JEDDAH, 31 May 2005 — Just about more than a year back in Lahore, a lithe and spry 77-year-old was watching a young bowler literally tear into the Pakistan batting.
When the bowler got the ball to leave a fraction late with the batsmen scything air or just prodding in the faint hope of connecting, a simple “yes” wafted into my ears.
The scene was a VIP box at the Gaddafi Stadium where Pakistan’s hero and heartthrob Fazal Mahmood sat talking to me.
In between our question and answer sessions, he languidly turned his eye onto the pitch whenever the Indian fast bowling sensation Irfan Pathan bowled. And the acceptance that the delivery was just right came with that simple “yes”.
It was he who said then that this boy is coming of age and India should nurture him, as he turned an appreciative eye to the flowing rhythm of the left-handed seamer.
Even today, a year after, I still visualize the towering personality living and breathing cricket to the full, savoring the action with his incisive comments. But his innings came to a close yesterday.
The former Pakistan cricket captain and fast bowler Fazal Mahmood, known here as the “Hero of The Oval”, died at his home in Lahore after suffering a heart attack, his family said yesterday. He was 78.
“He passed away today peacefully...it is a great loss to Pakistan cricket,” Pakistan Cricket Board director Abbas Zaidi said.
Mahmood, one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year in 1954, was one of the most respected and feared cricketers of his times — feared for his lethal deliveries that got him the nickname the “Alec Bedser of Pakistan”.
Mahmood was a veritable terror in his days. His nagging length and clever use of the swing mixed with leg cutters and breakbacks saw him end up with 139 wickets in 34 Tests. He captained Pakistan in 10 Tests between 1952 and 1962.
When Abdul Kardar retired as Pakistan captain in 1958, Mahmood was the natural successor and led his team in successive series against West Indies (1958-59), Australia (1959-60) and India (1960-61).
He played his final Test against England at The Oval in 1962, ending his career with 139 wickets at an average of 24.70 in 34 matches, including five in an innings on 13 occasions.
He was famed for taking 12 wickets in each of Pakistan’s first two wins during their formative years in Test cricket - first at Lucknow, India, in 1952 and then at The Oval, in London, in 1954.
Before the partition of India and Pakistan, Mahmood played in the Ranji Trophy for Northern India and, although selected for India’s tour to Australia in 1946, he chose to migrate to Pakistan and sought a career in the newly formed country.
Former teammate and long time friend Hanif Mohammad described Mahmood’s death as a “great loss to Pakistan cricket”.
“Mahmood was a great human being, always willing to help anyone who sought his advice,” said Hanif, also a member of Pakistan’s inaugural team to India in 1952.
“Mahmood was the doyen of Pakistan bowlers in the formative years and all our wins since we started playing Test cricket were indebted to him.
“It was just because of his bowling feats that Pakistan achieved the rare honor of beating every country in our early series in 1950s and ’60s,” said Hanif.
Virtually unplayable in helpful condition, Mahmood could have racked up the numbers if cricket were played as much in those days as now. He would also have been a real marketable icon for cricket, what with his green-eyed, debonair looks and talent that sang in the air.
Many of his contemporaries say that Mahmood could make the ball literally talk. And his feats on the field confirm their assessment. But the bowler himself was more modest.
“I tried for a wicket with every ball, and on occasion I did succeed,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes during that Lahore interview.
He also wanted Pakistan and India to continue playing each other, saying “Such matches could help heal the rift.”
He remembered the atmosphere of the tour matches during his time, calling it unique.
“The atmosphere was electrifying and people came to watch us in numbers. Indian players like Lala Amarnath, Vinoo Mankad and Polly Umrigar were competitive yet friendly,” he said. “But my favorite was the late Vijay Merchant.”
“Most of the Pakistani players had played cricket in undivided India but we were new at Test level compared to India, yet we gave them a fight,” he added.
Reminiscing about his greatest moments, Mahmood cited there were two. “The first was getting my first Ranji wicket, and that was Lala Amarnath, and the second was my 12 wickets at The Oval that gave Pakistan its first win over England in 1954,” he said.
“After that I got into the habit of taking 12 wickets in every match,” he smilingly quipped. “It was not only the 12 wickets and the win that made that moment memorable,” Mahmood, who retired with the rank of deputy inspector general from the police force, said.
“After the match I got a very important phone call from a great friend of mine - Indian thespian Dilip Kumar. And the message was simple, ‘You have beaten me’,” he added.
“You see we were good friends, and our friendship was not affected by the partition. Both of us had a bet going in our early days — when I was beginning my career in cricket and he in the film world — to see who will excel the other.
“On hearing about my Oval performance, Dilip Saab just rang me up and relayed this message,” Mahmood said.
Mahmood was nostalgic whenever he spoke of India. He picked the time spent in Jammu and Kashmir as one of the best periods of his life. “My father owned a houseboat called Egypt in the Dal Lake. I remember diving into the lake in Srinagar and trekking in Pahalgam.”
Though his mind reflected on the good old days, his heart was really in Pakistan. He says the country has a good crop of fast bowling talent, we have to reap the harvest.
Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said Mahmood was a great influence on younger generation. “A great chapter of fast bowling has ended today. He was always kind and generous to me,” Akhtar said.
— With input from agencies
