| Arif Butt | |
| Birth Date: | 17 May 1944 |
| Birth Place: | Lahore, Punjab, British India |
| Death Place: | Lahore, Pakistan |
| Batting: | Right-handed |
| Bowling: | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Columns: | 2 |
| Column1: | Test |
| Matches1: | 3 |
| Runs1: | 59 |
| Bat Avg1: | 11.80 |
| 100S/50S1: | 0/0 |
| Top Score1: | 20 |
| Deliveries1: | 666 |
| Wickets1: | 14 |
| Bowl Avg1: | 20.57 |
| Fivefor1: | 1 |
| Tenfor1: | 0 |
| Best Bowling1: | 6/89 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 0/– |
| Column2: | First-class |
| Matches2: | 97 |
| Runs2: | 4,017 |
| Bat Avg2: | 29.10 |
| 100S/50S2: | 4/22 |
| Top Score2: | 180 |
| Deliveries2: | 11,879 |
| Wickets2: | 201 |
| Bowl Avg2: | 26.79 |
| Fivefor2: | 10 |
| Tenfor2: | 2 |
| Best Bowling2: | 8/45 |
| Catches/Stumpings2: | 44/– |
| International: | true |
| Country: | Pakistan |
| Testdebutagainst: | Australia |
| Testdebutdate: | 4 December |
| Testdebutyear: | 1964 |
| Lasttestdate: | 29 January |
| Lasttestagainst: | New Zealand |
| Lasttestyear: | 1965 |
| Testcap: | 47 |
| Source: | http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/39003.html Cricinfo |
| Date: | 23 May |
| Year: | 2023 |
Arif Butt (Urdu: عارف بٹ; 17 May 1944 – 11 July 2007) was a Pakistani Test cricketer.
Born in Lahore, Punjab, Butt made his first-class debut for Lahore against Punjab University in 1960-61 at the age of 16. He learned his cricket at the Friends Cricket Club of Lahore, coached by his uncle Khawaja Abdur Rab, and went on to play first-class cricket for Pakistan Railways from 1962-63 until his retirement after the 1977-78 season. He was a tall fast-medium bowler and useful batsman.
He made his Test debut for Pakistan at Melbourne in 1964-65, taking 6 for 89 in the first innings, becoming the first Pakistani to take 6 wickets on Test debut.[1] He also opened the batting in the Pakistan's second innings, in place of injured wicket keeper Abdul Kadir, making 12 and defying the Australian new ball attack for almost an hour.[2]
In the tour of New Zealand that followed, Butt played in the first two of the three Tests, taking 7 wickets at 24.28. In what turned out to be his last Test innings, in partnership with Intikhab Alam, he added 52 runs for the ninth wicket to help secure a close-fought draw.
He bowled a hostile bouncer and a genuine leg cutter and was considered unlucky to play only three Tests at a time when Pakistan often struggled to find effective fast bowlers. He toured England in 1967 but "flopped completely",[3] taking 12 wickets at 54.50 in nine matches.
He scored a defiant maiden century against Karachi in the 1966–67 Quaid-i-Azam Trophy final and, in 1973-74, captained Railways to victory in the Patron's Trophy and the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. He took 6 for 55 against Sindh in the Quaid final and scored 718 runs in that season, including a career best 180 as an opening bat against Punjab. His best bowling figures were 8 for 45 for Railways against Sargodha in 1972-73.
He died from heart and lung complications arising from diabetes. His funeral in Lahore was attended by a host of former cricketers and officials including Sarfraz Nawaz.[4]