There comes a disheartening update from Pakistan Cricket. Former Pakistan Captain Saeed Ahmed has died in Lahore at the age of 86 due to a brief illness. PCB confirmed the news through an Official Statement.
“The PCB is saddened over the demise of one of our former Test Captain and expresses deep condolences to the family of Saeed Ahmed,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said. “He served Pakistan with all his heart and the PCB honors his record and services for the Test team,” PCB added to his statement.
Saeed Ahmed who was survived by two sons, a daughter & half-brother Younis Ahmed had played four Tests for Pakistan. After hanging up his boots he never stepped back in the sport. He lived by himself in Lahore for several years living a low-profile life with few friends & family. However, he used to make regular hospital visits due to his deteriorating health condition. On Wednesday noon he was taken to a hospital where his condition worsened & ultimately resulted in his death.
A Glimpse of Saeed Ahmed’s Achievements
Saeed Ahmed played 41 Test matches between 1958 and 1973, and captained the side briefly, for three drawn Test matches against England in 1969, replacing Hanif Mohammad. He has scored 2991 Test runs including five Test centuries, three of which came against India. He was a capable off-spinner who has scalped 22 Test wickets.
Saeed was born in Jalandhar in the year 1937 which was earlier British India & now a part of Indian Punjab. At the age of 20 years, he stepped into the world of Cricket against West Indies in a Test match which ended in a draw in Bridgetown. During that fixture, Saeed stitched a rewarding 154-run stand with Hanif Mohammed for the third wicket amassing 65 runs as West Indies bowled 319 overs before the fixture was called off in between.
He quickly made a name for himself in Pakistan cricket due to his power-hitting ability & prowess in scalping wickets in crunch situations. Saeed Ahmed ended his career with a batting average of 40.01, almost identical to his first-class average of 40.02. He later scored his first of five Test hundreds – 150 – in Georgetown against an attack that included Roy Gilchrist, Lance Gibbs, and Garry Sobers, though West Indies won that Test by eight wickets.
Notably, Pakistan has never won a Test wherein Saeed has scored a Century. He was a regular for the Pakistan team until Pakistan toured Australia in 1972 where he indulged in a spat with Dennies Lilee. After that incident, Saeed ruled himself out of the third Test due to a back injury but the board believed that he was faking it. As a result, PCB sent him home for disciplinary issues & stated that he would never play for Pakistan again.
Saeed was disheartened by the Board’s decision & the evidence was that after his retirement he never stepped into the sport in any other role & sidelined himself from the sport completely.
However, Saeed Ahmed was truly an unsung hero of Pakistan cricket & he will stay alive forever in the hearts of his fans.
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