His Finest Hour was at Lucknow
In 1948, nearly 50 years ago, the West Indies paid a brief visit (their first) to Pakistan . They played just two first class matches, one against Sindh , and then an unofficial test match in Lahore .
The match against Sindh was played on November 19-20-21. The home side, all at sea in their first innings, did a lot better in their second attempt and earned a creditable draw. The Sindh team was:
Alimuddin , A. Rauf , Inayat Khan , R. N. Dinshaw , Anwar Hussain , H. Jaffar , P. Fernandes (any relation of Dawn 's own Walter's?), Badruddin S. R. Mawalwali , Munnawar Ali , and B. G. Irani .
I am giving these names purely for nostalgic reasons. There must be many people in Karachi who saw the game and will be happy at this flashback.
Abbreviated scores: Sindh 173 (Fernandes and Badruddin 32 each, Cameron 4/52) and 284 for eight declared (Anwar Husain 81, Badruddin 51, Mawalwali 48 n.o. and Alimuddin 45). The West Indies 287 for 7 declared (G. A. Carew 100, Everton Weekes 56 Anwar Husain 4/66) and 61 for two.
Then there was a two-day game against the Commander-in-Chief's XI (as the COAS was then known) at Rawalpindi on November 23-24. The West Indies won easily by nine wickets.
Scores: C-in-C's XI 96 (Scotllmeyer 3 for 8, D. Atkinson 3 for 24) and 187 (George Headley 6 for 49). The West Indies 184 (Miran Bux five for 62) and 100 for one wicket (Walcott 51 n.o.).
And now for the 'test' mach. It was played at the Bagh -i-Jinnah , Lahore on November 26, 27, 28, and 29. Read this short account in Wisden 1950.
"Mohammad (Nazar) and Ahmad (Imtiaz), Pakistan 's opening pair, were seen to great advantage in a partnership of 188 but when they were separated, everything went wrong for the home team. Gomez varied fairly quick deliveries with off-spinners and Trim added pace to an attack, which brought down the remaining nine wickets for 93. After losing three men for 18, the West Indies made a splendid recovery, but the outstanding feature of the match was a great second wicket stand of 205 by (Imtiaz) Ahmad, and (Mian) Saeed, who each claimed a century for Pakistan."
This, I believer, was Nazar Mohammad 's first big match, as indeed it was for the rest of the team led by that prince among cricketers, Mian Mohammad Saeed .
His greatest innings for Pakistan was played in the second Test match of the country's inaugural series at Lucknow .
The game was played on jute matting and Fazal Mahmood loved bowling on such pitches because they helped him cut the ball more viciously and more unpredictably than on turf wickets. However, on green tops he could be as effective as on matting wickets. However, Fazal is another story.
India , batting first, made just 106, which Pakistan overhauled for the loss of just one wicket. The going was very tough indeed and for Nazar's application, Pakistan would not have made many more than India for after him Maqsood Ahmad (41), Hanif Mohammad and Zulfiqar Ahmad with 34 apiece were the main scorer.
Nazar batted for all of 515 to carry his bat for 124, his highest innings in the five Test matches that he played. India had to bowl nearly 200 overs to get Pakistan out for 331.
Batting at No. 7, Lala Amarnath played a heroic unbeaten innings of 61 after seven Indian wickets had fallen for 115 in their second innings. Let me give you the scorecard of this memorable match.
LUCKNOW
(October 23, 24, 25, 26)
INDIA
First innings
Pankaj Roy ....................................................................lbw b Fazal 30
D. K. Gaekwad .................................................................b Maqsood 6
Gul Mahomed ............................................................lbw b Maqsood 0
V. L. Manjrekar .....................................................................b Fazal 3
G. Kishenchand ...............................................................lbw b Fazal 0
P. R. Umrigar .................................................................b Mahmood15
Amarnath .......................................................c Zulfiqar b Mahmood10
P. G. Joshi .....................................................................b Mahmood 9
H. G. Gaekwad .....................................................................b Fazal 14
S. Nyalchand ........................................................................not out 6
Ghulam Ahmad ............................................................c Hanif b Fazal 8
( Extras B5) 5 Total 106
Fall of wickets : 17, 17,20,22,55, 65, 68, 85, 93, 106.
Bowling
Mahmood Husain ................ 23 7 35 3
Kardar ............................... 3 2 2 0
Fazal ..................................24.1 8 52 5
Maqsood ..............................5 1 12 2
PAKSITAN
Nazar Mohammad ................................................................not out 124
Hanif Mohammad ........................................c Umrigar b Ghulam Ahmad 34
Waqar Hassan ............................................................lbw b Amarnath 23
Imtiaz Ahmad .............................................................. lbw b Amarnath 0
Maqsood Ahmad .........................................................lbw b Nyalchand 41
Kardar .................................................... c Ghulam Ahmad b Nyalchand 16
Anwar Husain ....................................................................b Nyalchand 5
Fazal Mahmood ................................................. c Joshi b Gul Mahomed 29
Zulfiqar Ahmad ..................................................... lbw b Ghulam Ahmad 34
Mahmood Husain .........................................................b Ghulam Ahmad 13
Amir Elahi b ......................................................................Gul Mahomed 4
Extras (B4, LB3 NB1) 8 Total 331
Fall of wickets : 63, 118, 120, 167, 194, 201, 239, 302, 318, 331.
Bowling
Amarnath ................................. 40 18 74 2
Umrigar .....................................10 10
Nyalchand ..................................64 33 97 3
H. G. Gaekwad ............................37 21 47 0
Ghulam Ahmad ............................45 19 83 3
Gul Mahomed .............................7.3 2 21 2
INDIA
Roy ..............................................................................c Imtiaz b Mahmood 2
D. K. Gaekwad .....................................................................c Nazar b Fazal 32
G. Kishenchand ...................................................................c Nazar b Fazal 20
V. L. Manjrekar ..........................................................................lbw b Fazal 3
P. R. Umrigar ............................................................................lbw b Fazal 32
Gul Mahomed ..................................................................................b Fazal 2
Amarnath .................................................................................... not out 61
H. G. Gaekwad .................................................................................b Fazal 8
P. G. Joshi ..............................................................................b Amir Elahi 15
Ghulam Ahmad .....................................................c sub (Israr Ali) b Amir Elahi 0
Nyalchand .................................................................................lbw b Fazal 1
Extras (B5, NB1) 6 Total 182
Fall of wickets : 4, 27, 43, 73, 77, 103, 115, 170, 170, 182.
BOWLING
Mahmood Husain ...........................19 5 57 1
Kardar ......................................... 13 5 15 0
Fazal Mahmood ............................. 27.3 11 42 7
Zulfiqar Ahmad ...............................5 1 17 0
Maqsood ........................................5 0 25 0
Amir Elahi .......................................7 1 20 2
Result: Pakistan won by an innings and 43 runs.
Captains: India - Lala Amarnath Pakistan - A. H. Kardar
Wicketkeepers : India : P. G. Joshi Pakistan : Hanif Mohammad
Umpires: B. J. Mohoni and J. R. Patel.
Fazal's second innings analysis of 7 for 42 were the best of his distinguished career.
Nazar Mohammad became the first player in the world to be on the field for an entire Test match ( Wisden ). As can be seen, well as Fazal bowled, Pakistan could not have won the game without Nazar's 8 hour-35-minute vigil at the wicket. If he showed grit at Lucknow , he was all grace in the final Test at Calcutta , which was to be his last. He made 55 and 47; the cover drive being his most favourite and most productive shot. Through the covers, he was more authoritative and attractive than either Tom Graveney or Peter May, both of England .
An unfortunate accident cut his career short. Otherwise, he would have been more prolific than his son Mudassar who was later to serve Pakistan nobly and for many years. The son scored many, many more runs than his father did, but he did not have Nazar's elegance.
Off the field, Nazar was as great a gentleman as on it. Gentle and caring, he was incapable of hurting anyone. He loved his friends, he loved his music, and above all, he loved his cricket.
The Islamia High School , Bhati Gate , was demolished some years ago. Kardar and Nazar had studies there. Both died this year, the latter following his skipper in less than three months into the Great Beyond. I hope they will meet there, gather a team, and teach the angels how to play the game.
For Nazar's family here's a personal message: From too much love of living with hope and fear set free We thank with brief thanks giving what're the gods there be, that no life lives for ever that dead men rise up never That even the weariest river winds somewhere safe to see (Swinburne) in the innings of life, Nazar could not carry his bat but then, no-one has or ever will.
Friday, July 19, 1996
