Former Pakistan Test cricketer Farooq Hamid dies at 80

Former Pakistan Test cricketer Farooq Hamid died at the age of 80. Hamid, who played one Test for Pakistan at the MCG in 1964, had been suffering from cancer, according to his family.

The PCB said on its official website it was saddened to learn of his passing. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also expressed his sorrow.

Hamid's career spanned the 1960s, a time when Pakistan cricket was in an extended period of decline. He was a fast-medium bowler who spent almost the entirety of his career on the domestic first-class circuit, playing for domestic departmental side Pakistan International Airlines, and the regional side Lahore, where he was born. In 43 first-class matches, he took 111 wickets at 25.21.

He was called up for Pakistan's tour of Australia and played his first and only Test in December 1964 at the age of 19 in Melbourne under the captaincy of Hanif Mohammad. His solitary wicket was that of Ian Chappell in what ended up being a drawn game.

Hamid quit cricket at 25 after becoming disillusioned by what he saw as political interference in cricket. His older sister Tahira Hamid, who died in 2020, was an influential figure in the early years of Pakistan women's cricket in the mid-1970s.