Former Pakistan legend Hanif Mohammad breathed his last at the Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi on Thursday. He was battling lung cancer for 3 years and was admitted to the hospital 3 weeks earlier owing to breathing troubles.
Earlier in the day, it was reported the batsman had passed away but 6 six minutes later he came back to life in a dramatic turn of events, but a few hours later it was confirmed by the hospital authorities and his son Shoaib Mohammad about his father’s demise.
Earlier this week Shoaib Mohammad said that the surgery conducted in London had brought the disease under control to a certain extent but reminded everyone that cancer takes a toll on a patient’s body with each passing day and each day becomes a battle for survival. He also added that the doctors have ruled out any chances of chemotherapy after seeing his father’s biopsy report.
Hanif Mohammad was considered one of the best batsmen during his playing days but unfortunately, he played in an era where Pakistan played very less Test cricket and playing only 55 Tests in 17 years of international career doesn’t do justice to his potential. He played a pivotal role in Pakistan gaining Test status following their independence in 1947.
Making his debut at a tender age of 17, Hanif Mohammad went on to become the youngest player in Test history to notch up a Test century. The “Little Master” of Pakistan also holds the record for the longest innings in Test history when he scored 337 against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1957/58. His innings spanned for 952 minutes. The following year he broke Don Bradman’s record for the highest individual score in 1st class history and missed his 500 by a solitary run, getting run out while attempting a single on 499.
Hanif Mohammad was a man known to experiment with a variety of things and apart from captaining Pakistan he also kept wickets for them and bowled both right handed and left handed. He played his farewell Test against New Zealand in the year 1969 finishing his career with nearly 4000 Test runs and 12 centuries.
In the year 2009, he was included in ICC’s Hall of Fame for his immense contribution to cricket.
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