Test cricketer Naushad Ali passes away

ISLAMABAD: A human being of great qualities and a Test cricketer of incredible skill, Col (rtd) Naushad Ali breathed his last at Shifa Hospital due to lung failure Sunday morning.

Naushad, 79, served the game throughout his life in all capacities barring the Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board. The wicketkeeper-batsman started his Test career in the early sixties and toured with the Pakistani team to Australia and New Zealand in 1964 and England in 1971.

Naushad played six Tests, all versus New Zealand. Unlike modern-day cricket, one rarely get opportunities of playing Test cricket in those days when even one tour or a series a year was considered sufficient to give players the required exposure. Top teams usually met once in a couple of years and even playing six Tests was considered a big achievement.

Naushad in between joined the Army which halted his career as a cricketer. He then started his career as an official and even managed teams in the early eighties. He also served as Chief Executive PCB with Mujeebur Rehman for a brief stint. He also worked as chief selector and selector on numerous occasions in the nineties and early 2000s.