Abdul Razzaq (Cricketer) Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Abdul Razzaq

• Abdul Razzaq is a former Pakistani cricketer and coach. He came to the limelight in 2023 for his controversial remark on Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan during an event.

• In 1996, he made his One Day International debut against Zimbabwe just one month before his seventeenth birthday.

• He gained recognition during the 1999–2000 Carlton and United Series, earning the title of the man of the series for his outstanding all-round performance.
  

  Abdul Razzaq fielding during the 1999–2000 Carlton and United Series

• In a game in Hobart against India, Abdul had achieved both a half-century in batting and took five wickets.

• Abdul also showcased his bowling skills during the Coca-Cola Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in October 1999. Pakistan scored 196 runs, and Abdul remained not out with a score of 7. However, he showcased his all-round abilities by taking his first five-wicket haul. He dismissed Romesh Kaluwitharana, Mahela Jayawardene, Suresh Perera, Chaminda Vaas, and Chamara Silva, finishing with match figures of 5/31. This led to a tied match as Sri Lanka, despite reaching 157/2 at one point, were also bowled out for 196.

• After the tournament, Wasim Akram, the ex-captain, commended Abdul’s bowling skills, stating that he was becoming one of the finest all-rounders globally.

• Abdul’s remarkable nine-ball spell, where he took four wickets without giving any runs, turned a victory for Sri Lanka into a tie. As a result of his outstanding performance, he was named the man of the match.

• Abdul became a consistent part of the national team during the 1999 World Cup in England. In the tournament, he caught the selectors’ eye with his impressive performances in both bowling and batting. His amazing batting was seen in the group match against Australia. He achieved his first half-century, scoring 60 runs in a strong partnership with Inzamam-ul-Haq. This contribution played a crucial role in helping Pakistan set a target of 275 runs. Pakistan won the game by a margin of ten runs, qualifying for the Super Six stage. He delivered an outstanding bowling performance against the West Indies national cricket team. Abdul took three wickets for 32 runs and bowled three maiden overs for Pakistan at Bristol.
  

  Abdul Razzaq during the 1999 World Cup

• Abdul also showcased his skills during the Carlton & United Series in Australia, which was a tri-nation tournament featuring Pakistan, Australia, and India in 2000. He earned the man of the series title for his exceptional all-around displays in a pre-final game against India. In that match, he scored 70 runs and took 5 wickets for 48 runs. This achievement made him the fifth all-rounder in ODIs to achieve both a half-century and five wickets in a single match. The other four players accomplishing this feat were Vivian Richards, Kris Srikkanth, Mark Waugh, and Lance Klusener. Shahid Afridi later accomplished the feat three times for Pakistan.

• In the opening match of the series against Australia, he claimed 4 wickets and played a crucial role for Pakistan, helping them successfully defend the target of 184 runs in Brisbane.

• In the third match of the series, he gained attention by hitting five consecutive boundaries in the fifth over bowled by Australian pacer Glenn McGrath. Pakistan lost in the finals against Australia, but Abdul was awarded the Player of the series for his outstanding all-around performance.

• In 2000, he became the youngest cricketer globally to achieve a hat-trick in Test cricket during a match against Sri Lanka.

• He has scored three centuries and twenty-two fifties in One Day International matches.

• He achieved his highest score of 112 runs against South Africa in 2002, partnering with Pakistani batsman Saleem Elahi for a total partnership of 257 runs.

• He scored his second century by making an unbeaten 107 runs in a match against Zimbabwe in 2004. He reached his first fifty in 90 deliveries but then picked up the pace in the second half, scoring the next fifty runs in just 21 balls.
  

  Abdul Razzaq (left) after making his century against Zimbabwe

• In 2003–2004, he made 89 runs from 40 balls against New Zealand. The opposing captain, Stephen Fleming, referred to him as the “best hitter” in the world.

• In January 2005, he played for the ACC Asian XI against the ICC World XI in the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal charity match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

• As a fast bowler, he faced a gradual decrease in both speed and performance in the 2003 Cricket World Cup and 2004. In the match, he missed Tendulkar’s catch, who went on to score a match-winning 98 (75). During this time, he was a supporting bowler.

• From 2005 to 2006, he recovered his pace and played a significant role in winning numerous matches for Pakistan with his bowling.

• His top performance in a One Day International match is taking 6 wickets for 35 runs.

• Another remarkable display was against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 1999, where Pakistan scored 196 runs, and he took 5 wickets for 31 runs, resulting in a draw.

• In the Test match series against India in 2005–2006, he achieved 9 wickets and scored 205 runs in the two matches.
  

  Abdul Razzaq celebrating after taking MS Dhoni’s wicket in Test match series against India

• From 2000 to 2006, his batting stayed steady, even though his spot on the Test team was never guaranteed.

• In 2005, it came to light that he was experiencing nausea and sickness while playing due to excessive consumption of spinach. As a result, his teammates started calling him ‘Popeye.’

• In 2007, in the Cricket World Cup, he struggled both with the bat and ball including an injury that ruled him out of the tournament. This also resulted in his exclusion from the 2007 World Twenty20. This decision faced widespread criticism from the cricket community.

• On 20 August 2007, he declared his retirement in response to being left out of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 squad.

• On 27 October 2007, he reversed his decision after a discussion with his local cricket club and coach, stating, “Maybe I made that (decision to retire) in the heat of the moment.” In an interview, he talked about his retirement decision and said,
  

  By my making an announcement saying that I’ve retired, it doesn’t mean that it’s a permanent thing.”

• He joined the Indian Cricket League and featured as one of the key players for the Hyderabad Heroes. He ended his association with the league in September 2008 and made a comeback to international cricket in June 2009, contributing to Pakistan’s victory in the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup.
  

  Abdul Razzaq (right) after making half-century for Hyderabad Heroes

• In 2009, he was chosen for Pakistan’s team in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England, stepping in for the injured fast bowler Yasir Arafat. This marked his comeback to international cricket and made him the first Indian Cricket League player whose ban was lifted by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

• He played a crucial role in Pakistan’s triumph in the tournament, securing 5 wickets with an average of 14.80 and an economy rate of 5.92. His performance of taking 3 wickets for 20 runs played a crucial role in Pakistan’s win against Sri Lanka in the final. As a consequence, he, along with another former Indian Cricket League player Mohammad Yousuf, received ‘A’ category mid-term central contracts from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
  

  Abdul Razzaq celebrating the wicket of Upul Tharanga

• During the 2009–2010 season, he was unable to participate in the tours of New Zealand and Australia due to an injury. However, he got chosen for the two-match Twenty20 International series against England in February 2010. His unbeaten 46-run innings from 18 deliveries in the second match of the series secured a victory for Pakistan, their first in eleven international matches.
  

  Abdul Razzaq during Twenty20 International series against England

• On 30 December 2010, while participating in a game for the Melbourne Renegades, former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh characterized Abdul Razzaq as a “cardboard cutout” due to his apparent lack of interest during the match.

• Upon his return to One Day Internationals in 2010, he played a valuable short innings for Pakistan, scoring 23 runs off 20 deliveries and contributing to a total score of 287. New Zealand required 288 for victory, and Abdul secured crucial wickets by dismissing Scott Styris and Jacob Oram, ensuring Pakistan’s comprehensive 141-run victory over New Zealand.

• In the second One Day International, he dismissed Martin Guptill (62) and Daniel Vettori (30). Despite this, New Zealand ended the innings at 303/8. Pakistan’s innings fell apart, reaching a total of 239 all out, and Abdul contributed 35 runs to the score. With the series tied at 1-1, Pakistan entered the third One Day International and dismissed New Zealand for 211.

• However, Pakistan faced a setback in the top order, with a collapse at 79/7 as Younis Khan, Salman Butt, Khalid Latif, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, and Shahid Afridi were dismissed. Later, he entered the game but got out without scoring as he was run out by Vettori.
  

  Abdul Razzaq during ODI against New Zealand

• Abdul suffered a hand injury right before the first ODI against Australia, causing him to miss the entire five-match series and the lone Twenty20 match. He got hit on the hand during batting practice sessions.

• Abdul stepped into the role of a senior player in the Pakistan cricket team, especially with other players facing selection issues. He played in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 and hit five sixes. However, Pakistan exited the tournament after a loss to Australia in the semi-final.

• Razzaq continued to contribute to the 2010 Asia Cup.

• In July 2010, he participated in two T20Is against Australia, where Pakistan emerged victorious in both matches. He did not make it to the Test series against Australia and England. Later, in September 2010, he returned to play in the Twenty20 and ODI series against England.

• Abdul did not play the initial two ODIs against England due to a back strain, resulting in Pakistan’s losses in both matches. He made a comeback in the third ODI, contributing 31 runs in a partnership with Shahid Afridi. Unfortunately, Afridi got run out, and soon after, Abdul was caught in the deep square leg as Pakistan were dismissed for 241. He took two wickets, securing a 23-run victory for Pakistan.

• His performances in the lower order were beneficial for his domestic team, the Lahore Lions. He contributed 138 runs in four innings, showcasing a remarkable unbeaten 73 in the final, leading his team to victory in the 2010-11 Faysal Bank Twenty-20 Cup.

• On 31 October 2010, during the second One Day International against South Africa, he scored an unbeaten 109* off 72 balls with a strike rate of 151.38. This remarkable innings, featuring seven fours and ten sixes, led Pakistan to a one-wicket victory with one ball remaining, levelling the 5-match series 1–1.
  

  Abdul Razzaq (left) with his teammate after winning One Day International against South Africa

• He faced difficulties with the bat in the initial two Twenty20 matches against New Zealand. However, he displayed a commendable performance with the ball by dismissing Jesse Ryder for a golden duck in the second Twenty20.

• In the third match, he scored 34 runs off just 11 balls, featuring 3 fours and 3 sixes. His contribution helped Pakistan reach a total of 184.

• He bowled amazingly, dismissing the series’ top run-scorer, Martin Guptill, for a duck. He also claimed two more crucial top-order wickets, dismissing Ross Taylor leg-before and clean-bowling James Franklin.
  

  Abdul Razzaq after taking Ross Taylor’s wicket

• He earned the Player of the Match award for his outstanding all-round performance, contributing to Pakistan’s 103-run victory.

• He made it to the 15-member squad representing Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup held in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka from February to April.
  

  Abdul Razzaq during 2011 World Cup

• He did the opening bowling and batting in the lower order. In his initial two matches, he only balled 10 balls. He managed to score 20 runs from 24 balls against Australia, leading Pakistan to victory and putting an end to Australia’s 34-match unbeaten streak in World Cups.

• During the 2007-2998 Indian Cricket League, his international career was in doubt, given that the Pakistan Cricket Board had imposed a ban on players who took part in the unofficial league. After participating in two seasons, he left the Indian Cricket League with the hope that the Pakistan Cricket Board would lift the ban on Indian Cricket League players. He expressed a desire to play for the Pakistan national team again.

• He has experience playing for Middlesex, Worcestershire, and Surrey in English county-level cricket.
  

  Abdul Razzaq playing for Surrey

• He signed a short-term contract with Surrey in June 2008 to participate in the Twenty20 Cup.

• He contributed to Surrey’s victory over Sussex, scoring 39 runs from 19 balls. Despite his brief stint at The Oval, Abdul became a beloved player among Surrey supporters.

• In March 2010, he joined Hampshire County Cricket Club as one of their four overseas players for the English domestic Twenty20 competition. He played a crucial role in their win against Somerset on finals day at Hampshire’s home ground, the Rose Bowl.

• He joined Leicestershire County Cricket Club as their second overseas player for the English domestic Friends Life t20.

• In the 2011 Friends Life t20, he again played for Leicestershire against Somerset on finals day.

• He participated in both of Leicestershire’s matches in the Champions League T20s but could not pass the qualification stage.

• He joined the Staffordshire club Hem Heath for the 2014 season.

• In 2018, a social media post claimed that Abdul died in a car accident. Later, he took to Twitter to reveal that he was alive and said,
  

  Today on Facebook somebody gave incorrect news that Abdul Razzaq has died in a road accident. It is regrettable, people should not do such things. Such news should not be posted on the social media. Al Hamdulillah, I am absolutely fine.”

• In domestic cricket, Abdul took on the role of head coach for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Under his leadership, the team achieved victory in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, National T20 Cup, and Pakistan Cup during the 2020–21 season. Later, he assumed the position of head coach for Central Punjab for the 2021-22 domestic season.
  

  Abdul Razzaq coaching players

• He took on the role of interim head coach for the Pakistan national team, alongside Saqlain Mushtaq, on 6 September 2021. This appointment was made by PCB for the New Zealand tour of Pakistan in 2021, following the resignation of Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis as coaches. However, the series was later called off.

• In September 2022, Abdul became the head coach of the Hyderabad Hunters team for the first season of the Pakistan Junior League.

• According to him, when he debuted in 1996 players received Rs. 10,000 per match.

• In an interview, Razzaq said that he had many sponsors and advertisements during his playing career, providing him with extra income.

• He has played 265 ODIs and 46 Tests.

• When he was 38 years old, he declared his return to playing first-class cricket at the domestic level. This decision came after he had brief roles as a coach for some domestic teams in Pakistan following his international retirement in 2013.