2007-10-13

The Potato has been cooked

Inzamam is one of the greatest batsmen that has ever lived. And one of his greatest virtues was that he had so much time for his shots. That was because he always hung back; he didn't lunge at the ball and get forward mentally - like all great batsmen in history.

He was very much an accumulator of runs but, having said that, you didn't know what mode he would come out in to bat. He could switch from defence to attack without any trouble. And he always looked to bat for long time.

Part of his success was that he played himself in - just looked to stay in till he got the pace of the wicket and the bounce. He would try and make sure he was still there when the bowlers were in their third or fourth spells, because that's when he scored the majority of his runs.

My strategy to get him was simple. He was susceptible to the lbw early on, with the ball nipping backwards, as he didn't move his feet that much. And he was too good to get easily riled mentally. Having said that, he could surprise you with his aggression on occasions. I remember in my second Test, at Old Trafford, I hit him on the head and the next ball he tried to hit me out of the ground. Thankfully he didn't connect properly.
- Matthew Hoggard


Potato?

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