on the eye followed by Zaheer and Yousaf.
 
Rana said:
The issue with Indian/Pakistani legends is that they find it very difficult to call it quits

Some carry on for longer than they should and destroy their legacy to quite an extent. Namely:

Inzimam ul Haq
Mohammad Yousuf
Sachin Tendulkar
MS Dhoni
Waqar Younis
Abdul Razzaq
Javed Miandad
Saqlain Mushtaq
Click to expand...
Afridi, Akhter, Kapil, Ganguly, Dravid, De Silva, Sanath all fall under this criteria. Also I don't necessarily agree with Yousuf, I think he still had few years left. He should have been included in the 11 wc & he definitely missed out around a dozen hundreds on those dead desert wickets that Younus, Misbah & Azhar used to statpad. He was past his peak, but wasn't completely useless to be discarded on such disrespectful fashion.
 
Except Sachin Anwar was the only player who had batting average over 40 and strike rate over 80 during 90s
 
Fanboy375 said:
Except Sachin Anwar was the only player who had batting average over 40 and strike rate over 80 during 90s
Click to expand...
Thanks for mentioning strike rate—something that’s often an afterthought in Pakistan.

What made Saeed Anwar special was his cutting-edge strike rate for his era. Today’s game-changers are players like Travis Head, Shubman Gill, and Rohit Sharma, all striking at 100+ while maintaining strong averages. Any batter with a strike rate at or below 90 has no business being compared with Anwar.

Saim Ayub seems like the kind of batter who could consistently strike above 100 with a healthy average, creating the same relative impact Saeed Anwar had in his time.
 
Farabi said:
Thanks for mentioning strike rate—something that’s often an afterthought in Pakistan.

What made Saeed Anwar special was his cutting-edge strike rate for his era. Today’s game-changers are players like Travis Head, Shubman Gill, and Rohit Sharma, all striking at 100+ while maintaining strong averages. Any batter with a strike rate at or below 90 has no business being compared with Anwar.

Saim Ayub seems like the kind of batter who could consistently strike above 100 with a healthy average, creating the same relative impact Saeed Anwar had in his time.
Click to expand...
Also he was an opening batsman.Yes Lara had better average than him during 90s but Anwar unlike Lara most of the time faced opening bowlers.
 
Anwar was India's daddy during the 90s just like Travis Head is now.
 
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