Hanif’s Elder Brother and Pakistan’s Test Pioneer Wazir Mohammad Passes Away at 95

Former Pakistan cricketer Wazir Mohammad, eldest of the famous Mohammad brothers, passed away in England at 95. He played 20 Tests and was part of Pakistan.

Wazir Mohammad (Image Source: Google)

Former Pakistan cricketer Wazir Mohammad, passed away at Solihull, England at 95. He was Pakistan's oldest living Test cricketer, since the death of Israr Ali in 2016. Cricket has lost a legend and that’s why his demise was reported in almost the entire cricketing world. He was the eldest of Pakistan's famous Mohammad brothers. Out of the other fours, Raees was unlucky not to play Tests while Hanif Mohammad, Mushtaq Mohammad and Sadiq Mohammad were among the top cricketers.

The Mohammad family migrated from undivided India in 1947 and took shelter in an abandoned temple in Karachi. Wazir not only started earning for the family, played cricket and took interest in the development of his younger brothers. In one of the finest books on Pakistan cricket history, ‘Wounded Tiger’, Peter Oborne has quoted Mushtaq, “when Raees came back from his office (Wazir and Raees had found jobs at Habib Bank), we’d give him a chair where he would sit down and just keep feeding us the tennis ball from about 15 yards and he would turn the ball sideways for hours and hours. He would set a field and make us think about where we needed to play the ball.” This way he prepared the future Test stars.

He toured India for the 1952-53 first Test series. He was a hero during Pakistan’s tour of England in 1954 and headed the team’s batting averages. At the Oval, in a low scoring match, in Pakistan’s second innings against attack of Frank Tyson, Brian Statham, Peter Loader and the left-arm spinner Johnny Wardle, Wazir made 42* (top score) and added 68 runs with Zulfiqar Ahmed for the ninth wicket. Pakistan ultimately won this Test by 24 runs.

Similarly in 1956, he scored 67 and added 104 runs for the sixth wicket with Abdul Hafeez Kardar (69), against Australia in Karachi and helped Pakistan to register a glorious win by nine wickets. During this innings, Keith Miller always remembered the way he hooked his bouncer’s and after many years, recalled, “This guy could hook all day.”

In the West Indies series of 1957-58, he registered a pair of ducks in the second Test, at Port of Spain and then made 2 in the first innings of the third Test, at Kingston. He knew that his Test career was at the edge. This is the same Test in which Garry Sobers scored 365* and this overshadowed Wazir’s hundred in only 155 minutes before being out for 106. In the fourth Test, at Georgetown, he was 97 not out in Pakistan’s second innings. His purple patch continued and in the fifth Test, at Port of Spain, batting at No 4, Wazir scored 189 and added 169 with Saeed Ahmed and 154 with Hanif Mohammad.

For the 1960-61 tour to India, he was replaced by his brother Mushtaq. This ended his Test career. Record: 20 Tests, 801 Runs at an average of 27.62; and in all first-class cricket 105 matches, 4,930 Runs at 40.40.

In an interview to Pakistani journalist Dr. Nauman Niaz, Wazir had said, "My Test record might not be very impressive, but it gives me a great sense of pride that I made vital contributions in most of Pakistan's maiden Test victories."

No one can deny him credit for this: Hit 42* at the Oval in 1954 and Pakistan became the first country to win a Test in England on their first visit; For the first win against Australia in 1956-57, his century partnership with Kardar played an important role and in 1957-58, he was the lone hundred maker of the Test registering a first win in the West Indies.

Still his biggest contribution was the development of cricket among his brothers, and this family was ultimately at the forefront in the earliest phase of Pakistan cricket: In Pakistan’s first 89 Tests, at least one of the brothers featured. This sequence was broken in the 90th Test but again resumed for another set of 11 Tests. This way, one of Mohammad brothers played for Pakistan in 100 out of Pakistan’s first 101 Tests in 27 years.

All five of Mohammad brothers were right-hand batsmen and it was Wazir who wished for one left-hander among them. In an interview with the Dawn, Sadiq recalled, “One fine day, he told me, "We don’t have a left-hander in our family, why don’t you become one?”

“And then I did,” continues Sadiq. “I used to get five chances while others got only one. ‘Bat left-handed hamesha (always),’ he would say.”

One unknown quality of Wazir Mohammad was his knowledge of the laws of Cricket and captains also looked to him for advice. On various occasions his knowledge proved valuable for the Pakistan side. He was on dot as far the laws and cricket records were concerned and was more popular with the nickname of ‘Wisden’.

Another oddity is that ultimately his cricket performance was overshadowed by his younger brothers, particularly Hanif Mohammad. He was often introduced as Hanif's elder brother. Wazir was always happy with this intro and was proud of him. He shared century partnerships with Hanif during his both the outstanding large scores: 337 v West Indies (1957-58) and 499 for Karachi vs Bahawalpur (1958-59). In 18 of his Tests, out of 20, Hanif was with him in the Pakistan team.

RIP, Hanif’s elder brother.