Jalaluddin was a lively fast-medium bowler who struck the deck hard and extracted extravagant movement on the most docile of pitches in Karachi and rest of the country. His entry in the international arena was delayed due to injury but he didn’t take long in hitting headlines after wearing the Pakistan cap.
On September 20, 1982, he recorded the first-ever hat-trick in the history of One-day Internationals by dismissing Australia’s trio of Rodney Marsh, Bruce Yardley and Geoff Lawson on successive deliveries on a flat track of Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad, to help Pakistan win the game.
He made his Test debut against Australia at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore, in the same winter and returned the impressive match figures of five for 92. He could play only four more Tests in the next two years despite consistent performance in national tournaments. He played his last in 1985-86 and that was the end of his international career rather prematurely. He continued playing for Pakistan Customs until 1988-89.
He returned to the scene with a bang after taking various coaching courses. He established Customs Cricket Academy in 1999 where he groomed youngsters besides fine-tuning first-class cricketers. The 51-year-old Jalaluddin is recognized as the highest qualified coach in the country, having undertaken various assignments.
