Cricket: Habib murdered in Peshawar

First-class cricketer went missing after Quaid Trophy match

First-class cricketer Nauman Habib was murdered and his body was found in Hayatabad, Peshawar yesterday, three days after he went missing.

Habib, who appeared in 63 first-class matches and 30 List A games, played for Peshawar Panthers in the recently-concluded T20 Cup held in Karachi before representing the team in the first round of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy against Multan that finished on October 9.

The 32-year-old, however, went missing after the match where he took seven wickets in the two innings with Peshawar prevailing by an innings and 11 runs.

The Pakistan Cricket Board  (PCB) expressed its condolence on the death of the medium pacer. “He was a talented cricketer,” said Zakir Khan, PCB director operations domestic cricket. “We are with the family at the time of this unfortunate incident and express our condolences.”

Habib claimed 221 wickets at the first-class level with a best-innings haul of seven for 57 and also hit three half-centuries. His 30 List A matches fetched him 40 scalps. He made his T20 debut at the domestic tournament in Karachi this year and finished with nine wickets in just three matches for the Panthers.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2011.