By Asif Tanvir
One of the most wonderful aspects of loving and watching cricket in the 1980s was to witness probably the greatest inter personal sporting rivalry on the field of sport and this came on the form of all rounder’s Imran khan of Pakistan, Kapil Dev of India, Sir Richard Hadlee of New Zealand and Sir Ian Botham of England.
When these Goliaths of cricket played against each other, in test matches or one day internationals one was mesmerised by their sheer talent and fierce rivalry, actually come to think of it, there were two competitions going on within each and every game they competed in, one by the teams playing against each other and the other by the all rounders personally competing against each other, it truly was the clash of the titans with no love lost as they fired bouncers and hooked each other out of the grounds game after game. Imran and Kapil were the respected captains of their countries when they both won the World Cups of 1992 and 1983 respectively and it was against England that Imran’s tigers against all odds lifted the World Cup in Australia in 1992 with no other than his arch rival Ian Botham looking on as Imran held the cup and beautifully said farewell to his wonderful twenty one year international career, he left cricket at top of his game with respect and honour that few are blessed with. The ever graceful Kapil Dev lifted the trophy at Lords for India in 1983, bringing an end to world champions the mighty West Indies, winning the world cup in 1975 and 1979 again at Lords.
Without going into the statistics for each player, all four were different in their approach to the game at the highest level, Ian Botham portrayed the typical British bulldog, brute and ruthless, Kapil Dev, hugely talented with consistency bar none, Richard Hadlee the epitome of grace and discipline and Imran Khan, talented not only on the field of play but very much in demand off it too, never before had a cricketer of Imran’s persona been in demand at A list celebrity functions world over, with a string of beautiful models and royalty at his beck and call.
I don’t think cricket will ever produce a quartet of genuine all rounders in one era of the game ever again, currently on statistics alone South Africa’s Jacque Kallis is probably the best all rounder the game has ever produced but after the awesome West Indian Sir Garfield Sobers, Imran Khan has to be the greatest all rounder and captain the game has ever produced, a man with immense knowledge and understanding of the game and carrying it out as a world champion with charisma and class like no other.
Kapil Dev and Imran Khan, world champion captains.
