Published: Jun 04, 2013, 11:15 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 25, 2014, 12:10 AM (IST)
Zaheer Abbas © Getty Images
On June 4, 1971, a 23-year-old Zaheer Abbas showed his artistry with the bat for the first time in international cricket after a forgettable debut in 1969. He announced his arrival with a monumental 274 against a quality English attack that was made to look hapless. Sarang Bhalerao looks back at the craftsman’s work at Edgbaston.
Ask a few Indian bowlers of the 1970s about Zaheer Abbas. The name would bring back haunted memories, make them sleep-deprived and cause tremors in their bodies. He didn’t use his macho power to dismantle the bowling; he needn’t need to for grace was a delectable component in his repertoire. He was pleasing to the eye, a nightmare to the bowlers. His exploits with the batting made Amul come up with a unique advertisement: “Zaheer Ab bas (Zaheer now enough).”
A batsman needs one defining innings to announce his arrival. For Zaheer, it came at Edgbaston, 42 years ago. Bespectacled, svelte with mop of thick hair, Zaheer walked out to face English challenge on the fourth ball of Pakistan innings. Aftab Gul, the opening batsman, retired hurt after being hit by Alan Ward. The Pakistan No 3 had a challenge ahead of him.
On his debut as a 21-year-old against New Zealand, his scores were moderate: 12 and 27. That led to his ouster. Critics wrote premature obituaries about him. High backlift, a slight shuffle before facing the delivery was considered to be a recipe for disaster in England. Critics did not condone his inclusion. But a flurry of runs in the domestic circuit made sure that he took a leg-stump guard for his country at Edgbaston. He had earned the right to do so.
He batted, batted and batted. That is the best way to make critic eat humble pie. Concentration was a protagonist in Zaheer’s compendium. Water-tight technique and temperament were supporting cast, they had an important role to play. The graceful shots were by-products of an uninhibited mind. The pristine cover-drive was eye-catching and drove comparisons with Sir Walter Hammond while his leg-glance reminded people of KS Ranjitsinhji. With every shot Zaheer was growing in confidence and stature.
Ward was exhausted, Peter Lever gave all he had, Ken Shuttleworth was the second best in his tussle with Zaheer, and Basil D’Oliveira’s eerie knack of picking wickets did not work. Spinners Derek Underwood and Ray Illingworth, a classy proposition, were befuddled as Zaheer played them forward and back with equal assurance.
Zaheer was lacing tunes while the Englishmen were dancing to it. He evoked a sense of awe with his 38 boundaries — sheer gems. The wristy elegance coupled with exquisite timing made his shots truly special. A statesman by the name of Colin Cowdrey cheered Zaheer in admiration from his position in the slips. It was a VVIP seat to watch a classic.
Zaheer was blemishless till 274 at which point he swept Illingworth and holed out tot deep square-leg. He was out because of sheer exhaustion. But the epitome of poise had promised a lot. A star was just born.
Zaheer went on to become a run-machine for Pakistan for another decade and half. Gloucestershire were well served by him. Till date he is the only Asian to score 100 First-Class hundreds. With more than 34,000 runs he has a rare distinction of scoring a double hundred and a century in the same match on four occasions. Not even Don Bradman, possessor of almost every record, has achieved such an incredible feat.
Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian captain, said this about Zaheer: “One can never say enough about this batting genius. I think no World XI would be complete without Zaheer Abbas.”
Brief scores:
Pakistan 608 for 7 decl (Zaheer Abbas 274, Asif Iqbal 104*, Mushtaq Mohammad 100; Ray Illingworth 3 for 72) drew with England 353 all out (Alan Knott 116; Asif Masood 5 for 111) and 229 for 5 (Brian Luckhurst 108*; Asif Masood 4 for 49).
(Sarang Bhalerao hails from a family of doctors, but did his engineering. He then dumped a career in IT with Infosys to follow his heart and passion and became a writer with CricketCountry. A voracious reader, Sarang aspires to beat Google with his knowledge of the game! You can follow him on Twitter here)
