Legends Month: The best of Javed Miandad

"Imran had always been reluctant to hand it to me as a batsman. But after that tour he did."

Javed Miandad's reflections on Pakistan's 1988 series against the West Indies underline both the brilliance and volatility of his country's cricket team during the 1980s and 90s.

Coming almost 13 years and more than 10,000 runs after his international debut, Miandad's performance on that tour is regarded as one of his greatest achievements, not least because it finally silenced critics who said he couldn't perform away from the comforts of home.

Critics that included his own captain and long-time teammate, the legendary Imran Khan.

Two of Pakistan's greatest-ever players shared a love-hate relationship during their two decades playing together, which eased on that 1988 tour as only two wickets – and some questionable umpiring – came between Pakistan and the rarest of achievements; a series win against the mighty Windies.

Pakistan's impressive showing in a three-match series that ended 1-1 was built on the performances of Miandad and Imran, the latter having come out of retirement to reclaim the captaincy at the age of 35 after a plea from the country's president.

And who had started the tour by overseeing a 0-5 ODI series drubbing that, just seven days later, was all but forgotten when the tourists recorded a stunning nine-wicket victory in the first Test thanks to Imran's 11 wickets and Miandad's first-innings century.

While the Windies were without star quick Malcolm Marshall in that match, they still fielded an imposing pace attack of Courtney Walsh, debutant Curtly Ambrose, Patrick Patterson and Winston Benjamin that was expected to make light work of a Pakistan side that had won just two of 10 Tests in the Caribbean.

But the young tyros got carried away in their attempt to intimidate the tourists and conceded 38 no-balls in Pakistan's first innings as extras (71) finished as the second-highest scorer behind Miandad's 114.

"I taunted the bowlers," Miandad later recalled, having helped inflict the Windies' first home defeat in a decade. "I pointed my chest to Ambrose, 'Try and hit me and I'll show you', I told him."

Chastened by a shock defeat, the proud Windies responded as champions do; having conceded a 20-run lead on the first innings in the second Test, the hosts slumped to 4-88 before centuries from Viv Richards and Jeffrey Dujon helped set the tourists 372 to win the series.

After Imran had taken nine wickets with the ball, it was again Miandad's turn to shine with the bat. He defied a potent attack (including Marshall) for almost four-and-a-half hours in compiling an obdurate 102, the only batsman to pass 50 in an innings that spanned 129 overs.

He fell with 84 runs required to win from 20 overs in a thrilling chase that ended with the tourists 31 runs short of their target and with just a single wicket remaining, handing them a tense draw and a 1-0 lead heading into the series decider.

It was an equally nail-biting finish in the final Test; the tourists earned a slender three-run lead on the first innings before an unbeaten 43 from their skipper helped set the home side 266 runs to win the match and avoid their first series defeat in 15 years.

A target they reached with just two wickets remaining thanks to an unlikely 61-run stand from Dujon and No.10 Benjamin, as well as what both teams conceded was some questionable umpiring from the home officials.

"We would have wrapped up the game but a couple of crucial umpiring decisions robbed us of victory," Miandad recalls.

Imran finished the series with 23 wickets at 18 while Miandad led all batsmen with 282 runs at 56 in a series regarded as one of the best in the game's history. 

"It probably represents some of the best cricket that's ever been played anywhere," Miandad later wrote.

And for Miandad, it helped silence the doubters, both internally and from within his own dressing-room. 

"After that series I finally came to terms with my insecurities about scoring overseas," he wrote.

"The comments from my detractors ceased."