In 1951, 4 brief years after its inception, Pakistan had been internet hosting an MCC facet for 2 unofficial Take a look at matches, with inclusion into the unique Take a look at taking part in nations fraternity a potential prize in case of success. Of their taking part in eleven for the first “Take a look at” on the well-known Bagh e Jinnah floor in Lahore, was a 16 yr previous prodigy known as Hanif Mohammad, who opened the batting with the famend Nazar Mohammad and in addition carried out because the facet’s wicket-keeper. This match additionally marked Hanif’s first-class debut. He had been included within the nationwide group on the energy of excellent performances in home membership and inter-school matches. A triple century within the ultimate of the Rubie Protect faculty cricket match led to choice for the Sind Muslims facet for the Sind Pentangular. Three centuries adopted, together with one in opposition to the Northern Muslims Eleven on a matting wicket on the Karachi Gymkhana floor, the place he confronted the good Fazal Mahmood for the primary time. Taking part in in opposition to the ‘king of matting’ Hanif batted with immense focus and immaculate approach for nearly eight hours, neutralizing Fazal’s guile with a chanceless knock of 155 runs. A brand new star had definitely arrived.
Towards the MCC Hanif, who then stood at merely 5 toes and three inches, and weighed simply 125 kilos, made 26 in 165 minutes within the first innings. Brian Statham recalled that “he seemed about 12 years previous and we by no means seemed like shifting him.” Within the subsequent ‘Take a look at’, Pakistan had been chasing a goal of 285 of their second innings, and Hanif scored a pivotal 64 runs in 4 hours of defiant batting to allow Pakistan to achieve the successful submit. Conferral of Take a look at standing adopted this success.
Even earlier than his first-class debut in opposition to the MCC, Hanif had been chosen by the cricket board to attend Alf Gover’s well-known indoor cricket faculty in south London. Gover was instantly impressed by Hanif, saying ‘all the things is already good’, and urging Pakistan’s cricket authorities to not think about introducing any alteration to his approach. This was excessive reward from a number one teaching guru of his time.
In 1951-52, the Pakistan group visited India for his or her maiden worldwide tour as a Take a look at taking part in nation. Within the very first recreation of the tour, in solely his 4th top notch match, Hanif made a century in every innings in opposition to the North Zone. These centuries had been his first in first-class video games and created just a few information. On the age of 17 years and 296 days, he turned the youngest batsman ever to attain twin centuries in a firstclass match, and in addition the primary to take action in the identical recreation through which he made his maiden hundred in first-class cricket.
He made his Take a look at debut within the 1st Take a look at at Delhi, taking part in as a wicketkeeper batsman, and on the age of 17 years and 300 days turned the youngest wicket-keeper ever in Take a look at historical past. There was extra to come back. Taking part in in opposition to Bombay twenty three days later, he scored 203 not out, changing into the youngest ever double centurion in first-class cricket. He was simply 17 years and 323 days previous. It was throughout this tour that Hanif was given the sobriquet of ‘The Little Grasp’ by the Indian press.
Touring England with the nationwide group in 1954, in one of many wettest summers on report, Hanif had restricted success in alien situations. Nonetheless, even right here there have been flashes of brilliance and glimpses of his immaculate approach and nice powers of focus. Within the opening Take a look at at Lords, he scored a complete of 59 runs in 340 minutes, his 20 runs within the first innings constructed on strong protection in attempting situations, whereas throughout his 39 within the second innings, with Pakistan protected from the prospect of defeat, he displayed his repertoire of attacking pictures, imperiously hooking and pulling England’s quick bowlers, specifically Brian Statham.
When India visited Pakistan in 1954, Hanif scored his first Take a look at century, with a affected person innings of 142 in eight and a half hours occupancy of the crease on the well-known Dring stadium in Bahawalpur. A yr later Hanif established one other batting report within the semi-final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Taking part in in opposition to the Mixed Providers group on the Nationwide Stadium in Karachi, Hanif and his brothers Wazir and Raees all made centuries, the one occasion in top notch cricket historical past of three brothers all scoring lots of in the identical innings.
By now Hanif was properly established as Pakistan’s premier batsman. Nonetheless, it was on Pakistan’s inaugural tour of the West Indies in 1957-58 that Hanif acquired worldwide movie star standing. Within the opening Take a look at of the collection at Bridgetown in Barbados, the West Indies had run up a mammoth rating of 579 for 9 declared and had then skittled out the Pakistan facet for a paltry 106. Beginning their second innings 473 runs behind, an hour earlier than tea on the third day of the six day Take a look at match, a heavy Pakistani defeat was thought of an virtually foregone conclusion. Nonetheless, destiny had different plans in retailer.
Hanif now mounted the best rearguard motion that Take a look at cricket had ever witnessed. He guided Pakistan to 161 by shut of play, together with his personal rating on 61. That evening there was a notice in Hanif’s lodge room from his captain Kardar, exhorting him to remain on the wicket, “Hanif it can save you it. Simply keep there. You might be our solely hope.”
On the 4th day Pakistan prolonged their whole to 339 runs with out shedding one other wicket. Hanif, who had taken a lot of the strike, was unbeaten with 161, having added precisely 100 runs through the day. That evening when he received again to his lodge room there was one other notice on his dressing desk. It was once more from Kardar and stated, “You’ll have an enormous title on the earth if it can save you the match.”
Hanif had been batting for a day and a half in scorching warmth. He had modified his approach to deal with Gilchrist’s tempo. Usually Hanif had no issues with bouncers. Being brief in stature they’d sail harmlessly over his head. Gilchrist, although, was totally different. He intentionally aimed his bouncers on the batsman’s head and Hanif, subsequently, adopted a brand new technique to cope with this. He watched the ball carefully and swayed out of its line on the final minute. As soon as he tried to hook Gilchrist however was unsuccessful. Between overs Clyde Walcott suggested him to not attempt that once more as Gilchrist was too quick for him.
By shut of play on the fifth day Pakistan had superior to 525 for three wickets and had been almost protected. Hanif was now on 270. Throughout the lunch and tea intervals Hanif would simply sit in a nook and have a bit of rooster earlier than heading to the masseur for a massage. As soon as he discovered the masseur asleep and requested why he wasn’t watching the match. He replied, “ Maan dem can’t get you out so why ought to I watch.”
Hanif had seen off three new balls by now. He was in what cricketers check with as “the zone.” In his personal phrases he stated that he felt that he “ knew each particle of the wicket and each face on the bottom.” He felt that he was taking part in each ball routinely and knew what the ball would do even earlier than the bowler had delivered it. The notice from Kardar that evening stated, “ You’ve received to remain until teatime, then we are going to save the sport.”
Hanif was lastly dismissed after tea the subsequent day. He had made 337 and the group rating was 626. Pakistan had averted defeat and Hanif had created historical past. He was on the crease for a report breaking 970 minutes. His innings lasted for 309 overs, which is once more the longest on report. Throughout it he misplaced three layers of pores and skin beneath his eyes from the extraordinary warmth. There have been no thigh pads in these days and Hanif had wrapped a towel round his thigh for cover. Regardless of this, he had palpable dents in his thigh muscular tissues made by the hits he acquired from Gilchrist. That evening Hanif was so drained that he went to sleep sporting his cricket package. He was now a legend in cricket folklore.
In an amusing incident on the match, a spectator watching the sport from a tree exterior the bottom fell and needed to be admitted to hospital for therapy. On his discharge from the hospital he wished to know if Hanif was nonetheless batting. On studying that he was, he climbed the tree once more to renew his viewing.
Nearly a yr later, on the Karachi Parsi Institute, on 11th January 1959, Hanif broke the world report for the best rating in top notch cricket with an innings of 499, which overtook Bradman’s earlier landmark of 452. Hanif had begun his innings on eighth January, reaching 25 not out by shut. He added one other 230 on January ninth to be unbeaten on 255 on the finish of the day’s play. Following a relaxation day, Hanif resumed his relentless progress, passing Bradman’s report of 452. With two balls left for the day, he was on 498, however the scoreboard had not been up to date and confirmed him on 496 solely. He performed the penultimate ball previous level and risked a second run with a purpose to maintain the strike for the final ball and take a look at for 500. Nonetheless, he was sadly run-out by over a yard. Had he identified that he was on 496, he may have merely defended the penultimate ball and gone for the 5 hundred mark of the final supply.
Hanif had batted for 10 hours and 35 minutes and performed just one lofted stroke throughout this epic knock. He was livid when he learnt in regards to the scoreboard error, however calmed down after receiving congratulatory messages from a number of properly wishers and luminaries, together with President Ayub and Don Bradman himself.
Hanif continued his prodigious kind within the remaining months of the yr with Take a look at centuries in opposition to the visiting West Indian and Australian groups. He was additionally in positive fettle for Blackpool, the membership he represented, within the native Lancashire and different regional leagues.
In 1960-61 Pakistan toured India. Hanif started the tour in scintillating kind, scoring a double century earlier than tea in his opening match at Poona. This was a Hanif that was not typically on show, showcasing his stroke making capacity, with each shot within the e-book; Hanif bludgeoning an assault fairly than sporting it down via attrition. However quickly misfortune struck. When he arrived on the Bombay practice station from Poona there was a crowd of individuals ready to greet him and shake his hand. Hanif quickly observed that his hand was bleeding. Nearer inspection revealed that considered one of his fingers had been lacerated by a razor, presumably throughout one of many handshakes. So as to add to his woes, the poor high quality of footwear supplied had led to a foot drawback throughout his newest innings, which required surgical procedure to take away each his toe nails.
An injured Hanif performed what he considers to be.his most interesting Take a look at innings. Altering his blood soaked socks throughout each interval, he scored 160 earlier than a doubtful run-out. He stated “ it was like taking part in with nails caught into your toes.”
The next yr England toured Pakistan underneath Ted Dexter. Within the 2nd Take a look at at Dhaka Hanif made a century in every innings. spending a complete of 893 minutes or 14 hrs and 53 minutes on the crease. Between January 1958 and February 1962, Hanif was at his peak, scoring 1857 Take a look at runs at a median of 64.03.
Hanif was entrusted with the nationwide facet’s captaincy in 1964. On their tour of Australia and New Zealand, Hanif once more demonstrated chic kind, lacking a century in every innings within the solitary Take a look at in Australia on the Melbourne cricket floor, via an umpiring error. On Pakistan’s tour of England in 1967, Hanif performed one other innings of supreme high quality within the opening Take a look at at Lords to avoid wasting Pakistan from defeat. His dealing with of the a lot vaunted tempo of John Snow was imperious and masterful, hooking and pulling his method to an unbeaten 187. John Arlott termed it as the very best innings of the complete English season.
Captaincy had suited Hanif’s batting. In 11 Exams because the skipper he collected 881 runs at a median of 58.73, with four centuries. Throughout this era he averaged over fifty versus every nation he performed in opposition to.
His ultimate Take a look at was in opposition to New Zealand at Karachi in 1969. Mushtaq and Sadiq additionally performed on this Take a look at, the third occasion in cricket historical past of three brothers taking part in in the identical Take a look at match. Nonetheless, it was the one occasion when three brothers not solely performed in the identical Take a look at, however each each batted and bowled.
Hanif retired from Take a look at cricket after this match, in controversial circumstances. He performed 55 Exams, scoring 3915 runs at a median of 43.98, with 12 centuries. In top notch cricket his tally was 17059 runs, at a median of 53.32, with 55 centuries.
Another information that Hanif held are that he was the primary batsman to attain a Take a look at triple century away from his dwelling nation. He was additionally the primary batsman to attain a Take a look at triple century in his group’s second innings. His 337 in Barbados continues to be the best Take a look at rating ever in a facet’s second innings. He’s the one batsman to attain at the very least two Take a look at centuries in opposition to each nation that he performed in opposition to and at the very least one in each nation that he performed a Take a look at in. Hanif, together with brother Mushtaq and son Shoaib, represents the one occasion of three first line family members of a household all scoring Take a look at double centuries. Hanif, son Shoaib and grandson Shehzar kind the one event when a grandfather, father and son have every scored a first-class double century, a singular achievement spanning three generations.
Hanif was the bedrock of Pakistan’s batting for its first fifteen years within the Take a look at area, the pivot round which his facet’s batting revolved. A really personal man, he was given to intense introspection and would replay each shot in his thoughts to right any perceived weak spot. A set of classical music cassettes and songs by his favorite singers accompanied him on all excursions; it was his approach of unwinding and dealing with stress after a day’s toil and energy. On the wicket he would regulate his cap and twirl his bat between strokes and commonly prayed because it helped to construct his focus. He was blessed with immense powers of focus and endurance and nice stamina, that belied his slight constructed. He sat atop a lonely perch, carrying the load of a younger nation’s expectations on his shoulders. A real hero of his time who has moved into the realms the place legends reside.
Dr Salman Faridi is a senior surgeon, poet, sports activities aficionado and an avid reader with a non-public assortment of over 7000 books.
On 29th April 2023, the Karachi Parsi Institute organised a gala night to commemorate Hanif Mohammad’s world report of 499 runs set on the KPI floor in January 1959.
The Karachi Parsi Institute is an establishment that’s richly steeped in custom and historical past. It got here into existence in 1893 and was one of many earliest sports activities amenities within the metropolis. It has hosted 22 first-class cricket matches, however none extra well-known than the semi ultimate of the Quaid e Azam trophy between Karachi and Bahawalpur from eighth – 12th January 1959 through which Hanif made this monumental rating.
Cricket was delivered to the Indo-Pak subcontinent by the British and the primary area people to take it up had been the Parsis. The primary group of Indian cricketers to tour England in 1886 consisted completely of Parsis and this was repeated two years later in 1888. Many Parsis have performed Take a look at and top notch cricket, and a Parsi cricketer, Rusi Dinshaw, was a member of the Pakistan group on its inaugural tour of India in 1952.
The gala occasion was hosted by the KPI and was sponsored by the Liaquat Nationwide Hospital and Medical Faculty. It was attended by over 400 visitors, together with numerous Parsi households and members of the cricketing fraternity of town.
The KPI’s current President Mr Maju Mavalwala has a private hyperlink with cricket, as his father Mr. Soli Mavalwala had performed for Sind versus the visiting West Indian group in 1948.
Video and audio messages from cricketing greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Chappell, Zaheer Abbas, Farouk Engineer, Wazir Mohammad, Mushtaq Mohammad, Asif Iqbal, Wasim Bari, Wasim Akram and Intikhab Alam, extolled Hanif’s nice expertise and contribution to Pakistan cricket.
Throughout a vigorous group dialogue, Hanif’s youthful brother Sadiq Mohammad recalled how Hanif had nurtured and guided him each on and off the sector. He additionally defined how Hanif and their elder brother Wazir had deliberate this report breaking innings. Hanif’s son Shoaib Mohammad associated how Hanif inspired him to take up the sport and pursue it with curiosity and dedication. He additionally remembered how Hanif was saddened by his untimely retirement from the sport in opposition to his will.
Veteran cricketer, BBC journalist and an icon in his personal proper, Mr Qamar Ahmed regaled the viewers with fantastic anecdotes from his personal affiliation with Hanif. He associated how he had as soon as dismissed Hanif and narrated a beautiful story in regards to the well-known singer Lata Mangeshkar visiting Hanif throughout his tour of India in 1960-61.
Dr. Salman Faridi, the medical director of Liaquat Nationwide Hospital, talked about how Hanif and Fazal had been the 2 pillars on whom Pakistan’s early cricketing success was constructed. He additionally talked about some information established by Hanif and the Mohammad household.
The occasion was rounded off by a beautiful Parsi dinner, sale of some cricketing memorabilia and an public sale of signed cricket bats.
– Dr. Salman Faridi