Full name Saeed Ahmed
Born October 1, 1937, Jullundur (now Jalandhar), Punjab, India
Current age 83 years 118 days
Major teams Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore, Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Universities, Public Works Department, Punjab
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Relation Brother - Younis Ahmed
Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | Ct | St | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tests | 41 | 78 | 4 | 2991 | 172 | 40.41 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 13 | 0 | |
First-class | 213 | 346 | 25 | 12847 | 203* | 40.02 | 34 | 51 | 121 | 0 | ||
List A | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tests | 41 | 41 | 1980 | 802 | 22 | 4/64 | 6/108 | 36.45 | 2.43 | 90.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
First-class | 213 | 18629 | 8217 | 332 | 8/41 | 24.75 | 2.64 | 56.1 | 15 | 2 | |||
List A | 1 | 24 | 21 | 0 | - | - | - | 5.25 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Test debut | West Indies v Pakistan at Bridgetown, Jan 17-23, 1958 scorecard |
Last Test | Australia v Pakistan at Melbourne, Dec 29, 1972 - Jan 3, 1973 scorecard |
Test statistics | |
First-class span | 1954/55 - 1971/72 |
List A span | 1967 - 1967 |
Saeed played strokes all round the wicket, but none was hit with as much grace and power as his drives, which rocketed through the V before the bowler had finished his follow-through. He was forced to change his normally upright stance when he toured England in 1962: he decided to crouch more in an attempt to get a better view of the fast bowlers on the seaming pitches, but the tactic had limited success. He also bowled serviceable offspin, and had his turn as captain, in three drawn Tests in 1968-69. Unfortunately, Saeed is best remembered for the undignified end to his Test career. He declared himself unfit for the third Test against Australia with a back injury following a heated altercation with Dennis Lillee in the previous Test at Melbourne. But as Lillee was vowing revenge on a Sydney greentop, the Pakistan management was sceptical about Saeed's injury and sent him home for indiscipline. For all that, Saeed - the half-brother of Younis Ahmed - was a terrific player, as a Test average in excess of 40 suggests. He made 508 runs in his first Test series, in the Caribbean in 1957-58, and had a taste for big hundreds: three of his five at Test level were of 150 or more.
Lawrence Booth