Yasir Hameed

Yasir Hameed Qureshi is a former Pakistani cricketer who represented his country in 25 Tests and 56 ODIs. He gained international attention for his exceptional scoring ability during his early years on the world stage.

Early life and education

Yasir Hameed was born on 28 February 1978 in Peshawar. Although he was born in that city, he is originally from Kukmang, which is located in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Career

Hameed made an immediate impact during his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2003. He scored 170 runs in the first innings in Karachi, setting a record as the highest score by a Pakistani on debut. He followed this performance by scoring 105 runs in the second innings of that same match. This feat made him only the second player to score two centuries on debut, following Lawrence Rowe.

His success continued into the One Day International format where he achieved several milestones. During his first 30 ODI innings, he scored more runs than any other batsman. He also established a unique record by scoring four successive opening partnerships of 100 or more alongside Imran Farhat.

Hameed reached his first 1000 ODI runs in just 22 matches. This achievement was the fastest in Asia and the third fastest in the world. In 2004, he played a vital role against India in Peshawar during the third ODI of a five-match series. While India's fast bowlers reduced the hosts to 65/4, Hameed steadied the reply on an uneven surface. He used fluent drives to build a platform for the chase.

His international career faced periods of fluctuation due to changes in form. After being left out of the squad, he returned for the final ODI in the Bank Alfalah Series against England in 2005/6 and scored 57 runs. He was later ignored before returning against West Indies in November 2006, where he scored 71 runs from 118 balls. Following Pakistan's unsuccessful tour of India in 2007, he played 22 further Tests before losing his place. He received a recall for a two-match series against Australia in England—a series moved due to the security situation in Pakistan—but he was dropped again after playing two matches against England. He has not played international cricket since August 2010.

In his domestic career, Hameed represented Pakistan A and played a major role in their 3–0 defeat of Australia A in September 2007. He scored two centuries during those three matches while receiving support from Naved Latif and Taufeeq Umar. Later, in the 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, he was the leading run-scorer for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with 459 runs in seven matches.

Since retiring from professional play, Hameed has moved into coaching and administration. He began undertaking coaching courses with the Pakistan Cricket Board in February 2021. In February 2023, he joined Haroon Rasheed's national selection committee as a member.

Personal life

Hameed is originally from Kukmang in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was born in Peshawar on 28 February 1978.