Qamar Ahmed

Qamar Ahmed (born 23 October 1937) is a Pakistani cricket journalist and former first-class cricketer who played for Sindh and Hyderabad cricket teams.[1]

Qamar Ahmed
Personal information
Born (1937-10-23) 23 October 1937
Mughal Serai, Uttar Pradesh, India
BattingRight-handed
BowlingSlow left-arm orthodox
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1956-57 to 1957-58Sind
1958-59 to 1962-63Hyderabad
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 17
Runs scored 371
Batting average 12.79
100s/50s 0/1
Top score 68 not out
Balls bowled 2023
Wickets 36
Bowling average 29.11
5 wickets in innings 1
10 wickets in match –
Best bowling 6/36
Catches/stumpings 8/–
Source: Cricinfo, 27 August 2015

Playing career

Ahmed made his first-class debut for Sind against Karachi Whites in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 1956-57, taking 3 for 60 in an innings defeat for Sind. He and the future Test player Mushtaq Mohammad, who was also making his first-class debut for Karachi Whites, dismissed each other.[2] He played again for Sind in 1957-58, but the Sind team was discontinued in 1958, and he began playing for the new Hyderabad team in 1958-59. When Hyderabad won for the first time, against Khairpur in 1959-60, Ahmed took 6 for 36 with his left-arm spin in the second innings.[3]

He captained Hyderabad in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 1961-62, but they lost all three of their matches, failing to dismiss any of their opponents.[4]

His highest score was 68 not out at number 10 for Hyderabad against Karachi A in 1962-63.[5]

In Wounded Tiger, his history of Pakistan cricket, Peter Oborne says Ahmed has the unique distinction of having dismissed all five brothers of the famous Mohammad family in first-class cricket.[6] In fact, although he did dismiss Hanif,[7] Mushtaq and Sadiq,[8] he did not dismiss Wazir or Raees – at least not in first-class cricket.

Journalism

Ahmed earned a master's degree in English Literature at the University of Sindh and began his journalism career at the Indus Times in Hyderabad. Since 1963 he has worked as a freelance journalist.[9] At the Third Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Sharjah in January 2014 he became the third journalist, after John Woodcock and Richie Benaud, to cover 400 Tests. At that stage he had also covered 732 One Day Internationals and eight World Cups.[10] For most of his journalism career he has been based in the UK.[11]

Books
  • Pakistan Book of Cricket (annual from 1976 to 1998-99)
  • Testing Time (1983)
  • Showdown: The Story of Pakistan's Tour of the West Indies 1993 (1993)
  • Playing for Pakistan: An Autobiography by Hanif Mohammad with Qamar Ahmed (1999)
  • An Artist's Impression of the Golden Greats of Pakistan Cricket (with Shafiq Ahmed) (2002)
  • For Cricket and Country by Waqar Hasan with Qamar Ahmed (2002)

References
  1. "Far More Than A Game | Sports | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk.
  2. "Sind v Karachi Whites 1956-57". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  3. "Hyderabad v Khairpur 1959-60". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  4. "Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 1961-62". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  5. "Karachi A v Hyderabad 1962-63". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  6. Peter Oborne, Wounded Tiger: The History of Cricket in Pakistan, Simon & Schuster, London, 2014, p. 138.
  7. "Hyderabad v Karachi 1958-59". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  8. "Hyderabad Chief Commissioner's XI v Fazal Mahmood's XI 1959-60". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  9. Khan, Khalid H. (16 January 2014). "Renowned journalist Qamar Ahmed scores 400 not out in Tests". Dawn. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  10. "Qamar Ahmed covers his 400th Test". The News. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  11. Fernando, Andrew Fidel (16 January 2014). "Qamar Ahmed's special quadruple". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
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