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ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has inducted former cricket greats Inzamam-ul-Haq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Mohammad and Saeed Anwar in its Hall of Fame, who join the likes of Abdul Qadir, AH Kardar, Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Zaheer Abbas in the illustrious group.
Inzamam played international cricket from 1991 to 2007 and was a member of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning team, while Misbah, who represented Pakistan from 2001 to 2017, was part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009 winning squad and guided the team to the No.1 spot in the ICC Test Team Rankings in 2016.
Mushtaq played for Pakistan from 1959 to 1979 and captained the team to its first-ever Test win in Australia in 1977, featured in inaugural ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 1975 in England before coaching the Pakistan side to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 1999 final – also in England. Saeed Anwar represented Pakistan from 1989 to 2003, amassing a total of 31 centuries and 68 half-centuries, including three centuries and three half-centuries across the 1996, 1999 and 2003 World Cups.
The four icons of the game were inducted following a voting process, which was participated in by Akram, Zaheer, former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali, former Pakistani women cricketers Bismah Maroof and Nain Abidi, and journalists Majid Bhatti, Mohi Shah, Mohammad Yaqoob, Nauman Niaz, Sawera Pasha and Zahid Maqsood.
“On behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board, I extend heartfelt congratulations to these four cricketing legends on their well-deserved inductions into the PCB Hall of Fame,” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement.
“This honor represents a tribute to their outstanding contributions to Pakistan cricket and to the global game.”
The four stalwarts will be formally inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame during the course of the year when they will be presented with commemorative caps and specially-designed plaques, according to the PCB.
Inzamam said he was “deeply honored” to be inducted into the PCB Hall of Fame.
“My journey as a professional cricketer, representing Pakistan on the world stage for nearly 16 years,” he said in comments shared by the PCB.
“I owe immense gratitude to my fellow cricketers, dedicated support staff and my family, without whom this journey would not have been possible. Representing Pakistan during an era with such high-caliber players was a privilege and their influence played a vital role in my growth and development as a batter.”
In his statement, Misbah said that representing Pakistan was an “absolute privilege” and this recognition by the Pakistan Cricket Board served as the “perfect crowning achievement” of his journey.
“Being acknowledged by your parent organization, alongside the appreciation of cricketing experts and fellow players is both gratifying and fulfilling,” he said.
“It is a testament to the dedication, relentless effort and sacrifices that went into meeting the highest standards of international cricket and translating those preparations into memorable performances.”
Mushtaq said that to be honored and recognized 45 years after playing his last match for Pakistan was “truly humbling” for him.
“Being part of the Pakistan cricket team during its formative years was both exciting and rewarding,” he said. “I feel privileged to have played alongside and against some of the most outstanding cricketers and thorough gentlemen, who played hard while always upholding the true spirit of the game.”
Anwar, who struck three successive ODI centuries in Sharjah and scored 194 against India in Chennai to break Viv Richards’ long-standing record for the highest individual score in ODIs, said he was “deeply grateful” to the panel for inducting him into the PCB Hall of Fame.
“My journey had its challenges, but it was a privilege to face them head-on. Each match I played for Pakistan holds a special place in my heart, though missing out on the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992 remains a regret,” he said.
“This journey, filled with triumphs and lessons, wouldn’t have been complete without the overwhelming support of our fans and the camaraderie of my teammates.”

ABDULLAH GOTH: Aneesa Haroon drops off her tattered school bag at her rural home in Pakistan and hurriedly grabs lunch before joining her father in the fields to pick vegetables.
The 11-year-old’s entry into school at the age of seven was a negotiation between teachers and her parents in her farming village on the outskirts of Karachi.
“Initially, many parents were not in favor of educating their children,” headteacher Rukhsar Amna told AFP.
“Some children were working in the fields, and their income was considered more valuable than education.”
Pakistan is facing a severe education crisis, with more than 26 million children out of school, the majority in rural areas, according to official government figures — one of the highest rates in the world.
This weekend, Pakistan will host a two-day international summit to advocate for girls’ education in Muslim countries, attended by Nobel Peace laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai.
In Pakistan, poverty is the biggest factor keeping children out of classrooms, but the problem is worsened by inadequate infrastructure and underqualified teachers, cultural barriers and the impacts of climate change-fueled extreme weather.
In the village of Abdullah Goth on the outskirts of Karachi, the non-profit Roshan Pakistan Foundation school is the first in decades to cater to the population of over 2,500 people.
“There was no school here for generations. This is the first time parents, the community and children have realized the importance of a school,” said Humaira Bachal, a 36-year-old education advocate from the public and privately funded foundation.

Still, the presence of a school was just the first hurdle, she added.
Families only agreed to send their children in exchange for food rations, to compensate for the loss of household income that the children contributed.
In Abdullah Goth, most children attend school in the morning, leaving them free to work in the afternoon.
“Their regular support is essential for us,” said Aneesa’s father, Haroon Baloch, as he watched his daughter and niece pick okra to sell at the market.
“People in our village keep goats, and the children help graze them while we are at work. After finishing grazing, they also assist us with labor tasks.”

Education in Pakistan is also increasingly impacted by climate change.
Frequent school closures are announced due to heavy smog, heatwaves and floods, and government schools are rarely equipped with heating or fans.
In the restive provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, education faces significant setbacks due to ongoing militancy, while classes are routinely disrupted in the capital Islamabad due to political chaos.
Although the percentage of out-of-school children aged between five and 16 dropped from 44 percent in 2016 to 36 percent in 2023, according to census data, the absolute number rises each year as the population grows.
Girls all across the country are less likely to go to school, but in the poorest province of Balochistan, half of girls are out of school, according to the Pak Alliance for Maths and Science, which analyzed government data.
Cash-strapped Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared an “education emergency” last year, and said he would increase the education budget from 1.7 percent of GDP to 4 percent over the next five years.
Public schools funded by the government offer free education but struggle with limited resources and overcrowding, creating a huge market for private schools whose costs can start from a few dollars a month.
In a parallel system, thousands of madrassas provide Islamic education to children from the poorest families, as well as free meals and housing, but often fail to prepare students for the modern world.

“In a way, we are experiencing an education apartheid,” said Adil Najam, an international relations professor at Boston University who has researched Pakistan’s education system.
“We have at least 10 different systems, and you can buy whatever quality of education you want, from absolutely abysmal to absolutely world-class.
“The private non-profit schools can prime the pump by putting (out) a good idea, but we are a country of a quarter billion, so these schools can’t change the system.”
Even young student Aneesa, who has set her mind on becoming a doctor after health professionals visited her school, recognizes the divide with city kids.
“They don’t work in field labor like we do.”

In the small market of Abdullah Goth, dozens of children can be seen ducking in and out of street-side cafes serving truck drivers or stacking fruit in market stalls.
Ten-year-old Kamran Imran supports his father in raising his three younger siblings by working at a motorcycle workshop in the afternoons, earning 250 rupees ($0.90) a day.
Muhammad Hanif, the 24-year-old owner of the workshop, does not support the idea of education and has not sent his own children to school.
“What’s the point of studying if after 10 to 12 years, we still end up struggling for basic needs, wasting time and finding no way out?” he told AFP.
Najam, the professor, said that low-quality education was contributing to the rise in out-of-school children.
Parents, realizing their children cannot compete for jobs with those who attended better schools, instead prefer to teach them labor skills.
“As big a crisis as children being out of school is the quality of the education in schools,” said Najam.