42 Facts About Fazal Mahmood

Fazal Mahmood PP, HI was a Pakistani international cricketer.

Fazal Mahmood played in 34 Test matches and took 139 wickets at a bowling average of 24.70.

Fazal Mahmood played a major role in first gaining Test status for the new nation and then establishing them as a Test match team.

Fazal Mahmood took ten wickets in a Test on four occasions; those against India, England and Australia coming in Pakistan's maiden victories over those teams.

Fazal Mahmood had immediate success against the West Indies but after losing to Australia and a stalemate with India he was sacked as captain.

Fazal Mahmood retired from Test and first-class cricket following the 1962 tour of England when he was called up to replace injured opening bowlers.

Fazal Mahmood's father, Ghulam Hussain, was a professor of economics at the college as well as being president of the college's cricket club.

North Zone won the match comfortably with Fazal Mahmood contributing six wickets.

Fazal Mahmood took a further five wickets in the final but North Zone lost by an innings.

Fazal Mahmood was included in the squad and attended the training camp, however before the tour began independence intervened and as a devout Muslim Fazal Mahmood withdrew.

Fazal Mahmood played for Punjab, taking six wickets and scoring 60 in an innings victory.

The match was the first time that Fazal Mahmood opened the bowling alongside Khan Mohammad, his future new ball partner for Pakistan.

The last of three fixtures was against a representative side which contained Fazal Mahmood, he failed to take a wicket in a drawn match.

Pakistan were dismissed cheaply twice to lose by an innings, Fazal Mahmood was the only Pakistani player to reach double figures in both innings.

The final two Tests of the series were drawn, Fazal Mahmood took six further wickets to finish his maiden series as Pakistan's leader wicket-taker with 20 at 25.60.

Fazal Mahmood made some lower order contributions finishing with a series total of 173 runs at 28.83.

Fazal Mahmood was made vice-captain to Abdul Kardar for the 1954 tour which would prove a success for both player and team on their first series outside the subcontinent.

Fazal Mahmood played in only one of the six first-class matches that concluded the tour but still finished as leading wicket-taker with 77 at 17.53.

In recognition of his feats, Fazal Mahmood was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1955, the first Pakistani to be honoured.

Fazal Mahmood played in four of the matches and took 15 wickets at 21.93.

Fazal Mahmood played in two of the three Tests and took five wickets at 18.40.

Pakistan's tour of the West Indies in 1958 was marked by a number of high scoring Test matches and Fazal Mahmood had a large workload, sending down over 320 overs in the five Test series including 186 in consecutive Tests.

Injuries to fellow opening bowler Mahmood Hussain and spinner Nasim-ul-Ghani meant that Fazal sent down 85.2 overs, what Wisden described as 'a phenomenal number of overs for a bowler of his pace'.

Fazal Mahmood conceded 247 runs in the innings and took the only two wickets to fall.

Fazal Mahmood finished the series with 20 wickets at 38.20, despite being one of his worst in terms of average, he was still Pakistan's leading wicket-taker.

Fazal Mahmood took three further wickets in the second innings including both Hunte and Sobers, the latter's wicket was Fazal Mahmood's 100th in Test cricket, the first Pakistani to reach the landmark.

Fazal Mahmood dismissed both openers but these were his only wickets in 40 overs.

Fazal Mahmood was the leading wicket-taker in the series with 21 at 15.85.

Fazal Mahmood missed the second Test at his home city of Lahore, wicket-keeper Imtiaz Ahmed taking over captaincy duties in a match Australia won by seven wickets.

Fazal Mahmood won the toss in the first four Tests but only in the third Test at Eden Gardens did Pakistan gain a first innings lead.

Apart from that five-for, his 13th and last in Test cricket, Fazal Mahmood took only four other wickets in the series.

Fazal Mahmood's captaincy received severe criticism with accusations of favouritism, and following the final Test he was sacked as captain.

Fazal Mahmood was as economical as ever, conceding 98 runs from his 63 overs, but failed to take a wicket.

Fazal Mahmood wasn't included in the 1962 tour squad to England but was called up as a replacement when fast bowlers Mahmood Hussain and Mohammad Farooq broke down injured.

The five match series already lost, Fazal Mahmood came into the team for the fourth Test at Trent Bridge.

Fazal Mahmood spent three seasons as the professional with the East Lancashire Cricket Club in 1957,1958, and 1959.

Fazal Mahmood doubted whether 'a democracy of western type' was capable of bringing about Islamic justice.

Fazal Mahmood suffered a fatal heart attack at his Lahore residence on 30 May 2005.

Fazal Mahmood's autobiography has been published by the Oxford University Press, in 2003, as From Dusk to Dawn: Autobiography of a Pakistan Cricket Legend.

Fazal Mahmood was married to the daughter of Mohammad Saeed, Pakistani cricket's captain.

Fazal Mahmood was the first bowler in the history of Test cricket to take 12 or more wickets in a Test match against four different countries, those being India, England, Australia, and West Indies.

Fazal Mahmood reached 100 Test wickets in 22 Tests, of Pakistan bowlers only Waqar Younis and Mohammad Asif reached the landmark quicker.