Hanif Mohammad’s flawless batting talents elevated Pakistani cricket to new heights. Mohammad was considered to be the most reliable batsman ever produced by Pakistan. In today’s episode, we will discuss the life and career of one of Pakistan’s greatest figures, Hanif Mohammad.
Hanif was born on 21 December 1934, much before the establishment of Pakistan. He had been a right-handed batter from a wealthy athletic background. His mother had been a badminton player, and his brothers also played cricket: Mushtaq, Sadiq, and Wazir. Shoaib Mohammad, the son of Hanif, was a cricketer who played for Pakistan in 45 Tests and 63 ODIs.
Mohammad passed away on August 11, 2016 in Karachi at the age of 81.
Domestic career of Hanif Mohammad
The man dubbed ‘little master’ appeared in 238 FC matches. He scored 17059 runs while taking 53 wickets with his right-arm spin.
Hanif represented Karachi, Bahawalpur, and PIA throughout his home career.
Despite having played at a time when Pakistan contested very little Test cricket, he was rated one of the top batsmen in the world at his peak; Hanif played just 55 Test matches in a 17-year career.
The right-handed batter scored 3915 runs for Pakistan, despite only appearing in Test matches.
In the elite version of the game, he scored 12 hundreds and 12 half-centuries, averaging 43.98 in the format.
Hanif was a wicket-keeper batsman, but he also bowled off-break with both his right and left arm during his career. He also served as captain for Pakistan. It would not be incorrect to describe Hanif as a “jack of all trades” with the exception of one.
Records and accomplishments
In 1959, he received the Pride of Performance Award from the government of Pakistan.
He holds the Test cricket record for the longest individual innings (970 minutes).