Inzamam wishes 100th Test match to be victorious event
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

BANGALORE (India): Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq wants to celebrate his 100th Test match in Bangalore with a fighting performance and comeback from his team in the third Test against India.

"I never thought that I would be able to continue playing for such a long time when I started out for Pakistan almost 15 years ago. It is a great feeling knowing you have lasted out for so long at this level," he said of his 100th Test match appearance.

"What is satisfying is that I have survived for so long knowing that many of many colleagues who started out with me in international cricket have now faded away or retired. It is a big honour to have played 100 Tests for your country," the 35-year-old said here on Tuesday.

He said that he wanted to make his 100th Test a memorable one for himself and his team and would like to see his team coming back from the Eden Gardens defeat to square the series in Bangalore.

"It is not impossible really. We have some very fine and quality players and I think we showed in Kolkata we could beat this Indian side. Unfortunately we didn’t seize upon the opportunities we got in that match," he added.

The veteran batsman has scored 7,238 runs in 99 Tests and another 10,631 runs in 336 One-day Internationals, only the second batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to cross 10,000 ODI runs.

Inzamam who has been captain now since November 2003 said he had never harboured any ambitions of being captain but once the responsibility was thrust upon him he was trying his best to do justice with the job. You can’t ask for more nearing 100 Tests and captaining your side. But still I have some ambitions left in life and one of them is to also complete 10,000 runs in Test cricket. However how long I can continue playing would be dictated to by my fitness and form naturally," he stated. But he made it clear he was targeting the 2007 World Cup as one of his last major tournaments.

Asked about the memorable experiences of his illustrious international career, Inzamam said he had had the honour of playing alongside two of the finest fast bowlers in Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and two very fine captains in Imran Khan and Wasim.

"I think they supported me a lot in my early and formative years when it took me some three years to establish myself in the team. I learnt a lot from them about how to survive and remain consistent at this level."

Asked about his most memorable Test innings, Inzamam said it was still to come. "If I can come up with a hundred in this Test and see my team win, it would be the perfect 100th Test match for me."

Inzamam’s wife has joined him for the third Test with their two children but the Pakistan board has made it clear to the players their wives have to return home before the start of the one-day series on April 2.

Presently, the wives of Inzamam, Abdul Razzaq, Yousuf Youhana and Shahid Afridi are with them in Bangalore.

The Pakistan team has placed an order for a special crystal to be presented to Inzamam for his 100th Test while the Pakistan and Indian boards and the Karnataka Cricket Association are planning similar gifts for him.

Inzamam will become the fourth Pakistani after Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Saleem Malik to have played in 100 Tests for his country.●