Dhaka was once premier Test Centre of Pakistan (26 October 1998)

26 October 1998

Dhaka was once premier Test Centre of Pakistan

By Arshad Chughtai

Dacca now called Dhaka which remained Pakistan's second capital for nearly 2-1/2 decades and had the unique distinction of staging the country's inaugural Test match at home in 1955, is now staging the mini 'World Cup' (ICC knockout tournament) in which Pakistan will also be participating.

During the period 1955-1971, no less than seven official and three unofficial test matches were held in Dacca resulting in three victories and one loss for Pakistan, the remaining being drawn. On the whole this was a reasonably good success record .

Following is a brief account of the Test matches Pakistan played at Dacca Stadium:

Indians were the first team to visit Pakistan for an official test series starting at Dacca and Dacca stadium for the purpose was built in a hurry. In fact it was built in an unbelievably record period. To pay tribute to the effort of N.M. Khan, a former Chairman, BCCP it was raised as a standing monument to his credit. Reporting the story of Pakistan's first ever official test match at home, Late Qamaruddin Butt in his book "Cricket without challenge" wrote that, the Dacca Stadium was an architectural feat. Lala Amarnath and his men would not believe that it had been brought into being within seven weeks but when assured, he said, he would take the hat off to those who made it possible. Such was the high spirit of the builders of this country in those formative years.

Pakistan held the upper hand in the 4-day drawn test by virtue of 109 runs first innings lead. Fast Bowlers Mehmood Hussain and Khan Mohammad with respective figures of 6/67 and 4/42 ran through the entire visiting team but S.R. Gupte with magical analysis of 5/18 restricted the home team to 158 all out in the second knock. In the second innings V.L. Manjerakar (74 N.O.) and P.Roy (67 N.O.) retrieved the situation to earn India an honourable draw. For Pakistan Waqar Hasan scored 50 in each innings.

New Zealand in the winter of 1955 paid their first visit to Pakistan and played the third test of the rubber at Dacca. Once again Khan Mohammad played havoc to another visiting team. Khan, Fazal and Zulfiqar bundled out the Kiwis for a low total of 70. This remained the lowest total by any visiting team against Pakistan until West Indies's 53 at Faisalabad in 1986-87. Due to incessant drizzle there was no play possible on the first three days. Little Master Hanif-Mohammad Scored 103 Not out, in Pakistan's total of 195 for 6 declared in the first innings. The counts narrowly escaped defeat. They were struggling with 56 runs still in arrears and only four wickets remaining when play ended.

A strong M.C.C. "A" team led D.B. Carr which included such prominent players as Peter Richardson, D.B. Close K.F. Barrington, J.M. Parks Fred Titmus, H.G. Sutcliff, and R. Sweetman visited Pakistan in 1956 and played the second Test of the series in Dacca. The home team won the match convincingly by an innings and 10 runs. M.C.C. "A" scored 172 and 105 in the two innings. Fazal Mehmood and Khan Mohammad accounted for all the 20 M.C.C. wickets. Incidentally the pair again repeated the rare feat only some months later the same year against the visiting Australians in Karachi.

Wazir Mohammad (86) and skipper Kardar (78) were the main architects of Pakistan's winnings total of 287.

It was one of those matches the West Indians would love to erase from memory since this witnessed one of the most remarkable collapses in Test history. In West Indies first innings six batsmen failed to score and were 76 all out Pakistan won the low scoring match inside three days by 41 runs. Fazal returning with remarkable bowling figures of 12 for 100. Late Wallis Mathias was Pakistan's batting hero with scores of 64 and 45 in the two innings. Scores: Pakistan 145 and 144, West Indies 76 and 172.

The only match when Pakistan suffered defeat was originally intended to be played on a grass pitch but after heavy rain it was played on matting. Restricting the home team to 200 in the first innings the visitors looked likely to suffer a significant deficit - at their score of 151 for 8 but for a defiant 66 not out by Wally Grout. Australia came back in the game to surge a useful 25 runs lead. Later skipper Richie Benaud and 'slasher' Ken Mackay with 4 and 6 wickets for 42 runs each demolished the home team for 134. Australia was never in any hurry to score the small winning total of 112 for 2, which they comfortably achieved to win the match by 8 wickets: Fazal (5 to 71) and Hanif (66).

Ted Dexter's men after losing, the Test series in India crossed over the border to resume their unfinished test series against Pakistan in Dacca. The match was drawn but not before the Little Master Hanif Mohammad scored a century in the first innings and repeated the feat in the second to become the first Pakistani to achieve the rare distinction and in the process he eventually ensured Pakistan a safe draw. Lancashire left-handed opening batasman Geoff Puller scored an attractive hundred for the visitors Spinning magic of Tony Lock and David Allen accounted for 15 Pakistan wickets in the two innings Burki scored 140 in the first.

Pakistan invited a strong Commonwealth team to regain their lost confidence after their 1962 debacle in England. Led by Imtiaz Ahmed the home team played the third test of the drawn test series in Dacca. Pakistan did well to gain a useful first innings lead of 84 runs but they fell short of achieving a winning target of 261 by 38 runs in 178 minutes, after a sporting declaration by visiting skipper Peter Richardson (344 for 6). The game might have produced a result, had not the match been reduced to 4-days due to the death of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Hussain Shaheed Suharwardy, S.M. Nurse and Saeed Ahmed scored centuries, while Tom Graveney scored 97.

Ceylon visited Pakistan for their second visit for an unofficial Test series in 1966 and played second match of the series at Dacca. Skipper Little Master Hanif Mohammad and brother Mushtaq Mohammad scored magnificent hundreds. Saeed Ahmed returned a remarkable match analysis with 10 for 130 to provide the home team convincing Innings victory. Ceylon scored 213 and 167 in the two innings respectively.

A series marred by crowd disturbances had its second match in Dacca. Saeed Ahmed won the toss. Show and Brown restricted Pakistan's first innings total to 246. England in reply at one time, 7 wickets down at the score of 130 were facing disaster but an unbeaten 114 by Basil Dolveria retrieved their position and consequently they earned a slender lead of 28 runs. The 4-day match ended drawn but not before the home team suffered some anxious moments on the last day when the MCC were asked to achieve tough target of 168 runs in a space of 70 odd minutes towards the end.

This was the last match to be played by Pakistan at Dacca as one of its test Centres Pakistan already one down in the series desperately needed to win the Test and to square the series and that seemed sure when the visitors only 84 runs on the aggregate had lost 8 wickets at one time in the second innings. But a 9th wicket stand of 96 runs and stoppage of play by bad light caused abandoing of the match 65 minutes before the scheduled close to ensure Kiwis the first ever series win in 40 years. Glenn Turner and Mark Burgess scored Centuries and Asif Iqbal scored 92. Intikhab Alam claimed 5 wickets for 91 runs in each innings.

Source :: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)