A left arm batsman, Aamer Sohail formed one of Pakistan’s best opening pairs along with Saeed Anwar in the 1990s, something which Pakistan have yearned for unsuccessfully in the 2000s. He made his ODI debut in 1990 and played an important part in Pakistan’s triumph at the 1992 World Cup. He was an aggressive player by nature, both with the bat and the mouth. He was known for his famous spat with England all-rounder Ian Botham in the 1992 World Cup, where he told Botham to send his mother-in-law to bat after he got out. This was in response to Botham's jibe that he would send his mother-in-law to Pakistan, suggesting his dislike for the country. At times, his aggression often cost him much, as highlighted by the famous incident at the 1996 World Cup quarter-final against India. Chasing a stiff 287, Sohail got Pakistan off to a blazing start but with the score at 109 for 1, he decided to sledge bowler Venkatesh Prasad at his home-ground, Bangalore. Sohail smashed Prasad for a boundary and pointed his bat at the bowler, only to find his stumps disturbed the very next ball. Pakistan went on to lose the game, and Sohail’s needless aggression was blamed.

Sohail captained Pakistan between 1996 and 98, and became the first captain to lead Pakistan to a Test win over South Africa. However, it was the period when match-fixing rocked Pakistan cricket, and Sohail the whistle-blower paid the price. His career was spoilt, and he played his last international match in 2000. After retiring, Sohail became a selector till 2004, and later joined Broadcasting. He was once again appointed chief selector in February 2014, but was soon removed from the position and was replaced by Moin Khan.

By Karthik Lakshmanan
As of April 2014