Top 5 Number 5s in Tests for Pakistan

They may be known as the nation of mystical fast bowlers giving batsmen nightmares with their reverse swing and spinners who can make the best batting line-ups look like novices, but at the same time, Pakistan have also produced their fair share of outstanding batsmen.

Despite their bowling riches, Pakistan have always had excellent batsmen and many of them have been middle-order maestros, who have gone on to become greats of the game. The number 5 positions is a particularly key position and many of Pakistan's great batsmen have batted there.

So, here is a look at 5 of the finest, although one of Pakistan's greatest, Javed Miandad missed out since he did not bat at number 5 (average 54.37 in 31 Tests) for too many games.

#5 Saleem Malik

The former Pakistan captain, who made his debut over a month short of his 19th birthday, went on to become one of the best middle-order batsmen for his country. Salim Malik played 102 Tests for Pakistan between 1982 and 1999 and out of those, he batted at number 5 in 45 of them.

Malik was a highly gifted batsman, who was particularly well known for his ability to hit horizontal bat shots against the faster bowlers and in addition to that, he had the ability to use his wrists to good effect to anything pitched on the middle or leg stumps. However, he is best known for his prowess against spin bowling and according to many, he was the first batsman who dominated Shane Warne back in 1994.

He is the 5th highest run scorer among number 5 batsmen for Pakistan with a total 1928 runs in 45 Tests at an average of 37.80, which is modest for such a fine batsman. He made 5 centuries and 9 half-centuries at the position.