Ali Zia (Urdu: علی ضیاء; 20 March 1957 – 20 January 2024) was a Pakistani first-class cricketer who played from 1974–75 until 1992–93 for the Pakistan national cricket team.
Zia began his cricketing career in Lahore, playing for Crescent Cricket Club and representing Pakistan Under-19 in tours to Sri Lanka in 1974-75.[1] He played for Islamia College and later Government College, scoring 205 against KE Medical College in 1975-76, which led to his inclusion in Pakistan Universities.[1]
Zia made his first-class debut for Lahore A in the 1974-75 Patron’s Trophy, scoring 57 runs and sharing a 131-run partnership with Shafiq Ahmed. He played for several teams, including National Bank, United Bank, and Lahore City.[1] His first-class career spanned from 1975-76 to 1992-93, during which he scored 8,579 runs at an average of 33.90, with 13 centuries and 49 fifties.[1] He also took 241 wickets at an average of 28.40, with a best performance of 8-60.[1]
Zia's achievements include scoring 176 for United Bank against PACO and scoring centuries in each innings against Railways in the 1987-88 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.[1] He was the first Pakistani player to score a double hundred and claim 10 wickets in the same match, which he accomplished for Lahore City Whites against Faisalabad in the 1985-86 Patron's Trophy.[1]
After his playing career, Zia joined the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as GM Domestic Cricket Operations and served as a match referee from 1994 to 2003.[1] Ali, along with Mohsin Kamal, coached Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup. He held various positions at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), including Senior Coach and Senior General Manager Academies.[1] He contributed to the development of junior teams and the introduction of modern coaching techniques in Pakistan.[1]
Zia was one of the only two Level 4 Master Coaches in Pakistan and played a role in coaching and developing future players and coaches.[1] He prepared coaching syllabi and conducted courses for future coaches until stepping down in 2019.[1]
He died on 20 January 2024, at the age of 66.[2]