*Harsh Thakor writes
One of Pakistan’s all-time great cricketers.Asif was able to turn the fortunes of games and sometimes even win them with the bat and was a more than useful bowler.After the retirement of Sobers he was the world’s best No.6 batsman.In a crisis he was a great player and perhaps the best batsman with tail enders. .Asif reminded fans of a soldier fighting a battle when all seemed lost and ultimately changing the course of the battle.In the late70’s some of his innings with regards to strokeplay and ability to bat in a crisis compared with the greatest batsman in the world.Asif combined his sound, quick footwork with great elegance and ability to execute wristy shots.He was also a great runner between the wickets.Asif was particularly strong on the leg-side.He also had unorthodox shots.He was also a very effective medium pacer who would initiate crucial breakthroughs.His stance in the craese became more open over the years and his strokeplay to the legside displayed a more rugged tendency.However his brillinat hand-eye co-ordination remained till the end.
Asif made his cricketing debut in India in Hyderabad as a medium -fast bowler.Only after migrating to Pakistan did he reveal his ability as a batsman.
In 1967 for Pakistan Asif gave an exhibition of batting perhaps comparable with the greatest innings ever seen in test Cricket.In the Oval test coming in at No.9 he scored 146 in 170 mins sharing a record 190 stand with Intikkhab Alam The innings included, 2 sixes and 21 fours.In the fisrst innings of the test he claimed 3 wickets for 66 runs.Theattack was simply torn to pieces and Asif converted what would have been a humiliating defeat for Pakistan into a self-respecting, honourable one.Never perhaps in test Cricket did a player selected in the side as a bowler make such a sensational impact with the bat.Learie Constantine called it the greatest Innings he ever saw.
In 1968 Asif joined Kent.For his county he scored over thousand runs 6 times.
In 1970-71 Asif scored a test Century at Edgbaston in the first test.In 1972-73 against NewZealand Asif was to play one his great knocks.He shared a record partnership with Mushtaq Muhammad, scoring 175. at Dunedin.
However Asif became a truly great batsman only after 1975.In the 1976-77 tour of Australia his 152 not out at Brisbane and is 120 at Sydney helped Pakistan draw their first rubber against the world’s best side.In the first test with help from Zaheer Abbas he helped Pakistan to a mammoth total in the second innings that enabled his side with a huge first innings deficit to save the game.At Sydney on a fast, bouncy top he tore apart the bowling of Dennis Lillee after Pakistan were a precarious 111 for 4 wickets.Finally Pakistan built a useful 148 run lead and Imran’s bowling enabled Pakistan to win effortlessly. Asif in that series scored 313 runs at 78.25 apiece.It was a great achievement against a hostile attack on the world’s fastest wickets. .
In the West Indies after failing for most of the series Asif scored a breathtaking innings of 135 against the West Indies attack at it’s best in the final test at Kingston.The wicket was one of the world’s fastest possessing deadly pace and bounce. When the likes of Zaheer Javed and Majid buckled Asif gave one of the most dazzling exhibitions of strokeplay against the ferocious West Indies attack. Pakistan were beaten but not disgraced after a hard-fought series.That day he protected a middle-order batsman like Wasim Raja from facing hostile pace! Such was the menace of the attack that Wasim Raja was made to handle the spinners.
In Packer cricket Asif was Pakistan’s leading scorer. Against the bowling of Lillee, Holding Etc Asif played some of the best match-winning innings.He was at ease on the bouncy surfaces exhibiting his competent footwork as well as his great guts.Aussie fans marveled his characteristic coolness in high -pressure situations.In one match chasing 250 runs the Rest of the World side was 90 runs for 6 wickets. Asif simply wrote an epic that day converting a lost cause to a great victory, exhibiting nerves of steel.The way he handled the likes of Michael Holding and Dennis Lille was a revelation On retuning to official test Cricket Asif scored a memorable Century against India in Lahore, where Pakistan gained a historic win.He played useful knocks on the twin tours of New Zealand and Australia.At Perth in the 2nd innings of the second test Asif scored a majestic 135batting out of 285 with the tail.
In Newzealand at Napier he scored a match saving 104.
In the prudential Cup Asif was appointed skipper but he never showed the great captain’s ability of holding a talented side together.He played 2 useful knocks of 61 and 52 against Australia and England but failed to take Pakistan to the final.
Asif retired from test Cricket in a tragic manner after his side faced a humiliating 2-0 defeat against India.Asif hardly played well and one of the world’s greatest sides was now on a decline.Pakistan faced huge defeats in Bombay and Madras.It was sad sight to see such a great cricketer bow down in such a mannner.Asif praised Packer Cricket’s contribution and spoke happpily about his cricket career.stating’it was Cricket that made me what I am’
Since his retirement Asif has been a successful leader of the Cricketer’s benefit fund under the stewardship of Abdul Rema Bukatir.Asif has also been a successful T.V.Commentator.
*Statistically Asif scored 3, 308 runs at 39.85 with 11 test hundreds as well as took 51 test wickets at 28.03.However that does not do true justice to his worth.In a crisis in his later years he was a truly great batsman.His performances in the Packer Era were comparable to the great players.At his best to me he was one of Cricket’s most memorable characters who radiated joy above everything else.
*By Harsh Thakor