Two top Pakistani cricketers from the past made it to the list of prime players of 1999, as Wisden revealed World XI for the last year of the 2oth century. The stylish opener, Saeed Anwar, and mystery off-spinner, Saqlain Mushtaq, are included in Wisden’s World XI at the end of the 20th century based on their performances in all formats.
Wisden’s World XI for 1999 has been formulated considering ICC rankings of ODI and Test cricket. The left-handed Pakistani opener had to be an obvious choice, as Saeed Anwar was ranked 4th in Tests and 6th among the ODI batters in 1999. Saeed Anwar had ended the century in a remarkable manner, becoming the highest scorer for Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup and hitting tons against tough opponents like India and Australia.
Pakistan’s current head coach and former spin bowler, Saqlain Mushtaq has also been named in the top eleven cricketers at the end of the 20th century. Saqlain Mushtaq was one of the best bowlers of that era, with an ODI ranking of 4 and a Test ranking of 9. Saqlain Mushtaq’s innovative bowling could deceive even the best batters, as he got over 200 wickets in each format of the game.
Here’s Wisden’s World XI of all formats for 1999:
| Player | Team | Test Ranking | ODI Ranking |
| Saeed Anwar | Pakistan | 4 (781 points) | 6 (752 points) |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 1 (892 points) | 8 (740 points) |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 3 (357 points) | 2 (462 points) |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 2 (883 points) | 5 (762 points) |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 7 (758 points) | 9 (734 points) |
| Andy Flower (wk) | Zimbabwe | 10 (703 points) | 26 (634 points) |
| Shaun Pollock | South Africa | 1(465 points) | 3 (424 points) |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | Pakistan | 9 (736 points) | 4 (742 points) |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 6 (766 points) | 7 (717 points) |
| Allan Donald | South Africa | 3 (869 points) | 8 (709 points) |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 2 (875 points) | 2 (755 points) |
