Aaqib Javed: The Teenage Star And Historic First

A legend of white ball cricket in Pakistan, Aaqib Javed is one of his country’s most prolific wicket-takers in ODI cricket.

Currently sat eighth on the list – and the fifth-best pace bowler – ahead of legends of the game including Umar Gul, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Abdul Qadir, Javed claimed 182 wickets in 163 ODI matches.

He was instrumental in Pakistan’s World Cup win in 1992 and made his Hampshire debut as a teenager a year earlier.

Early Days

Javed made his debut aged just 12 years old and 76 days – the third-youngest in the history of First Class cricket – when he stepped onto the field for Lahore Division against Faisalabad in 1984.

He opened the bowling, and although he went wicketless in the first innings, he picked up three for 15 in the second. It would be another two-and-a-half years until he would feature again when Lahore picked him to play against Multan, still only 14 years of age.

He became a more regular fixture from 1989, earning a call-up to Pakistan’s tour of Australia and New Zealand; Javed had played just three First Class matches by then.

First steps on the international stage

Javed made his debut in the second Test against New Zealand, and skipper Imran Khan opted to bowl first, a decision that backfired when Martin Crowe made 174 along with 86 from Andrew Jones. Javed went wicketless in 34 overs.

He was more successful in his second match, against Australia, when he dismissed Steve Waugh and Ian Healy in the first innings and Geoff Marsh in the second.

On the same tour, Javed made his List A and subsequently his ODI debuts. Following two warm-up matches against Queensland where he claimed three wickets, Javed took the ball against a star-studded West Indies side and removed Richie Richardson for a single.

He went on to feature in all eight World Series matches against Australia and the West Indies and ended up as Pakistan’s second-leading wicket taker, with only the great Wasim Akram ahead of him.

Three Tests then came against New Zealand, but on home soil this time. He claimed seven wickets as Pakistan emphatically won the series 3-0.

Becoming Hampshire’s first Pakistani player

In the new year, a teenage Javed was part of the Rose and Crown at the old Northlands Road ground, where he claimed 80 wickets in 40 matches.

It was his first and only year in county cricket, which proved to be a successful stint, despite being wicketless on his debut. He claimed three five-wicket hauls in the Championship, including six for 91 against Nottinghamshire, and finished with 53 wickets – the most for the club – as Hampshire finished comfortably mid-table.

Javed’s 27 wickets in List A cricket helped Hampshire to the quarter-finals of the B&H Cup, and lift the National Westminster Bank Trophy at Lord’s, where fellow Pakistan paceman Waqar Younis played for Surrey.

On his return to Pakistan, he picked up a five-for in his first innings and, come the end of the calendar year, Javed would have an ODI hat-trick to his name. Against India, of all teams, during the Wills Sharjah Trophy, Javed had Ravi Shastri, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Sachin Tendulkar all lbw on his way to seven for 37. At just 19 years and 81 days, he became the youngest player ever to take a men’s ODI hat-trick.

World Champion

Following a strong ODI series against Sri Lanka (eight wickets in five matches), Javed found himself on the plane for the 1992 Cricket World Cup. He became one of Pakistan’s standout players of the tournament, taking 11 wickets while conceding only 3.92 runs per over, as Pakistan beat England in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

His best figures, three for 21, came against Australia, dismissing Tom Moody, David Boon, and Ian Healy. Later on, his two for 27 – the wickets of Alec Stewart and Neil Fairbrother – would help Pakistan win their first international trophy.

He was Pakistan’s third-leading wicket-taker behind Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed.

Winding Down

Following his retirement from the game, Javed moved into coaching. He acted as Pakistan’s bowling coach before going on to lead the UAE national team from 2012 to 2016.

From there, he became the bowling consultant for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, which won the PSL in 2022 and 2023 whilst Javed was part of the set-up.

Then came the big call, when he was appointed as the interim head coach of the Pakistan men’s white ball sides after Gary Kirsten resigned in 2024. Under his tenure, Pakistan defeated England 2-1 on home soil in 2024, coming back from a heavy defeat in the first test of the series.

He then became one of Pakistan's men's selectors before becoming the PCB's (Pakistan Cricket Board) Director of High Performance.