Bipin Dani
The highest wicket-taker in Sri Lanka’s first innings in the ongoing 2nd Test at the SSC ground on Monday was Abrar Ahmed, who has been bowling with glasses. He, however, is not the only in Pakistan camp wearing spectacles.
“Imam (Imam-ul-Haq) is also playing with the spectacles”, the spokesperson of the touring team says.
“Both have been playing with spectacles for a while now so it is not a bother for them”, he further added.
Unlike Abrar, Imam, the nephew of former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, however is not a bowler but the top order batter.
There have been a few cricketers who played the game with spectacles.
The notable among the list is Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas.
The former middle-order batter and an off-break bowler used to play the game with glasses.
Speaking exclusively over the telephone from London, where he celebrated his 76th birthday on Monday, Zaheer Abbas says, “playing the game with glasses is rather more difficult for bowlers than the batters. All bowlers, and the fast bowlers in particular will find it difficult to bowl with glasses and if the condition is hot or wet or greezy, it becomes more difficult”.
The 76-year-old Abbas played 78 Tests, 62 ODIs and 459 First Class matches.
Abrar, however, is a spinner and does not have a long-run up.
Some of the cricketers have switched to contact lenses later in the span of their careers.
