Parsi community celebrates Hanif Mohammad’s feat

Parsi, a vibrant community of Karachi, on Saturday, showed its passion for cricket by celebrating world record of Little Master late Hanif Mohammad's 499 runs, at the Karachi Parsi Institute (KPI).

The celebration was organised by KPI in collaboration with Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College to remember the remarkable achievement of Hanif Mohammed.

The Little Master, playing for Karachi against Bahawalpur, made world record of hitting 499 runs in the semi-final of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at KPI Ground on Wednesday, January 7, 1959.

The event to celebrate the historic score on KPI was attended by a many Parsi families and cricket celebrities of the country.

Hanif ended up like so many other cricketers from Karachi.

Brother of Little Master and former cricketer Sadiq Mohammad, while speaking in a penal discussion during the celebration, said, "during luchtime, in what proved to be Hanif's last test match, the then top bosses of cricket told him to announce his retirement. Though Hanif insisted that he was fit to play, he was forced to comply with orders," Saidq said.

Sadiq appreciated the Parsi community for tributes to Little Master.

Hanif's son former test cricketer Shoaib Mohammad said that his father kept on pressing him for being trained. Former cricketer and king of swings Wasim Akram in his video message said Hanif's record was broken by West Indies' former cricketer Brian Lara after a long time.

Indian former cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar in his video message said Hanif was a great planner and a great player.

Liaquat National Hospital Karachi CEO Dr Salman Faridi said Hanif was a very modest and quiet man. He said Parsi was the first community, which learnt and adopted cricket in the sub-continent.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2023.