Over the years, Pakistan cricket has seen many players representing
the country at the International level with pride and excellence. Every
cricketer who has played in the national side is a star in his own.
However, there are some Pakistan cricketers who
came, saw and conquered the perch of International cricket either in
batting, bowling or fielding.
The list of Pakistan cricketers leaving their marks in people’s heart with their dazzling performance is endless but there are some names who always come to one’s mind when it comes to the “Legends of Pakistan Cricket”. These names include the blue eyed boy, Fazal Mehmood (late), sensational pacer Wasim Akram, the pioneer of reverse-swing, Sarfaraz Nawaz, the Little Master, Hanif Mohammad, the Asian Bradman, Zaheer Abbas and the iconic batsman Javed Miandad.
Fazal Mehmood:
The blue eyed Fazal Mahmood was undoubtedly one of the finest cricketers Pakistan cricket has ever produced.
Born on February 18, 1927 Fazal Mahmood was a Pakistan cricketer who is regarded as the finest pace bowler of his time.
He made his first-class debut at the age of 17 before the partition of Indo-Pak subcontinent. His maiden first-class appearance was for Northern India in a Ranji Trophy match against Southren Punjab in March 1944. In his maiden first-class appearance, Mahmood scored unbeaten 38 runs before picking up three wickets. His clinical performances in domestic games led to his selection for India’s tour of Australia in 1947-48 but the partition of India before the tour led to Mahmood’s withdrawal from the Indian squad.
The legendary Pakistan pacer played his maiden first class for Pakistan on December 27, 1947 when he represented Punjab in a four-day match against Sindh. In his first-class debut for Pakistan, the pacer claimed six wickets and notched a half-century as Punjab inflicted an innings defeat on Sindh.
Mahmood debuted in the International arena with a Test series against India in October 1952. His first ever International appearance was on October 16, 1952 at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi. The blue-eyed boy went on to play 34 Tests for Pakistan before bidding adieu to International cricket in 1962. He played his last Test against England from August 16 to 20 at the Oval.
During his 10-year-long International career, Mahmood picked up 139 wickets with best innings figures of seven for 42 and best match figures of 13 for 114. He was the first Pakistani bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in International cricket. The veteran has a total of 13 five-wicket hauls to his name.
He is also the first bowler in the history of Test cricket to claim 12 or more wickets in a Test against four different teams including, India, Australia, West Indies and England.
His most noticeable performance came during Pakistan’s tour of England in 1954, in which the veteran picked up match winning figures of 12-99 as the England team faltered while chasing a gettable 168-run target at the Oval. The dazzling performances earned him the Wisden Cricketer of the year award for 1955.
The ability of Mahmood to cut and seam the ball led him to be compared to Alec Bedser of England. With his unplayable swing, the veteran had outdone and outplayed several big names of his time.
The legendary pacer died on May 30, 2005 at the age of 78. He is no more among us but his pace and swing will always be missed and remembered.
The list of Pakistan cricketers leaving their marks in people’s heart with their dazzling performance is endless but there are some names who always come to one’s mind when it comes to the “Legends of Pakistan Cricket”. These names include the blue eyed boy, Fazal Mehmood (late), sensational pacer Wasim Akram, the pioneer of reverse-swing, Sarfaraz Nawaz, the Little Master, Hanif Mohammad, the Asian Bradman, Zaheer Abbas and the iconic batsman Javed Miandad.
Fazal Mehmood:
The blue eyed Fazal Mahmood was undoubtedly one of the finest cricketers Pakistan cricket has ever produced.
Born on February 18, 1927 Fazal Mahmood was a Pakistan cricketer who is regarded as the finest pace bowler of his time.
He made his first-class debut at the age of 17 before the partition of Indo-Pak subcontinent. His maiden first-class appearance was for Northern India in a Ranji Trophy match against Southren Punjab in March 1944. In his maiden first-class appearance, Mahmood scored unbeaten 38 runs before picking up three wickets. His clinical performances in domestic games led to his selection for India’s tour of Australia in 1947-48 but the partition of India before the tour led to Mahmood’s withdrawal from the Indian squad.
The legendary Pakistan pacer played his maiden first class for Pakistan on December 27, 1947 when he represented Punjab in a four-day match against Sindh. In his first-class debut for Pakistan, the pacer claimed six wickets and notched a half-century as Punjab inflicted an innings defeat on Sindh.
Mahmood debuted in the International arena with a Test series against India in October 1952. His first ever International appearance was on October 16, 1952 at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi. The blue-eyed boy went on to play 34 Tests for Pakistan before bidding adieu to International cricket in 1962. He played his last Test against England from August 16 to 20 at the Oval.
During his 10-year-long International career, Mahmood picked up 139 wickets with best innings figures of seven for 42 and best match figures of 13 for 114. He was the first Pakistani bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in International cricket. The veteran has a total of 13 five-wicket hauls to his name.
He is also the first bowler in the history of Test cricket to claim 12 or more wickets in a Test against four different teams including, India, Australia, West Indies and England.
His most noticeable performance came during Pakistan’s tour of England in 1954, in which the veteran picked up match winning figures of 12-99 as the England team faltered while chasing a gettable 168-run target at the Oval. The dazzling performances earned him the Wisden Cricketer of the year award for 1955.
The ability of Mahmood to cut and seam the ball led him to be compared to Alec Bedser of England. With his unplayable swing, the veteran had outdone and outplayed several big names of his time.
The legendary pacer died on May 30, 2005 at the age of 78. He is no more among us but his pace and swing will always be missed and remembered.
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