A team of namesakes

When Zeeshan Maqsood took a stunning catch in Oman's World T20 match against Ireland, I could have sworn I heard commentator Athar Ali Khan yell my name. Zeeshan Maqsood and Zeeshan Mahmud can sound pretty similar, especially when yelled excitedly by a commentator.

That made me ponder a bit: what about instances when two or more players in a team have the same name? It is not uncommon, of course - witness the recent proliferation of Mitchells in the Australia team. But given that 'Mohammad' is said to be the most common name in the world, I decided to put together a team of cricketers - past and present - with the Prophet's name.

Although not known to be opening material, the yin-yang combination of Hanif Mohammad and Mohammad Ashraful would make a good pairing. At one end, Hanif would frustrate the bowler and, at the other, Ashraful would be given carte blanche to play his attacking game. For the uninitiated, before Ashraful faded away after his ban, not only did he score 190 against Sri Lanka (alongside Mushfiqur Rahim's double ton), but he also engineered famous victories for Bangladesh, against Australia in Cardiff in 2005, and against South Africa at Providence Stadium in the 2007 World Cup. Ashraful is also the youngest centurion in Test cricket.

Hanif Mohammad needs no introduction. The Pakistani great is best known for his epic 970-minute 337 against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957-58, as well as his misfortune of being run out on 499 in a first-class match. He would also keep for the team.

Mohammad Azharuddin would come in at no.3 and the assault would continue. In tandem with Tendulkar, he used to destroy opposition, and made big hitting cool before the era of T20. The artistry of Mohammad Yousuf, who played 90 Tests for a commanding average of 52.29, would follow at no. 4. Yousuf was always at hand to steady the ship for Pakistan and play the role of sheet anchor when required. (Incidentally, Yousuf would not have qualified for this list had he not changed his name from Yousuf Youhana, when he converted to Islam in 2005. His record after the name change is even better, with a Test average of 60.33.) Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi, the sole non-Test player in this XI, would come in at no.5. Nabi is a decent enough allrounder and a would be an asset to the team.

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique is Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker in Tests, but he was also capable of lusty strikes with the bat and was known for his six-hitting ability. He has a Test hundred to his name.

Additionally, Rafique is the only Bangladeshi player to have taken 100 wickets in both Tests and ODIs. Indeed, he has achieved the double of 100 wickets and 1000 runs in both formats. It may well be said that Rafique was one of the first cricketing heroes for Bangladesh.

With Mohammad Amir in red-hot form, he is an automatic inclusion along with the trio of Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Sami. Sami took eight wickets on Test debut, earning him the Man-of-the-Match award in that match. He also has two hat-tricks to his name, one in Tests and the other in ODIs.

This Pakistani pace quartet would surely be a deadly combination, guaranteed to rip apart any batting line-up in the world.

We have room for one more player. While I am inclined to add Mohammad Hafeez, a strong case could be made for Mushtaq Mohammad. I, for one, did not see him play, so I cannot tell. But his statistics in Test cricket certainly speak to his value as an allrounder. So I will allow readers to take their pick between these two.

And there you have it, my Mohammedan XI.