Rashid Latif
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Pakistan (Pak) |
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| Batting style | Right-handed batsman (RHB) | |
| Bowling type | Legbreak | |
| Tests | ODIs | |
| Matches | 37 | 166 |
| Runs scored | 1381 | 1709 |
| Batting average | 28.77 | 19.42 |
| 100s/50s | 1/7 | 0/3 |
| Top score | 150 | 79 |
| Overs bowled | 2 | 0 |
| Wickets | 0 | 0 |
| Bowling average | - | - |
| 5 wickets in innings | 0 | 0 |
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | N/A |
| Best bowling | - | - |
| Catches/stumpings | 119/11 | 182/38 |
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As of December 28, 2005 |
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Rashid Latif (Urdu: راشد لطیف) (born October 14, 1968 in Karachi) is a Pakistani cricketer. He started playing for the Pakistani national team in 1992 after the World Cup. He impressed the selectors by hitting a fine 50 in his Test debut. This however didn't cement his place in the national squad as he was and still is in competition with another Pakistani cricketer named Moin Khan. This led to Latif's constant roller coaster ride which saw him getting in and out of the squad constantly. In 1996, he announced retirement after differences with some team players and the team management. He came back shortly and became the captain of Pakistani cricket team in 1998. Soon however, again due to differences, he was dropped from the team and replaced by his rival Moin Khan.
Latif remained out of the national squad until 2001 when after a string of poor performances, the Pakistani team replaced Moin Khan (who was the captain) with Rashid Latif. After coming back into the squad, he somewhat cemented his place in the squad by keeping the wicket and giving a string of good batting performances. The highlight of his career came when after the 2003 Cricket World Cup, he was announced the captain of the Pakistani team. Under him, Pakistan successfully experimented with several new players and the team gave positive results. He can also be credited with uniting the players due to his good captaincy skills both on and off the field. However, differences between Latif and the team management again surfaced in 2003-2004 which saw him lose his title as a captain to Inzamam-ul-Haq. He, upon finishing the series with Bangladesh (in which he lost the title) axed himself from the squad and since has been out of the team despite his attempts to get back into squad during 2003-2005.
One must note that Rashid Latif has a huge fan following in his hometown (Karachi) where he is often regarded as a modern day Pakistani hero. He is credited by trying to bring the match fixers and dishonest players worldwide to justice. People often say that it was his role as a whistle blower which caused his career to be chequered. He currently manages a well established cricket academy in Karachi, Pakistan by the name of Rashid Latif Cricket Academy (RLCA). The academy has already produced players who are in the national squad.
NOTE: As of April 2006, it appears that Rashid Latif have retired from first class cricket as he toured with Pakistani senior players to play against Indian senior players in April of 2006. This series is played between players who have retired from the sport. Also, according to statistics available on cricinfo's website, it can be seen that Rashid Latif has not participated in first class cricket since 2005. But he played for Lashings World 11 team based in England during 2006.
Trivia:
- Studied at NED University in Karachi (batch of 1987) majoring in Civil Engineering.
- Runs a cricket academy in Karachi, Pakistan called RLCA (Rashid Latif Cricket Academy) which has produced many cricketers who have played for Pakistan.
- Is married and has a son and a daughter.
- Has a half brother living in India who is a fan of Indian team. Rashid Latif met his brother during a game against India and notes that his brother was supporting India.
- Is a very good friend of Moin Khan.
