Pak to honour first touring squad

The Pakistan Cricket Board plans to host a grand reception in honor of the first Test match squad which toured India in 1952, a spokesman of the Board said on Friday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board plans to host a grand reception in honour of the first Test match squad which toured India in 1952, a cricket official said on Friday.

HT Image

The ceremony is part of the country's Test cricket golden jubilee celebrations. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali were expected to attend.

"A special ceremony will be held in Islamabad on Sept. 16," said Samiul Hasan, a spokesman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The golden jubilee celebrations of Pakistan's Test matches was planned last year to coincide with a tour of the country by Australia's national team. It had to be postponed after Australia backed out, citing security concerns.

"Now that cricket has resumed in Pakistan, we will celebrate our golden jubilee and honor our legends who were instrumental in putting Pakistan on the world cricket map," Hasan said. "No nation progresses if it doesn't remember its heroes."

Those who will be awarded are: Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmad, Fazal Mahmood, Waqar Hasan, Wazir Mohammad, Khan Mohammad, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Israr Ali, Khalid Qureshi, Khursheed Ahmad, Rusi Dinshaw and Khalid Ibadullah.

Those who have passed away are: Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Anwar Hussain, Nazar Mohammad, Maqsood Ahmad, Amir Elahi, Mahmood Hussain, Nazar Mohammad and Mir Mohammad Hussain, who was a manager.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has previously organized receptions in honor of Test cricketers Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar and Moin Khan in 2000 and gave them lifetime achievement awards.