More tributes to Lala Amarnath from Pakistan

I was deeply shocked to know about the sad demise of Lala Amarnath, the man whom I always admired as a highly respected cricketer as well as a person who would win the hearts of people that he met. During my two tenures as secretary of the Pakistan Cricket Board, I had the opportunity of meeting Lalaji on numerous occasions in India and during his visits to Pakistan.

Having played for India together, Lalaji had a close association with the late Gul Mohammad, the former Indo-Pak Test cricketer. So when ever he came to Pakistan, Lalaji, Gul Mohammad, Nazar Mohammad and myself used to be by ourselves in an office room at the Gaddafi Stadium and discuss cricket for hours. Both Lalaji and Gul Mohammad had played against Don Bradman in Australia and once we had a full session talking all about the Don. His knowledge of cricket was so vast that one liked to listen and learn from him.

During my first term as secretary of the PCB in 1978, I was instrumental in the restoration of Indo-Pakistan cricket relations after a break of 17 years. A great advocate of a regular Indo-Pak series, Lala Amarnath always admired me for this act. As a result of this revival, the Indian team that visited Pakistan included two of his illustrious sons Surinder and Mohinder Amarnath.

I used to meet Lalaji during my visits to India and benefit from his thoughts on cricket. Lalaji's death is not only a loss to his family and Indian cricket but for the cricket fraternity all over the world. Those who played with him or met him will never forget him. May his noble soul rest in peace.

Having known Lala Amarnath well, I was highly aggrieved to know about his death. Having started my first class cricket in the year 1944, I met Lalaji for the first time when I visited Chehal (near Patiala) with a Lahore selected XI to play a match over there. After the match, he asked both myself and Khan Mohammad (former Pakistan fast bowler) to stay on for a few days as guests of the Maharaja of Patiala to play some more cricket in the State but we had to return with the team.

Lala Amarnath was one of the best all rounders that I came across during my career. As a bowler, he had the ability to swing the ball both ways, while as a batsman he played his strokes so fast, that even when fielding on the boundary line, the hands felt the impact of the speed.

Having been a popular figure of Lahore, he revived his old association when he visited Pakistan as manager of the Indian team captained by Vinoo Mankad. He was a man of aggressive nature, bold, firm and highly knowledgeable.

Apart from the field of cricket that will miss Lala Amarnath forever, his death is a personal loss to me, for the close association that we had. A great tactician with superb knowledge of the game, he was my captain when I played for North Zone before independence.

Playing for the Crescent Club, he completely dominated cricket in Lahore thus becoming a very popular figure. Having played under him in many tournaments, I learnt a great deal. He was captain of the team when I was selected to tour Australia with the Indian team. My feeling for the newly created Pakistan being higher than cricket, I declined to go on the tour. He specially rang up the Nawab of Mamdot, the then Chief Minister of Punjab to spare me, saying that he could beat any country in the world if I was in the team. It was a great compliment to me from my former captain and a great cricketer of his times.

He was still captain of the Indian team when Pakistan visited India in 1952. He made a fighting 61 against us in the Lucknow Test when I took 12 wickets. Capable of combating any type of opposition, Lalaji employed all his captaincy skills to clinch the series.

Amarnath was exciting on and off the field. I am writing a look on 15 great cricketers of all time. Lala Amarnath would be one of them. His death has taken away an expert on cricket. God bless his soul.