Hyderabad-born Asif Iqbal, who led Pakistan gloriously, was a man for all seasons & crisis

After much heat and dust, India and Pakistan will clash in the ICC T20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday. The cricket ties between the arch-rivals have taken a severe beating over the years and it is no wonder that their relationship has hit an abyss with both sides lacking saner minds and voices.

In such a volatile situation, and whenever India plays against Pakistan, one name usually comes up in discussions between fans belonging to the older generation. That name is Asif Iqbal Razvi, the tall, slim Hyderabadi who had the potential to rewrite many records in India but his life took him to Pakistan where he led their national team in two World Cup campaigns (1975 and 1979) and a Test series against India.

At one point of time, Asif was known as Pakistan’s crisis solver because he was good at negotiations and solving tricky issues. But, alas, there is no one of his calibre on the other side of the Wagah Border to thaw the frigid relationship between the two neighbours.

In style and grace, Asif had the typical flair that many Hyderabad players possess. The timing and the elegance of his strokeplay was worthy of the highest admiration. In an article in Wisden, it was noted that he had lightning quick footwork and his cover drives were exquisite to behold.

In style and grace, Asif had the typical flair that many Hyderabad players possess. The timing and the elegance of his strokeplay was worthy of the highest admiration

When it came to devising strategy and tactics and implementing them, he was unmatched. It surprised no one when the county of Kent made him the team captain in 1977 while he was playing in England.

The Kent side of the late 1960s and 70s was an excellent one-day squad. It had Colin Cowdrey, Alan Knott, Derek Underwood, Brian Luckhurst and Kanpur-born Bob Woolmer of England along with the West Indian duo of Bernard Julien and John Shepherd. And Asif was one of its vital cogs who contributed to their various title wins. In 1977, Asif himself led Kent to the title of County Championship (shared with Middlesex).

Asif Iqbal’s uncle was the former India off spinner & captain Ghulam Ahmed, and he is also related to tennis ace Sania Mirza

Asif belonged to family of sportsmen of Hyderabad

Asif was born in Hyderabad in 1943 before emigrating to Karachi in 1961. By the time his family made the move, Asif had already made a name for himself in the Hyderabad cricketing circles. The decision to leave Hyderabad and settle in Karachi was made by his family elders and the teenager Asif had to follow them across the border.

He hailed from a family that had cricket running in its veins. His uncle was the former India off-spinner and captain Ghulam Ahmed, and he is, therefore, also related to tennis ace Sania Mirza. Some of his other uncles also played First-Class cricket.

Asif Iqbal set up a record in 1967

He made his Test debut for Pakistan against Australia in 1964. But one of his most memorable achievements came in 1967 against England. In the third Test of the series, Asif and his skipper Intikhab Alam put on 190 runs for the ninth wicket, which was a record at the time. Asif scored 146, which was at that time, the highest by a No. 9 batter (at an England ground).

Pakistani captain Asif Iqbal and his wife at a reception during Pakistan’s historic 1979/80 tour of India. Also pictured with them is the well-known Indian actress Rekha

Later, Asif was appointed Pakistan’s captain for two World Cups. The first was in 1975 and the second in 1979. In the second edition, Asif led Pakistan into the semifinals where it lost to the eventual winner West Indies. He played an important role in that match by taking four wickets for 56 runs in 11 overs. Back then the ODI World Cup matches used to be of 60 overs each side.

The two most fiery fast bowlers of the Pakistan team, namely Imran Khan and Sarfaraz Nawaz, had little effect on the strong Windies batting line up. They could take only one wicket each and eventually it was Asif, bowling his medium pace cutters, who restricted the mighty West Indies to 293 for 6. Opener Gordon Greenidge with 73 was the top scorer for his side. It was Asif who had him caught by wicketkeeper Wasim Bari.

Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan flayed WI pacers

In reply, Pakistan’s Sadiq Mohammad was out early but when the celebrated Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan came together in the second wicket partnership, the West Indies ran into trouble. Imran Khan’s cousin Majid was then rated as one of the best batters in the world. He began playing his shots with the beautiful fluency that had made him a famous name in English county cricket.

Asif Iqbal and the Pakistan team for the 1979 Prudential World Cup

At the other end, Zaheer Abbas was his typically elegant self. He used his high, imperious back lift even when Andy Roberts and Michael Holding were hurling down their thunderbolts. His strong and supple wrists enabled him to make a mockery of the late swing movement. For a while it seemed like Pakistan may pull off one of the greatest upsets in cricket history.

The scoreboard went up to 176 for one before the dream ended. It happened when the burly Colin Croft used his full height of 6 feet 6 inches to make the ball lift unexpectedly and find the edge of Zaheer’s bat. Wicketkeeper Derek Murray made no mistake behind the stumps and the stand was broken. Head hanging down, Zaheer Abbas trudged to the pavilion. He had scored a blazing 93. Soon after Majid Khan too was dismissed by Croft for 81. And eventually Pakistan ended up 43 runs short of the target.

Asif might have become Pakistan’s greatest captain

Had Pakistan won that match against the West Indies, Asif Iqbal would have been hailed as the greatest captain in Pakistan’s cricket history. But fate, and Colin Croft, denied him that honour. Nevertheless, he was a captain who was widely respected for his cricketing brains and his shrewd tactics. He led Pakistan in a Test series against India in 1979-80.

Asif Iqbal with his legendary Pakistan teammates

That series consisted of 6 Test matches. India eventually won the series 2-0 but there were memorable performances from both sides. Sunil Gavaskar was the highest run scorer with a total of 529 runs while for Pakistan the top scorer was Wasim Raja with 450 runs. Wasim was followed by Javed Miandad (421) and then came Asif Iqbal (267). Kapil Dev (32) and Sikandar Bakht (25) were the leading wicket takers.

Controversy cropped up in India-Pak series

But this series was hit by controversy when former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfaraz Nawaz alleged that skipper Asif Iqbal tried to fix, or throw away, the 6th Test match at the Eden Gardens. Sarfaraz pointed out that during the toss, Asif had picked the coin up swiftly from the ground, before the rival captain (G R Vishwanath) could see it.  Asif then announced that Vishy had won the toss.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17DwG8kEJF/

Asif strongly denied these allegations. He called the allegations ‘a joke’ and stated that his name never figured in official investigation reports, such as the Condon report or the CBI report, regarding match-fixing. It is pertinent to point out that by the time this incident is said to have taken place, India had already won the series 2-0. The match-fixing allegation was never proved.

Nowadays, after a tumultuous cricket career and having come out of match-fixing investigations, 82-year-old Asif Iqbal lives in the UK with his wife Farhana

But once the stigma of match-fixing is attached to any player, it does not vanish easily. While Asif was a respected figure, his name did come up again in debates surrounding gambling during the CBF series in Sharjah, where he was the director of cricket. The CBF series, supported by the wealthy tycoon Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, was hailed as the El Dorado of cricket but also gave rise to allegations of betting and illegal activity.

Nowadays, after a tumultuous cricket career and having come out of match-fixing investigations, 82-year-old Asif Iqbal lives in the UK with his wife Farhana. His two sons Omar and Hesham too live in the UK. At one time, Asif used to be known as Pakistan’s crisis solver. Knowledgeable cricket fans in Pakistan will surely be thinking of him now – when the country needs more players like Asif Iqbal.