OTD | Legendary Pakistan cricketer Zaheer Abbas was born in 1947

Syed Zaheer Abbas Kirmani PP, who some call the ‘Asian Bradman’, is considered one of the greatest batters in the history of cricket. Only very few cricketers used to wear spectacles on the cricket ground and Zaheer Abbas was one of them. The legendary Pakistani cricketer is celebrating his 77th birthday on July 24.  

Born in Sialkot in 1947, Abbas made his Test match debut in 1969. It didn’t take long for him to establish his name on the international circuit. In his second Test, the right-handed batter smashed a brilliant 274 against England, which is still the sixth-highest score by a Pakistani batter. He represented the Men in Green in 78 Tests and amassed over 5000 runs at an average of 44.8, including 12 centuries, four double hundreds and 20 half-centuries.  

In the 50-over format, Abbas scored 2572 runs at an average of 47.63 and a strike rate of 84.8 in 62 matches. He has seven hundred and 13 fifties in this format. The 1982/1983 season witnessed Abbas’ peak in ODI cricket when he became the first batter to score three consecutive centuries. 

He is the only Asian batter to score one hundred first-class centuries. Notably, Abbas and former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott are the only two batters to have scored their 100th first-class century in a Test match.The legendary Pakistani cricketer is the sole player ever to achieve both a century and a double century in a first-class match on four separate occasions. 

He played for Gloucestershire for thirteen years, playing 206 first-class games and scoring over 16,000 runs. He averaged 49.79, hitting 49 hundred and 76 fifties. It is noteworthy that he made over 2000 runs in a single season on two occasions. 

Notably, Abbas also captained his national side in 1981 and 1984. He drew the curtain on an illustrious career in 1985, after which he officiated as a match referee in one Test and three ODIs. In August 2020, Abbas was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. 

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