LAHORE:,,, Saeed Ahmed, the former Pakistan captain and all-rounder, has died here at the age of 86 after a brief illness.
Saeed, who played 41 Tests between 1958 and 1973, captained the side briefly, for three drawn Test matches against England in 1969, replacing Hanif Mohammad. He scored 2,991 Test runs, including five centuries, three of which came against India. A capable offspinner, he also took 22 wickets.
Saeed was born in Jalandhar in 1937 in what was then British India – now a part of Indian Punjab. He made his debut at the age of 20 against the West Indies in the famous drawn Test in Bridgetown, where Hanif Mohammad batted for 970 minutes to score 337 runs. Saeed shared a 154-run partnership with Hanif for the third wicket, scoring 65 as West Indies bowled 319 overs before the game was ultimately called off.
He quickly made a name for his grace and ease, particularly when driving the ball, and demonstrated instantly that he belonged at the highest level. He finished his career with a batting average of 40.01, almost identical to his first-class average of 40.02. He scored his first of five Test hundreds in Georgetown against an attack that included Roy Gilchrist, Lance Gibbs and Garry Sobers, though West Indies won that Test by eight wickets. Pakistan never won a Test he scored a hundred in, though playing in the least prolific period of Pakistan’s Test history may have been a factor.
He made 508 runs in his first Test series, in the Caribbean in 1957-58, and had a taste for big hundreds: three of his five at Test level were of 150 or more.
LAHORE:,,, Javeria Khan has announced her retirement from international cricket 15 years after making her ODI debut in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka in a Women’s Asia Cup fixture against Sri Lanka on 6 May 2008. The right-handed batter made her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in 2009.
Javeria went on to represent Pakistan women’s team in 228 international matches and scored 4,903 runs, which included two centuries and 25 half-centuries. She also bagged 28 international wickets.
Javeria is currently listed as the second leading run scorer in ODIs and T20Is for the Pakistan women’s team and is the only women’s cricketer from Pakistan to have scored over 2,000 runs in each format besides Bismah Maroof.
She represented Pakistan in four 50-over World Cups (2009, 2013, 2017 and 2022) and in all eight T20 World Cups (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2023) held since its inception.
Javeria was also part of the Pakistan women’s team squad that won Gold medal in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games held in China and South Korea, respectively.
Javeria also captained Pakistan women’s team in 17 ODIs and 16 T20Is. Among the 16 T20Is, she captained the side in two editions (2018 and 2020) of ICC Women’s T20 World Cups.
The 35-year-old Karachi born player also participated in the PCB Level 2 Cricket Coach course held in August last year in Lahore.
Javeria Khan said: “I want to call it a day and announce my retirement, however, I will be available for league cricket. I am grateful to the unwavering support I received throughout my career. I want to thank my family, teammates, the Pakistan Cricket Board, my department ZTBL for their support and guidance at each step, and my fans whose appreciation was instrumental in bringing out the best in me.”
“I have been blessed to hold Pakistan’s flag globally.”
Head of Women’s Cricket, Tania Mallick said: “On behalf of the PCB and all cricket fans, I extend heartfelt gratitude to Javeria Khan for her invaluable contributions to women’s cricket in Pakistan.
“Her glittering records with the bat speak for themselves and I am confident that her illustrious career will inspire many girls in the country to not just take up this sport but also excel at it across many years.
“As Javeria announces her retirement, we reflect on her remarkable career and services she has rendered for Pakistan cricket. We thank her for her untiring commitment and wish her all the success in her future endeavours.”