Mohammad Mujtaba

A retired Pakistani player, Mohammad Asif Mujtaba played for his national side for 66 one-day international matches and 25 test matches. Staring in his debut match in 1986, Mujtaba was a left-handed batsman and a slow paced left armed orthodox bowler. 19 years old Mujtaba was given a rare chance at his debut by his selectors which he failed to live up to and had to endure oblivion for 5 years.

Having being rejected from the national side, Mujtaba practiced on domestic front and was recalled to the squad in 1992 for a tour to England. He started early by scoring half centuries in quite a few test matches but his inability to convert them into centuries again led to a disappointing spell of his career. As a result, Mujtaba was unable to gain a permanent spot in the team.

Later on, with the emergence of powerful middle-order players like Injamam-Ul-Haq led to a strong decline of his career. He played his last test match in 1997 against Sri Lanka. Mujtaba played in 25 tests scoring 928 runs at an average of 24.42 with a top score of 65. His bowling averages for tests remains at 75.75 with a best figure of 1 wicket for no run. In one-days, he has scored 1,068 runs from 66 matches with an average of 26.04. His top score at a one-day international match remains at an unbeaten 113. Mujtaba took 7 wickets for an average of 94 from one-days with best figures at 2 wickets for 38 runs.

Mujhtba had a not-so-fortunate start of his ODI career with 2 consecutive ducks against the West Indies. He also led his national squad in 1987 when he successfully led his team to a win against Zimbabwe. He was also a very successful captain of his domestic team, PIA.