Biography

If one Mushtaq mastered the 'doosra', the other mastered the 'googly'. Mushtaq Ahmed would have been an ideal bet for an opening batsman; however, the chubby and bubbly man took on to leg-spin and mastered the art to perfection. He shouldered the responsibility of being the only leg-spinner in the team after the legendary Abdul Qadir and went on to become a match winner for Pakistan.

Mushtaq will be best remembered for his hand in his team’s famous World Cup win in 1992 – he gave his team the vital breakthrough in final, dismissing Graeme Hick, after which Wasim Akram ran in and cleaned up the England lower order to guide Pakistan to a win. An action that brought enormous variations in his skill, Mushtaq's poor run with the ball cost him a berth in the playing side in 2000-01.

Although he was kept away from the national squad, his cricketing abilities went on to bring laurels for Sussex as he became the first bowler to claim 100 wickets in five years in the English County season. This feat, brought Sussex their first ever Championship title. However, like many other stars, Mushtaq participated in the rebel league and put his cricketing career with Pakistan at risk. Irrespective of these playing issues, the little-man will always be appreciated for his variable leg-spin deliveries that foxed the best batsmen in the world. In 2013, he was appointed as a bowling consultant to the IPL franchise, Delhi Daredevils for their sixth season.