The father of cricket in Pakistan

For the Cricket lovers all over the world, August11 was a sad day as they have lost cricket icon, builder of monumental innings and first ever-shining star of Pakistan cricket "The little master Hanif Mohammad." His death is taken as a greatest loss of Cricket since the death of Sir Don Bradman. The renewed former Pakistani cricketer has died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 81.
Early Life: Hanif Mohammad was born in a sport loving family in Junagadh Gujarat, India in 1934. His mother, Ameer Bee, a national badminton champion, and his father, Ismail was a talented club cricketer. They moved to Karachi when Hanif was 13 years old. They travelled in a boat from India to the new country, Pakistan, and landed in Karachi in a disused Hindu temple. The veteran cricketer Hanif was the third of five brothers. His three brothers Sadiq, Mushtaq and Wazir also played cricket for Pakistan, while the other, Raees, also had a first class cricketing career.
Career: Hanif Mohammad had a remarkable career, he had unparalleled knowledge of cricket. He made his first Test century - 142 runs in seven hours 48 minutes - against India at Bahawalpur in January 1955, and his second against New Zealand at Dacca in November same year.
The biggest moment in the history of cricket world, come when Hanif scored triple century (the 337 runs in 970 minutes) in 1958 against West Indies in Barbados, which was then the second highest Test score after Len Hutton's 364 runs. It was a heroic longest innings in Test history. He became only the sixth cricketer to score a triple ton. He was the first ever-Asian cricketer to reach such milestone.
He started batting towards the end of the third day of a six-day match in a hopeless position, following on with a first-innings deficit of 473. Hanif remembered his performance and said, "I was oblivious to everything else, I did not feel tired. By the end of the fourth day I was 160-odd not out and we started thinking we could save it".
At the end of day five Hanif said that his eyes were bloodshot from the glare off the shiny pitch yet the match had still not been saved. He got Kardar's message that 'If you can play until tea-time we will be safe. Hanif batted beyond teatime, and reached 337, Hanif survived for the almost inconceivable amount of 300 over's. The match was saved, and credit went to the legend cricketers.
Next year, he set another amazing record in first class cricket. This time against Bahawalpur, he made 499 for Karachi before being run out. For more than three decades he held the record for the highest individual score in first class cricket and still standing his record for the longest Test innings ever played, which lasted for a remarkable 16 hours and 10 minutes across four days. It was a remarkable achievement that remained unbeatable for 35 years until Brian Lara set down 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994.
Hanif Mohammad had such a classic orthodox technique that the famed English coach Alf Gover, on first seeing him, said, "I am not going to try to coach this boy."
Hanif's last Test century was 187 not out against England at Lord's in 1967. At his retirement in 1969, Hanif managed to score a decent 3915 runs from 97 innings in 55 test matches with an average of 43.98. During his career, he scored 12 centuries and 15 fifties. Between 1951 and 1976, Hanif appeared in 239 first-class matches, scoring 17,059 runs (including 55 centuries) at an average of 52.32. He also took 53 wickets at 28.50 apiece with his occasional off-breaks.
Under his leadership, Pakistan played nine Tests and went on nearly three years without defeat. Later, he managed a domestic team sponsored by Pakistan International Airways, and in 1972, he helped found the magazine Pakistan Cricketer, editing it for two decades. He also regularly commentated on Test matches in Pakistan.
In 2009, he was named along with two other Pakistani players, - Imran Khan and JavedMiandad, among the inaugural batch of 55 inductees into the ICC's Hall of Fame.
Tribute from the Cricket world: The cricket-world mourns at the news of the demise of Hanif Mohammad. SachinTandulkar said, "The cricketing legend HanifMohammad was always positive and supportive. Have fond memories of meeting him in 2005".
Ric Finlay said, "One of my earliest memories is of Hanif getting stuck into Aus at MCG, 1964. No Asian batsman has scored more on Aus debut than his 104 & 93".
WasimAkram said: "Rest in peace Little Master. The legendary batsmen Hanif Mohammad will be missed but never forgotten."
With the death of cricketing legend Hanif Mohammed, little master, an era has come to an end in cricket.