Anwar Hussain (cricketer)

Anwar Hussain Khokhar (16 July 1920 – 9 October 2002) ('Urdu':انور حسین کھوکھر) was a member of Pakistan's first Test team in 1952.

Born in Lahore, Khokhar was a cousin of another Pakistani cricketer Aslam Khokhar.[1] He played first-class cricket in Indian competitions from 1941 to 1947, and in Pakistan from 1947 to 1955.[2] He faced the first ball bowled in first-class cricket in Pakistan when he opened the batting for Sind against West Punjab in December 1947.[3]

His best first-class performances came when he captained Sind against the touring West Indians in 1948-49, and he scored 12 and 81 and took 4 for 66 and 1 for 19 in the drawn match.[4] He was selected to play in Pakistan's first representative match a week later against the West Indians, but with little success. He was a member of Pakistan's first touring team later that season, playing in both matches against Ceylon in Colombo. He also played one of the representative matches when Ceylon toured Pakistan in 1949-50.[2]

When the English team toured in 1951-52 he made 48 in Pakistan's second innings, adding a valuable 83 for the sixth wicket with the captain, Abdul Hafeez Kardar, in Pakistan's four-wicket victory that secured the nation's Test status.[3] He played in four of the five Test matches in Pakistan's inaugural series against India in 1952-53 when he was Kardar's vice-captain, but had little personal success.[5] He played no further Test cricket after that series.

Hussain died in Lahore on 9 October 2002 after suffering from liver cancer.[6]