Hanif Mohammad

Hanif Mohammad was a prominent Pakistani cricketer who represented his country in 55 Test matches. He earned the nickname "Little Master" due to his exceptional batting skills and legendary endurance at the crease.

Early life and education

Hanif Mohammad was born on 21 December 1934, into a Memon family that had settled in Junagadh state. He received his cricket training from Abdul Aziz, an Afghan player who previously played in the Ranji Trophy for Jamnagar. This mentor was also the father of the Indian cricketer Salim Durani.

Career

He made his first-class debut in November 1951 while playing for Pakistan against the MCC. His Test debut followed in October 1952 during Pakistan's first ever Test match against India. In that historic game, he served as the top scorer for Pakistan during the first innings.

His career spanned 17 years between the 1952–53 and 1969–70 seasons. He maintained a Test batting average of 43.98 and scored 12 centuries. During his peak, he was regarded as one of the finest batsmen in the world. This reputation remained despite the fact that Pakistan played very little Test cricket during his era.

The most famous moment of his career occurred during the 1957/58 season at Bridgetown. Facing the West Indies, he scored 337 runs to help Pakistan draw a match after they had followed on. This innings lasted more than 16 hours and remains the longest innings in Test history. He holds the world record for the slowest Test triple century, which took 858 minutes to complete.

In the 1958–59 season, he surpassed Don Bradman's record for the highest individual first-class innings. He scored 499 runs for Karachi against Bahawalpur before being run out while attempting his five hundredth run. This achievement stood for more than 35 years until Brian Lara broke it in 1994.

He captained the Pakistan team in 11 Tests from 1964 to 1967. Although his international career ended in 1969, he continued playing first-class cricket until the 1975–76 season. He never played in the English County Championship, though he did appear for the Northamptonshire Second XI in August 1965.

After retiring from international play, he co-founded The Cricketer Pakistan magazine in 1972. He served as the editor of this publication for 20 years. Additionally, he worked as a team manager for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

Personal life

Hanif was one of five Mohammad brothers. Four of these siblings—Wazir, Mushtaq, Sadiq, and Hanif—played Test cricket for Pakistan. His son Shoaib also played Test cricket, while his grandson Shehzar Mohammad is a first-class cricketer. One brother, Raees, served as a twelfth man for the national team.

His mother, Ameer Bee, was a national badminton champion in pre-independence British India. Hanif died on 11 August 2016 at the age of 81. He had been receiving treatment for lung cancer at Karachi's Aga Khan Hospital before his passing.

Awards and recognition

He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1968. The Government of Pakistan honored him with the Pride of Performance Award in 1959. In January 2009, he became one of the inaugural inductees into the ICC's Hall of Fame alongside Imran Khan and Javed Miandad.

The Pakistan Cricket Board renamed the grade-II four-day competition as the Hanif Mohammad Trophy to honor him. In December 2016, the board also opened the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Sports Centre in Karachi. A Google Doodle was created in 2018 to celebrate his 84th birthday.

The Memon community of Karachi built a park called "Cutchi Memon Family Park and Little Master Hanif Mohammad Cricket Ground" in his honor. He remains a legendary figure whose records continue to be discussed by cricket historians.