Saeed Anwar (born 6 September 1968) is a Pakistani former cricketer who captained the Pakistan national team in both Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket. A left-handed opening batsman and occasional slow left-arm orthodox bowler, he played international cricket between 1989 and 2003 and is widely regarded as one of the finest opening batsmen produced by Pakistan, as well as one of the most elegant batsmen of his era.
| Full name | Saeed Anwar |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 September 1968 |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Role | Opening batsman; occasional slow left-arm orthodox bowler |
| Batting style | Left-handed |
| International career | 1989–2003 |
| Tests played | 55 |
| Test runs | 4,052 (avg. 45.52, 11 centuries) |
| ODIs played | 247 |
| ODI runs | 8,824 (avg. 39.21, 20 centuries) |
| Captaincy | 7 Tests, 11 ODIs |
| World Cups | Three (1996, 1999, 2003) |
Anwar emerged on the international scene in the late 1980s and developed a reputation for stylish stroke-play, with admirers pointing to his timing, elegance and placement of shots. He has often been grouped with contemporaries such as Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn and Sourav Ganguly as among the most stylish batsmen of the 1990s.
Anwar made his Test debut against the West Indies in 1990, where he was dismissed for a pair. He announced his class soon after, scoring 169 in his third Test, played against New Zealand in February 1994.
Anwar became one of the most prolific ODI openers of the 1990s. He has scored twenty ODI centuries, the most by any Pakistani batsman in the format. Seven of those centuries came at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, including three consecutive hundreds during the 1993–94 season. On three separate occasions in his career, he scored centuries in two successive innings.
His most celebrated innings came against India at Chennai in 1997, when he scored 194, then the highest individual score in ODI cricket. The innings included three consecutive sixes off the leg-spinner Anil Kumble.
In the 1998–99 season, Anwar became the third Pakistani batsman to carry his bat through a completed Test innings, registering his highest Test score of 188 not out.
Anwar represented Pakistan at three Cricket World Cups, in 1996, 1999 and 2003, and was the highest run-scorer for Pakistan in each of those tournaments. He was a member of the Pakistan side that finished as runners-up at the 1999 Cricket World Cup. As captain, he led Pakistan in seven Tests and eleven ODIs.
Anwar announced his retirement from international cricket in August 2003.
Anwar is generally counted among the greatest opening batsmen Pakistan has produced. His record of twenty ODI centuries, his command at Sharjah, and his record-breaking 194 against India remain reference points in Pakistani limited-overs history. His batting style is widely regarded as a benchmark for elegant left-handed stroke-play in the 1990s.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average | Centuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 55 | 4,052 | 45.52 | 11 |
| ODIs | 247 | 8,824 | 39.21 | 20 |
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