Hanif Mohammad

Hanif Mohammad (Urdu: حنیف محمد‎, 21 December 1934 – 11 August 2016) was a Pakistani cricketer.[1]

Hanif Mohammad

Personal information
Full name	Hanif Mohammad
Born	(1934-12-21)21 December 1934 Junagadh, Junagadh State, British India
Died	11 August 2016(2016-08-11) (aged 81) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Nickname	Little Master
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Batsman
Relations	Wazir Mohammad (brother) Raees Mohammad (brother) Mushtaq Mohammad (brother) Sadiq Mohammad (brother) Shoaib Mohammad (son) Shehzar Mohammad (grandson)
International information
National side	Pakistan
Test debut (cap 4)	16 October 1952 v India
Last Test	24 October 1969 v New Zealand
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 55 238 Runs scored 3,915 17,059 Batting average 43.98 52.32 100s/50s 12/15 55/66 Top score 337 499 Balls bowled 206 2,766 Wickets 1 53 Bowling average 95.00 28.49 5 wickets in innings 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 1/1 3/4 Catches/stumpings 40/– 178/12
Source: Cricinfo, 3 August 2008

Pride of Performance Award Recipient
Date	1959
Country	Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Presented by	Islamic Republic of Pakistan

He played for the Pakistani cricket team in 55 Test matches between the 1952–53 season and the 1969–70 season. He averaged 43.98 scoring twelve centuries. At his peak, he was considered one of the best batsmen in the world despite playing at a time when Pakistan played very little Test cricket; Hanif played just 55 Test matches in a career spanning 17 years. In his obituary by ESPNcricinfo, he was honoured as the original Little Master, a title later assumed by Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.[2] He was the first Pakistani to score a triple hundred in a Test match.[3]

Life and career

Hanif was trained by Abdul Aziz, an Afghan cricket player, who had earlier played in Ranji Trophy for Jamnagar and father of Indian cricketer, Salim Durani. He made his first-class debut playing for Pakistan against the MCC in November 1951. He made 26 in 165 minutes.

The highest of Hanif's Test centuries was a famous 337 made against West Indies in a six-day test at Bridgetown in 1957/58, the highest Test innings at the time. After Pakistan found itself following on from a first-innings deficit of 473 runs on the afternoon of the third day, Hanif spent more than sixteen hours at the crease compiling his runs, allowing Pakistan to draw the game.[4] It remains the longest innings in Test history (and stood as the longest in all first-class cricket for over 40 years). It was the only Test match instance of a triple century in a team's second innings until it was equaled by New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum against India in 2014.[5] Displays such as this earned him the nickname "Little Master".[6][2] Hanif Mohammad also has the world record for scoring the slowest test triple century in terms of minutes (858)[7] and the only player in test history to have spent over 970 minutes to score a test triple ton.[2]

In 1958–59, he surpassed Don Bradman's record for the highest individual first-class innings. Hanif made 499 for Karachi in a match against Bahawalpur before being run out attempting his five hundredth run; this stood for more than 35 years before being passed by Brian Lara in 1994.[2] In all he made 55 first-class centuries and finished with a strong first-class career average of 52.32. He could bowl with either arm, and kept wicket on a number of occasions. He is known to have played the slowest test innings when he scored 20 off 223 balls at a strike rate of 8.97.

Hanif's career lasted until 1975–76, but he never played in the English County Championship, although he did have an outing for the Northamptonshire Second XI in August 1965 whilst preparing for his appearance for a Rest of the World XI against England at the Scarborough Festival a few days later. Hanif was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1968 and in January 2009 he was named along with two other Pakistani players, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, among the inaugural batch of 55 inductees into the ICC's Hall of Fame.[2]

In one Test match against Australia, Hanif scored a century in the first innings. In the second, he was given out stumped by Barry Jarman off the bowling of Tom Veivers for 93. Hanif respected the umpire's decision. Later in a press conference Jarman admitted that Hanif was not out.[8]

In 1972, after retiring from international cricket, Hanif co-founded the magazine The Cricketer Pakistan. He edited this magazine for two decades. He also served as the team manager for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).[2]

Batting performance

Hanif Mohammad's career performance graph.

Family members

Many other members of Hanif's family were also cricketers: his brothers Mushtaq, Sadiq and Wazir all played Tests for Pakistan,[9] as did his son Shoaib. Another brother Raees was once twelfth man for Pakistan, and four nephews had first-class careers. His mother Ameer Bee was a national badminton champion in pre-independence British India.[2]

Death

Hanif Mohammad was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013. He had been undergoing treatment for lung cancer in Karachi's Aga Khan Hospital. He died on 11 August 2016 at age 81.[2]

Tribute, awards and recognition

In 2018, a Google Doodle was created to celebrate his 84th Birthday.[10] Hanif's triple-century against the West Indies team in 1957/58 made him a legend in the cricketing world. He was one of the original inductees into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.[2]

• Pride of Performance Award in 1959 by the Government of Pakistan[11]

References

1. Mason, Peter (15 August 2016). "Hanif Mohammad obituary". The Guardian (newspaper). Retrieved 21 June 2019.
2. "The original 'Little Master', Pakistan's Hanif Mohammad dies aged 81". Cricinfo.com. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
3. "1st Test, Pakistan tour of West Indies at Bridgetown, Jan 17-23 1958". Cricinfo.com. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
4. "It's a draw!". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
5. "2nd Test: New Zealand v India at Wellington, Feb 14–18, 2014 | Cricket Scorecard". Cricinfo.com. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
6. "Wisden – Hanif Mohammad (Cricketer of the Year 1968)". Cricinfo.com. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
7. "Records/ Test matches/ Batting records/ Slowest triple hundreds ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
8. "The Unquiet Ones: A History of Pakistani Cricket" by Osman Samiuddin
9. "A limpet at the crease (The original Little Master is born)". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
10. "Hanif Mohammad's 84th Birthday (Google Doodle)". www.google.com. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
11. Pride of Performance Award in 1959 for Hanif Mohammad on Pakistan Sports Board website Retrieved 21 June 2019

External links

• Hanif Mohammad at ESPNcricinfo
• Ramachandra Guha : The original little master, The Hindu (newspaper)

Sporting positions
Preceded by Javed Burki	Pakistan Cricket Captain 1964–1967	Succeeded by Saeed Ahmed
Records
Preceded by Don Bradman	Highest individual score in first-class cricket 499 Karachi v Bahawalpur at Karachi 1958–59	Succeeded by Brian Lara