Independence and Tension
The birth of India and Pakistan as sovereign independent countries was deeply traumatic. Gruesome communal rioting preceded Partition especially in Punjab and Bengal. These two provinces were divided at Partition through the oracular decisions of Sir Cyril Radcliffe who had never set foot in the subcontinent until five weeks before his award! Millions of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs left their homes, criss-crossing the new boundaries to seek sanctuary and start new lives. In Punjab alone it is estimated that a million people were killed in the communal frenzy. Appalled by the human suffering, Mahatma Gandhi went on a hunger strike during which he nearly died. A year later he was assassinated by an extremist Hindu.
For Pakistan, the emergence into statehood was dire, covered in blood. Within weeks conflict in Kashmir saw the new sovereign countries in hostile confrontation at the UN Security Council with armies eyeball to eyeball. This was not the birth of two countries on the US-Canada model that Jinnah had hoped for. As the tensionfilled weeks passed, Jinnah became convinced that the Congress leadership wanted to strangle Pakistan at birth because financial arrangements agreed before Partition had not been honoured by India, nor had defence equipment earmarked for Pakistan been transferred. Worst of all, water supplies to the lower riparian were being withheld. Political statements by Nehru, Patel and the Congress leadership confirmed for Jinnah that Partition had been agreed by the Congress Party in order to commit Britain to leaving the subcontinent as early as possible. Having swallowed the bitterest pill of accepting a communal division of India, the Congress Party was intent on strangulating the ‘illegitimate child’ at birth.
Against this hostile backdrop, cricket in Pakistan was hardly a national preoccupation. As Independence approached, most of the Muslim cricketers who had been playing in the Pentangular and for regional teams in the Ranji Trophy had to make the anguished decision of whether to stay in India or to move to the new country. Jinnah’s Pakistan concept had been criticized by prominent Muslims of India like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and the Bombay journalist Syed Abdullah Brelvi. The Jamaat-e-Islami in India had also been highly critical of the concept of Pakistan, as Jinnah had emphasized that Pakistan would not be a theocratic state but a homeland for Muslims in which all Pakistanis would have equal rights whether they were Muslims or non-Muslims. In his famous speech on 11 August, Jinnah outlined his vision of Pakistan as a secular homeland for Muslims:
‘We are starting,’ he said, ‘with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State ... Now I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State.’
The decision of whether or not to move to Pakistan was not so difficult for prominent Punjab-based cricketers. They either belonged to West Pakistan (Lahore) or East Punjab (for example, Jalandhar) from where they emigrated to Lahore and other West Pakistani cities. Among this group were Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Mian Saeed, Jahangir Khan and his Pathan clan who had roots in Mianwali, Dilawar Hussain, Baqa Jilani, Fida Hassan (later defence secretary), Agha Ahmad Raza Khan, Khan Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Syed Wazir Ali and his brother Nazeer Ali (Wazir Ali’s son Khalid Wazir played for Pakistan in 1954). Amir Elahi and Gul Mohammad, both Lahoris but employed by Indian princely states, were All-India players who stayed on in India but emigrated to Pakistan a few years after Partition. In fact four Muslim players were selected for the India team to Australia in 1948 captained by Lala Amarnath. Fazal Mahmood, Kardar and Imtiaz declined as they opted for Pakistan but the rotund, jovial Amir Elahi went with the team to Australia even though he was forty years old! Gul Mohammad was not selected.
Of prominent Muslim cricketers from other parts of India M.E.Z. Ghazali, Anwar Hussain and Alimuddin migrated to Karachi. Hanif Mohammad and his four brothers had not made their mark in pre-partition cricket but the boy genius from Junagadh was soon to do so at the age of 16! K.C. Ibrahim, Test player and stalwart of the Pentangular and Ranji Trophy cricket, stayed on in Bombay but migrated with his family to Karachi in 1961. Mushtaq Ali also remained in India and continued to play for India while in the service of the Maharaja of Indore. Other prominent Muslim players like E.S. Maka and Ahmad Bootawalla also stayed on in India.
The Sindh team that played in the Ranji Trophy contained a number of Hindu players, most prominent among whom was the all-rounder Naoomal Jeoomal who was selected by India for three Test matches in the early thirties. After Partition, Naoomal Jeoomal stayed on in Karachi and became an umpire and coach. I remember playing club cricket in Karachi as a young student with the immensely popular and genial Naoomal umpiring and giving coaching tips to all and sundry while regaling everyone with his cricketing anecdotes. Naoomal, I recall, was a voracious paan chewer and I am sure that he chewed paan while bowling, batting and fielding, just as the modern- day cricketer is constantly chewing gum! Naoomal Jeoomal’s Sindhi Hindu clan continue to produce excellent cricketers who play firstclass cricket in Pakistan.
The obvious first step into the international cricketing arena for Pakistan would have been to play some form of representative cricket against India but the tension-ridden political atmosphere between the two states prevented any bilateral sporting fixtures being scheduled. In 1948-49, the West Indies visited India but played only unofficial matches in Pakistan, which had not yet been admitted to the ICC. However, at the international sporting level Pakistan had quickly made its mark by reaching the hockey semi-finals at the London Olympics in 1948 and Helsinki in 1952. More importantly, from 1950 onwards the balding, bandy-legged Hashim Khan swept all before him in the world of squash – a supremacy that Pakistan maintained for four decades after Hashim Khan through Azam Khan, Roshan Khan, Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan. Pakistan had climbed to the top at squash and hockey, so cricket could be expected to follow. Hafeez Kardar had been appointed captain of Pakistan by the hastily convened Pakistan Cricket Board and was grooming a new generation of players mainly from Lahore and Karachi. Fazal Mahmood, Imtiaz Ahmed, Amir Elahi and Khan Mohammad were already established cricketers but the main focus of attention fell on the Junagadh-born Karachi boy-wonder Hanif Mohammad whose impregnable defence, limitless patience and superb technique saw him accumulate a mountain of runs. Some scratch sides like the Commonwealth XI visited Pakistan and were given a run for their money with Fazal, Khan Mohammad, Imtiaz and Hanif confirming their status as fine cricketers.
In the early days after Partition, stalwarts like Wazir Ali, his brother Nazeer Ali, Jahangir Khan and Dilawar Hussain were prominent organizers of cricket in Pakistan. Mian Mohammad Saeed was a leading batsman and administrator and was appointed captain for Pakistan’s first unofficial series against Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the West Indies and a Commonwealth team that toured Pakistan. Karachi and Lahore became the hub of Pakistan cricket and the first match given first-class cricket status (several years later) was between a Wazir Ali XI and Mian Saeed XI in 1948. From pre-independence days Kardar, Fazal Mahmood, Khan Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Maqsood Ahmed, Nazar Mohammad turned out for Lahore-based teams while M.E.Z. Ghazali, Alimuddin, Anwar Hussain and U.R. Chippa were prominent players from Karachi. Hanif and his brother Wazir were yet to make their mark in Karachi.
For the first unofficial test against the West Indies in 1948 the Pakistan team comprised Mian Saeed (capt), Nazar Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Maqsood Ahmed, Anwar Hussain, M.E.Z. Ghazali, Aslam Khokar, Fazal Mahmood, Munawwar Ali Khan, Khan Mohammad and Shujauddin Butt. Indian Test players Amir Elahi (1949) and Gul Mohammad (1955) migrated to Pakistan later and briefly represented Pakistan. Mian Saeed was retained as captain for a tour of Ceylon where both unofficial Tests were won but Pakistan suffered heavy defeats against the touring Commonwealth team in both unofficial tests due to Australian wrist spinners George Tribe and Cecil Pepper playing havoc with its batsmen.
For the MCC’s tour of Pakistan in 1951-52 Hafeez Kardar replaced Mian Saeed as captain. Pakistan proved to be the superior team with Hanif Mohammad had arrived on the scene. The Pakistan team for the second unofficial Test against MCC was Nazar Mohammad, Hanif Mohammad, M.E.Z. Ghazali, Imtiaz Ahmed, Maqsood Ahmed, Hafeez Kardar, Anwar Hussain, Fazal Mahmood, U.R. Chippa, Khan Mohammad and Amir Elahi. Shortly afterwards, Pakistan was given official status and toured India in 1952-53 and England in 1954 as a Test-playing country.
Early Defensive Encounters
Despite the tension over Kashmir, the Indian board invited the Pakistan team to play a series in India in the winter of 1952-53. Relations between the two neighbours had stabilized, with water running through the canals and defence and financial quotas adjusted, but tension over Kashmir pervaded the atmosphere. The tour began with apprehensions in the Indian establishment that disturbances in the crowded stadiums could take place against the Pakistani teams. In his memoirs, Hanif Mohammad describes the adulation that Pakistani cricketers received in Delhi from Indian cricket fans. He states that though relations between the two countries were passing through a bitter phase, Pakistani cricketers were given a warm reception at the Test in Delhi that India’s long established cricketers won with some ease.
The next Test at Lucknow saw a reversal of fortunes. Nazar Mohammad opened the innings and carried his bat for an unbeaten century. Fazal Mahmood and Khan Mohammad completed the job and Pakistan had won its first Test victory in only its second Test Match. As India faced defeat in Lucknow, the crowd became restive and abusive comments were addressed towards the Pakistani players. Meanwhile, the extremist Hindu Mahasabha Party launched a campaign against the Pakistani visitors. Threats were bandied about and placard-holding demonstrators were forcibly removed by the Indian police. The demonstration left a bitter taste in the mouth. The succeeding Tests saw India clinch the series in Calcutta without further incident on the ground but against the background of vitriolic speeches at the UN on Kashmir by V.K. Krishna Menon and Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan.
For India’s return visit to Pakistan in 1954-55 the political atmosphere was, if anything, worse. Pakistan had decided to enter the US-sponsored Defence Pacts that included Iran and Turkey while India became one of the main sponsors of the Non-Aligned Movement. Apart from the tension over Kashmir, India and Pakistan had entered the Cold War from opposite sides. The Indian team was led by Lala Amarnath, who had been a hero for Punjab in pre-partition India. The Indian team was given a warm welcome in Pakistan by cricket fans but both teams were determined to avoid defeat and it soon became evident that the cricket had suffered, with a lamentable scoring rate of less than 1.5 runs an over. This turgid cricket turned away fans in both countries. The goodwill generated by the visiting teams, and especially through stars like Amarnath, Mankad, S.P. Gupte from the Indian side and Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Khan Mohammad from Pakistan soon drained away, leaving the cricketers to defend the nation’s honour by not losing and withdrawing into protective bunkers.
Pakistan’s second tour of India took place in 1960-61. Ayub Khan had taken over as the first in a succession of military dictators that have dominated Pakistan’s sixty-year history, straining further relations with democratic India. However, despite the tension, the cricket series was scheduled and Fazal Mahmood led the Pakistan team following Hafeez Kardar’s retirement.
The Pakistan tour kicked off on a contentious note. While travelling to Baroda by train, an Indian fan shook hands with Hanif and lacerated his middle finger with a sharp instrument – probably a razor blade – that he had hidden in the palm of his hand. The incident was blown up in the Pakistani media, resulting in Hanif’s mother making a dash to Bombay to help her son’s recovery. Generally the cricketing family – former and current Test players, managers, administrators and committee men – gave the Pakistani team a warm welcome. Dinners and receptions were hosted for the team and fulsome praise showered on the Pakistani players but the crowds were generally glum and highly nationalistic in their outlook. The Pakistani media referred to the ‘unsportsmanlike’ behaviour of the Indian spectators by claiming that they used mirrors to reflect sunlight into the eyes of Pakistani batsmen. Regrettably, cricket reflected the political tension between the two countries and all five Test matches were drawn, repeating the results of the previous series. By the end of Pakistan’s tour of India, twelve successive Test matches had been drawn. Body language between the players indicated that they were tense and bent on not losing the Test Matches.
This state of affairs continued until the mid-1960s, with both teams adopting ultra cautious, defensive attitudes to the Test series. Despite tensions over Kashmir, the Rann of Kutch and the Sino- Indian border dispute, it seemed that cricket and politics were two separate worlds, each controlled by the establishment and the elite who decided the extent and limits of mass participation.
War Interrupts Play
The 1965 war saw the ‘frivolity’ of Indo-Pakistan cricket brought to an end. The 1971 war that led to the separation of East Pakistan confirmed this breach. The two wars had led to the public in both countries becoming deeply imbued with nationalistic fervour. Extremist religious parties sprang up in both countries and media rhetoric saw government and public relations plummet to a nadir. Tension following the two wars saw a gap of eighteen years in bilateral series between the two countries.
During this period, a new generation of outstanding cricketers rose to the top in both countries. Mushtaq Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Majid Khan adorned the scene in Pakistan, never having participated in an India- Pakistan bilateral series. In India, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Bishen Singh Bedi, Chandrashekhar and a talented young man, Sachin Tendulkar, were emerging superstars in the cricketing firmament.
In 1978-79 India visited Pakistan, eighteen years after the last series, and the two teams played their 13th successive draw. Defensive attitudes had not changed and nationalist fervour pervaded the atmosphere at the stadiums. There were the usual accusations of biased umpiring and at Faisalabad the two umpires – Khalid Aziz and Shakoor Rana – refused to take the field after a critical outburst from Gavaskar. The match was delayed for 11 minutes. The next two Tests saw Pakistan victorious, breaking the monotonous sequence of draws and leaving Pakistan winners of a series for the first time.
Umpiring in Pakistan had been seen by visiting teams as highly incompetent and partisan. From the early visits of Commonwealth and MCC teams, Pakistani umpires were criticized by players and foreign media. This attitude led to the infamous dousing of Umpire Idris Beg in a Peshawar hotel by MCC players. The Indians complained bitterly about the biased umpiring when they came to Pakistan. In recalling events when he assumed Pakistan’s captaincy, Imran Khan revealed his shock when the umpires appointed for the Test called on him and asked him for any special instructions! Of course, the Indian visiting teams suffered the brunt of this partisan attitude but it needs to be said that Indian umpires were no less partisan when Pakistan teams visited India. Perhaps they were more subtle in giving their decisions because Indian umpires, unlike their Pakistani counterparts, had long experience of umpiring in first-class cricket.
Imran Khan brought about a revolution in international umpiring by proposing neutral umpires for a home series. In this endeavour he was supported by PCB Chairman Air Marshal Nur Khan. Pakistan unilaterally invited two English umpires for a Test series against the West Indies in 1986-87 and later against India in 1989-90. Thereafter, the international cricket community followed suit by appointing neutral umpires for all Tests and one neutral umpire for ODIs. Pakistan continued to campaign for two neutral umpires in all international matches – even ODIs – and has insisted since then – even though others have not followed suit – that ICC appoint neutral umpires for ODI series in Pakistan. Without doubt, Pakistan has taken the lead in the appointment of neutral umpires.
Over the past two decades, umpiring standards have improved signifi
cantly in both Pakistan and India. This is due to the intensive training programmes and the monitoring of umpires in various grades of national cricket. This improvement has been recognized by ICC so that umpires like Venkataraghavan, Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf have been included in the ICC panel of elite umpires.
In 1979-80, Pakistan visited India and drew the 1st Test in Delhi but India broke the sequence of draws on its soil in Bombay with a win by 131 runs – its first victory over Pakistan since 1952!
The next two series, in 1982-83 and 1983-84, were replete with player angst and nationalistic crowds. Though Pakistan won the first series handsomely, at Karachi, in the last Test, a riot broke out in the stadium and the pitch was dug up, leading to the match being abandoned. In Bangalore, Zaheer Abbas led his team off after bowling minimum overs in an effort to deny Gavaskar his century of centuries. The umpires informed Zaheer Abbas that the match – a certain draw – would be forfeited in favour of India if Pakistan refused to come out, whereupon Zaheer and his players re-emerged. Gavaskar duly completed his century. Later, in Jalandhar, Zaheer refused to play on a rest day when an entire day had earlier been washed out due to rain. All the Test matches in India during the 1983-84 series were drawn.
When the next two series took place in 1984-85 and 1986-87, Pakistan was nearing its decade of military dictatorship under General Zia-ul-Haq. Media and press guidance from the government led to the public being fed a censored view of national and international affairs. The religious bent of the Zia government was not propitious for India-Pakistan cricket, one of the government’s favourite spokesmen maintaining on television that cricket was an obscene game as bowlers were allowed to rub the ball on their trouser fronts!
Shadows Across the Playing Field Page 12
