Mohammad Munaf (cricketer) explained

Mohammad Munaf
Birth Date:2 November 1935
Birth Place:Bombay, British India
(now India)
Death Place:Amsterdam, Netherlands
Batting:Right-handed
Bowling:Right-arm fast-medium
Columns:2
Column1:Tests
Matches1:4
Runs1:63
Bat Avg1:12.59
100S/50S1:0/0
Top Score1:19
Deliveries1:769
Wickets1:11
Bowl Avg1:31.00
Fivefor1:0
Tenfor1:0
Best Bowling1:4/42
Catches/Stumpings1:0/–
Column2:First-class
Matches2:71
Runs2:1356
Bat Avg2:17.61
100S/50S2:0/4
Top Score2:76
Deliveries2:9115
Wickets2:180
Bowl Avg2:24.22
Fivefor2:6
Tenfor2:1
Best Bowling2:8/84
Catches/Stumpings2:47/–
International:true
Country:Pakistan
Testdebutagainst:Australia
Testdebutdate:21 November
Testdebutyear:1959
Lasttestdate:19 January
Lasttestagainst:England
Lasttestyear:1962
Testcap:33
Source:http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/41291.html ESPNcricinfo
Date:7 September
Year:2015

Mohammad Munaf (2 November 1935 – 28 January 2020) was a Pakistani cricketer who played in four Tests from 1959 to 1962.[1] He played first-class cricket in Pakistan from 1953 to 1971.[2]

Early life and education

Munaf was born in Bombay to a Konkani family who migrated to Pakistan from the west coast of Maharashtra.[3] He was educated at Sindh Maddrasa-tul-Islam.[4]

Career

After settling in Karachi, he, as a strapping young fast bowler, made his name in the Rubie Shield school tournament. At that time, he was good enough with the bat to have opened the batting with Hanif Mohammad for Sind Madrassah. Khadim H. Baloch wrote in his Encyclopaedia of Pakistan Cricket that Munaf delivered off a short run-up and had a slingy, round-arm action, and some reports had him, at his peak, as one of the fastest bowlers in the country.

But his career coincided with early riches in Pakistan's pace resources. Fazal Mahmood, Khan Mohammad and Mahmood Hussain were all starters for the national side ahead of him. He toured the West Indies in 1957-58 without playing in any of the five Tests.[5] His debut Test against Australia in 1959-60 only happened because Hussain was unavailable. He would go on to play only three more Tests, all in Pakistan, with a best of 4 for 42 against England in Lahore in 1961–62.[6] He was also part of Pakistan's squad to India on the 1960-61 tour, though once again he didn't play a single Test.[7]

Munaf's potential was never in doubt, though, as evidenced by two trips he made to England as part of the Pakistan Eaglets team. His career-best figures of 8 for 84 came on an Eaglets tour in 1963, against Kent.[8] England may have been a good place for his bowling and though he was picked for what turned out to be a disastrous tour of England in 1962, he had to withdraw with a leg injury.[7]

He worked for Pakistan International Airlines. After he retired he moved to the Netherlands and lived in Amsterdam.[4]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Booth, Lawrence . 2021 . Wisden Cricketers' Almanack . 267 . 9781472975478.
  2. Web site: First-Class Matches played by Mohammad Munaf . CricketArchive . 9 February 2020.
  3. Web site: A Throwback to the Amateur Days - Obituary of Mohammad Munaf. Salim Parvez Monday 10. February 2020. Cricket World.
  4. Web site: Former Pakistan fast bowler Munaf passes away. Qamar. Ahmed. January 30, 2020. DAWN.COM. Tall and handsome, Munaf was born in Bombay in 1935 in a Kokan family. He was one of the three Kokans from West coast of Maharashtra to represent Pakistan besides M E Z.Ghazali and Ejaz Faqih..
  5. "Pakistan in West Indies, 1958", Wisden 1959, pp. 803–18.
  6. Web site: 1st Test, England tour of Pakistan at Lahore, Oct 21-26 1961 . ESPNcricinfo . 8 February 2020.
  7. Web site: Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Munaf dies at 84 . ESPNcricinfo . 29 January 2020.
  8. Web site: Kent v Pakistan Eaglets 1963 . ESPNcricinfo . 8 February 2020.