Full name Mohammad Azharuddin
Born February 8, 1963, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Current age 56 years 308 days
Major teams India, Derbyshire, Hyderabad (India)
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Relation Son - M Asaduddin
Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 6s | Ct | St | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tests | 99 | 147 | 9 | 6215 | 199 | 45.03 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 105 | 0 | ||
ODIs | 334 | 308 | 54 | 9378 | 153* | 36.92 | 12669 | 74.02 | 7 | 58 | 156 | 0 | |
First-class | 229 | 343 | 38 | 15855 | 226 | 51.98 | 54 | 74 | 220 | 0 | |||
List A | 432 | 399 | 70 | 12931 | 161* | 39.30 | 11 | 85 | 200 | 0 |
Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tests | 99 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 0 | - | - | - | 7.38 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
ODIs | 334 | 24 | 552 | 479 | 12 | 3/19 | 3/19 | 39.91 | 5.20 | 46.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First-class | 229 | 1432 | 786 | 17 | 3/36 | 46.23 | 3.29 | 84.2 | 0 | 0 | |||
List A | 432 | 827 | 709 | 15 | 3/19 | 3/19 | 47.26 | 5.14 | 55.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Test debut | India v England at Kolkata, Dec 31, 1984 - Jan 5, 1985 scorecard |
Last Test | India v South Africa at Bengaluru, Mar 2-6, 2000 scorecard |
Test statistics | |
ODI debut | India v England at Bengaluru, Jan 20, 1985 scorecard |
Last ODI | India v Pakistan at Dhaka, Jun 3, 2000 scorecard |
ODI statistics | |
First-class span | 1981/82 - 1999/00 |
List A span | 1983/84 - 1999/00 |
Bat & Bowl | Team | Opposition | Ground | Match Date | Scorecard |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | India Snrs | v Pakistan Snr | Delhi | 27 Feb 2007 | Other |
28 | India Snrs | v Pakistan Snr | Kozhikode | 25 Feb 2007 | Other |
7 | India Snrs | v Pakistan Snr | Udaipur | 23 Feb 2007 | Other |
26 | India Snrs | v Pakistan Snr | Lahore | 30 Apr 2006 | Other OD |
14 | India Snrs | v Pakistan Snr | Sheikhupura | 27 Apr 2006 | Other OD |
25, 0/18 | India Snrs | v Pakistan Snr | Sialkot | 25 Apr 2006 | Other OD |
82 | India Snrs | v Pakistan Snr | Karachi | 23 Apr 2006 | Other OD |
Those who saw this supreme batting artist at his peak will never forget him - sinewy wrists transforming a slender piece of willow into a magician's wand. Azhar's leg-side play was reminiscent of Zaheer Abbas and Greg Chappell - a Michelangelo in the midst of housepainters. In later years, he expanded his off-side repertoire, and conjured some of the finest innings played in the modern era - his 121 at Lord's in 1990 was one for the gods. His technique was suspect against the short stuff, a deficiency he sought to overcome through instinctive strokeplay, sometimes with cavalier disregard for the team situation. As captain, Azhar enjoyed tremendous success on made-to-order home pitches, while right to the end of his career he was peerless in the field, whether prowling the covers or pouching catches at slip. He announced his arrival, against England in 1984-85, with three hundreds in his first three Tests, a feat that has never been match, while his last Test innings also bore him a hundred. But then allegations of match-fixing provided an emphatic full stop. That he finished his career with 99 Tests is perhaps appropriate for one who came within a whisker of batting immortality - only to throw it all away at close of play. He appealed against the life ban in the courts but the verdict is still awaited. He made his foray into politics by joining the Congress party in 2009.
Dileep Premachandran February 2009
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1991