Born into a cricketing family, Javed Burki was one of the giants in Pakistan cricket during his time. He was a fantastic batsman in domestic cricket and although he didn't have a very long Test career but impressed during the brief period that he played. Burki had three Test tons, all against England, a side whom he fancied a lot. However, watching Burki bat wasn't a pleasing viewing experience, as he lacked the repertoire of strokes to thrill the crowds. His game was built around patience and determination. Burki's couzins, Imran Khan and Majid Khan were reputed Pakistani Test cricketers admired him a lot with Imran in particular having often spoken of him as his childhood hero. As is the case with batsmen of Burki's style, an extended poor run of form often hastens the end of careers and that's exactly how it panned out in the latter half. After retirement, he became a match referee. He also involved actively in Pakistan politics.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan