Wisden overview A tall, wiry legspinner, and only the second Hindu to play Test cricket for Pakistan (the first, his cousin Anil Dalpat, was briefly their wicketkeeper), Danish Kaneria mastered some vital skills at an early age. His stock ball drifts into the batsman and he has a googly as cloaked as any in recent history..

His whirling approach is reminiscent of Abdul Qadir, and he has now picked up the baton from Mushtaq Ahmed as Pakistan’s premier legspinner. Kaneria was hyped as a secret weapon when England toured Pakistan in 2000-01, and though his impact in the Test series was minimal, he has since made his mark.

Initially he did so against the lesser lights of Bangladesh, but also in a home Test against South Africa, when his five-for won Pakistan the match. Since then, he has confirmed himself as a bona fide matchwinner, leading Pakistan to wins against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2004 and against the West Indies in Jamaica in 2005. In between, two tours - to Australia and the graveyard of legspin, India - became arduous but satisfying stepping stones to the big league. In each series he outscalped the leading legspinners of our age, first Shane Warne, then Anil Kumble and although Pakistan lost the first series comprehensively, Kaneria’s 19 wickets were crucial in securing a morale-boosting 1-1 draw in India. He ended 2005 with two further, last-day matchwinning turns against England at home. . .. .