BBC SPORT | Special Events | 2001 | England v Pakistan

BBC Sport Online profiles the prolific Pakistan batsman Inzamam ul-Haq.

The hulking frame of Inzamam ul-Haq is the embodiment of intimidation at the crease.

Usually it is fast bowlers who like to think they rule the roost when it comes to psyching out their opponents.

It could take the form of a series of short-pitched balls followed by a withering stare or a burst of the verbals.

But nothing can cause the wind to go out of the sails of quick bowlers than a batsman who can turn a decent delivery into a long hop and smash it to to the boundary.

Inzamam is such a man.

But his dominance of the crease belies his appearance.

Inzamam ul-Haq
His contributions won the World Cup in 1992
He is so laid back he is almost horizontal and often gives the impression that he would rather be somewhere else.

Certainly his batting partners often wish they could be somewhere else than in the middle with him when they experience his shocking running between wickets.

On numerous occasions his ineptness at judging a run has seen him joined at the same end by his companion and the farcical scenes have haunted his career.

But forget his reluctance to run the 22 yards, Inzamam is a class act with the bat.

His record speaks for himself.

His 114 in the first innings of the second Test was followed up with 85 to take him to third on Pakistan's all-time run scoring list.

Only Javed Miandad and Salim Malik stand ahead of him.

His 5194 Test runs have been accrued at a healthy average of 46.79 and he is now the mainstay of Pakistan's middle order.

He is equally adept in the abbreviated game with an average over 40 and some 7926 runs to his name.

But while the genial giant can bludgeon opposing attacks, he is not shy in coming forward when someone gets his back up.

He once waded into the crowd during a "friendly" one-day international in Toronto, bat cocked behind his head, chasing down a megaphone-touting heckler.

"I was calling him a potato in Punjabi because he is a little fat," said the heckler after being ushered to safety.

Inzamam is clearly no fool. The resulting two-match ban was a price well worth paying.

From humble beginnings in the provincial town of Multan, Inzamam has grown into one of the best batsmen in the world.

He announced his arrival on the world stage in 1992 during the World Cup.

Inzamam ul-Haq
Inzamam swings another ball to the boundary at Old Trafford
As a baby-faced 21-year-old, still finding his feet in international cricket ,he guided Pakistan into the final with a stunning innings against New Zealand in the semi-final.

Pakistan still needed 123 runs from 15 overs to win when he entered the fray and he blasted 60 from 37 balls, with seven fours and a six, to clinch the match with an over to spare.

Again, in the final against England, Pakistan were faltering before Inzamam injected some purpose with 42 not out off 35 balls to carry the total to match-winning proportions.

A slow starter, he is vulnerable early in his innings but if he gets away, he invariably turns his start into a big score, as his 14 Test tons and 30 Test fifties testify.

He is the big man in the middle of Pakistan's batting line-up - in more ways than one.