Mohammad Munaf (cricketer)

Mohammad Munaf (2 November 1935 – 28 January 2020) was a Pakistani cricketer who played in four Tests from 1959 to 1962. He played first-class cricket in Pakistan from 1953 to 1971.[1]

Mohammad Munaf
Personal information
Born(1935-11-02)2 November 1935
Bombay, British India
(now India)
Died28 January 2020(2020-01-28) (aged 84)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast-medium
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 33)21 November 1959 v Australia
Last Test19 January 1962 v England
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 4 71
Runs scored 63 1356
Batting average 12.59 17.61
100s/50s -/- -/4
Top score 19 76
Balls bowled 769 9115
Wickets 11 180
Bowling average 31.00 24.22
5 wickets in innings – 6
10 wickets in match – 1
Best bowling 4/42 8/84
Catches/stumpings -/- 47/-
Source: Cricinfo, 7 September 2015

Life and career

Munaf was born in Bombay but settled in Karachi and it was there, as a strapping young fast bowler, that he first made his name in the Rubie Shield school tournament. At that time, he was good enough with the bat to have opened the batting with Hanif Mohammad for Sind Madrassah.[2] Khadim H. Baloch wrote in his Encyclopaedia of Pakistan Cricket that Munaf delivered off a short run-up and had a slingy, round-arm action and some reports had him, at his peak, as one of the fastest bowlers in the country.[2]

But his career coincided with early riches in Pakistan's pace resources. Fazal Mahmood, Khan Mohammad and Mahmood Hussain were all starters for the national side ahead of him. He toured the West Indies in 1957-58 without playing in any of the five Tests.[3] His debut Test against Australia in 1959-60 only happened because Hussain was unavailable. He would go on to play only three more Tests, all in Pakistan, with a best of 4 for 42 against England in Lahore in 1961-62.[4] He was also part of Pakistan's squad to India on the 1960-61 tour, though once again he didn't play a single Test.[2]

Munaf's potential was never in doubt, though, as evidenced by two trips he made to England as part of the Pakistan Eaglets team. His career-best figures of 8 for 84 came on an Eaglets tour in 1963, against Kent.[5] England may have been a good place for his bowling and though he was picked for what turned out to be a disastrous tour of England in 1962, he had to withdraw with a leg injury.[2]

He was educated at Sindh Maddrasa-tul-Islam. He worked for Pakistan International Airlines. After he retired he moved to the Netherlands and lived in Amsterdam.[6]

References
  1. "First-Class Matches played by Mohammad Munaf". CricketArchive. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  2. "Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Munaf dies at 84". Cricinfo. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  3. "Pakistan in West Indies, 1958", Wisden 1959, pp. 803–18.
  4. "1st Test, England tour of Pakistan at Lahore, Oct 21-26 1961". Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  5. "Kent v Pakistan Eaglets 1963". Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  6. Ahmed, Qamar (30 January 2020). "Former Pakistan fast bowler Munaf passes away". Dawn. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
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