Born on 1 December 1980, Rao Iftikhar Anjum remained an integral part of the Pakistan bowling line-up for many a seasons, but failed to make a permanent place for himself in the line-up. Resembling Aaquib Javed in action, Anjum’s strength was his ability to get prodigious swing away from the batsmen.
Despite a glittering FC record, Anjum was strangely bench-marked as an ODI player and managed only one Test, against Sri Lanka in Kandy in 2006.
Anjum’s ODI career was longer though, although he was never guaranteed a permanent place on the team. An honest trier, Anjum made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in Multan, 2004. Anjum is a good exponent of the reverse swing, an art that is a traditional strength of the Pakistani bowlers and has a mean yorker as well.
His best analysis came against Sri Lanka in August 2009, registering career best figures of 5/30. Ironically he played his last match for Pakistan, an ODI against Australia in Perth just two matches later.