Fazal Mahmood

Fazal Mahmood PP, HI (18 February 1927 – 30 May 2005) was a Pakistani international cricketer.

He played in 34 Test matches and took 139 wickets at a bowling average of 24.70.

In March 1944, Fazal, aged 17 and still at college, made his first-class debut for Northern India.

In a Ranji Trophy match against Southern Punjab he batted at number eleven scoring 38 not out and taking three wickets.

His maiden first-class wicket was that of India Test all-rounder Lala Amarnath.

In Fazal's second appearance, a semi-final against Western India, he claimed eight wickets including 6/65 in the first innings.

After a quiet 1944–45 season, in which Fazal took five wickets at 18.20, his performances the following season almost led to a place on the 1946 tour of England.

Playing in the Zonal Quadrangular Tournament, a competition which acted as a trial for the tour, he opened the bowling for North Zone with Amarnath and took match figures of 9/83.

Indian captain Nawab of Pataudi wanted Fazal in the squad but he was considered too young by the other selectors.

On the tourists return home they played two matches against a Rest of India XI, Fazal took seven wickets in the first match which the Rest won but was expensive in the second.

Later in the 1946–47 season his batting abilities were displayed when he scored his first and only first-class century.

Playing for North Zone he scored exactly 100 not out from number eight, sharing in a 207-run seventh wicket partnership with Gogumal Kishenchand.

North Zone won the match comfortably with Fazal contributing six wickets.

He took a further five wickets in the final but North Zone lost by an innings.

Fazal played his earliest first-class cricket for Northern India in the Ranji Trophy and strong performances there led to selection for India's inaugural tour of Australia in 1947–48.

The independence of Pakistan, prior to the tour led Fazal, a Muslim, to withdraw and choose Pakistan.

He played a major role in first gaining Test status for the new nation and then establishing them as a Test match team.

He took ten wickets in a Test on four occasions; those against India, England and Australia coming in Pakistan's maiden victories over those teams.

The zonal tournament had again acted as a trial, on this occasion for the country's inaugural tour of Australia in 1947–48.

Fazal was included in the squad and attended the training camp, however before the tour began independence intervened and as a devout Muslim Fazal withdrew.

The maiden first-class match in the newly formed country took place on 27 December 1947 between Punjab and Sind.

Fazal played for Punjab, taking six wickets and scoring 60 in an innings victory.

The match was the first time that Fazal opened the bowling alongside Khan Mohammad, his future new ball partner for Pakistan.

The first international visitors to Pakistan were West Indies in November 1948.

The last of three fixtures was against a representative side which contained Fazal, he failed to take a wicket in a drawn match.

At the end of the 1948–49 season Pakistan toured Ceylon for four matches, Fazal was the leading wicket-taker with 20 wickets.

On the return tour a year later he took 16 wickets in two matches.

Fazal's most memorable performance came on the 1954 tour of England, when he had a leading role as Pakistan won at The Oval to square the series.

He took match figures of 12/99, including 6/46 in the second innings as England collapsed chasing a target of 168.

Succeeding Abdul Kardar as captain, Fazal led the national team in 10 matches between 1959 and 1961.

He had immediate success against the West Indies but after losing to Australia and a stalemate with India he was sacked as captain.

In all Pakistan won two Tests and lost two under his leadership.

He retired from Test and first-class cricket following the 1962 tour of England when he was called up to replace injured opening bowlers.

Born in Lahore, Fazal attended Islamia College, Lahore, from the age of 13.

His father, Ghulam Hussain, was a professor of economics at the college as well as being president of the college's cricket club.

Before settling for a career in academia, and despite passing the competitive Indian Civil Service exams, Ghulam Hussain joined the independence movement under the Islamic scholar and revolutionary activist Ubaidullah Sindhi, hoping to throw the British colonialists from a base in Afghanistan through an armed struggle.

He set Fazal a stringent training routine which involved waking at 4:30 am, walking five miles and running five miles.

This schedule was adhered to for seven years.

Fazal made the college first team in his second year and at the age of 15 took 5/13 in an inter-college final, a record for the tournament.

The first Pakistani to pass 100 wickets, he reached the landmark in his 22nd match.