Karachi, the teeming city of millions, a metropolis larger than any other in the country, continues to grow unstoppably defending its identity as the business hub of Pakistan. It also has its highs and lows, surviving the vagaries of day-to-day problems.

Despite the odds, however, the city has learnt to face many of its problems in the hope that one day the clouds of doom and gloom to may fade away giving way to a ray of hope to bring some smile on faces. Businesses continue to grow, cultural, political and sports activities remain a part of life.

In pre-Partition days, the Parsis led the way. Be it business or sports they were the ones who always remained at the forefront. Cricket, which they had learnt how to play from the colonialists and adopted it as their own game, was as much a part of them as was their acumen in promoting their trade in every walk of life.

Karachi Gymkhana’s contribution to the game of cricket is unforgettable

That was the reason why they also developed a fine cricket ground at the Karachi Parsi Institute (KPI) in the centre of the city in 1893 where regular matches were played between the Parsis, the Hindus, the Muslims, the Britishers, etc.

But much before that it was the Karachi Gymkhana (founded in 1886) on Club Road that provided for its members facilities to play cricket, hockey, polo, badminton and billiard. No wonder then that Karachi Gymkhana holds a special place in the history of subcontinental cricket like the Pindi Club in Rawalpindi and the Bagh-e-Jinnah (formerly Lawrence Gardens).

The legacy continues to flourish as regular matches and tournaments are held at the Karachi Gymkhana as they are at Lahore Gymkhana’s cricket ground.

Though the Muslim Gymkhana and a Hindu Gymkhana teams and grounds of pre-Partition days no longer exist, others in Karachi such as the Aga Khan Gymkhana and new ones like the National Stadium, Asghar Ali Shah Stadium, Southend Club ground, Moin Khan Academy ground, Rashid Latif Academy ground and the latest Lawai Cricket Ground in Naya Nazimabad have started to cater to the game for the benefit of the younger generation, many among whom may become the future stars of the country.

It would be interesting to do a bit of digging in the pages of history what importance a place like Karachi Gymkhana holds in the promotion of the game and in hosting famous cricketers of the world through the ages.

It has its importance of being the venue where Pakistan beat the 1951 visiting MCC team to be accepted as full member of the ICC and thus becoming a Test-playing nation, something that is well recorded in the annals of history.

But not many know that the first batsman to ever score a triple century in Test cricketing history, Andy Sandham of Surrey and England, played at Karachi Gymkhana during MCC’s 1926-27 tour to India when he scored a century (129) against a Hindu-Rest XI. Later on he scored 325 in a Test for England against the West Indies at Jamaica in 1930-31.

Sandham played four matches at the Karachi Gymkhana ground on that tour before moving on with MCC to Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar scoring heavily, including centuries.

It has its importance of being the venue where Pakistan beat the 1951 visiting MCC team to be accepted as full member of the ICC and thus becoming a Test-playing nation, something that is well recorded in the annals of history.

His captain Arthur Gilligan, Bob Wyatt of Warwickshire, who later became England’s captain and fast bowler Maurice Tate of Sussex and England were as much in the limelight.

The Karachi locals like Jeomal Naoomal, Manek Dastur, C.S. Rubie, M. Mobed, Jaganath, Advani Gopaldas and Ghulam Mohammad were as good performers against as were the visitors at Gymkhana. In the four matches played there, MCC won the last one by an innings and 148 runs.

The ‘Bodyline’ fame Bombay-born English Test captain Douglas Jardine also played here on the MCC tour of India in 1933-34 and so did Lord Tennyson, the MCC captain of the 1937 tour and famous England batsman Bill Edrich both of whom made a hundred each against Sindh.

But that is not all. In fact after Pakistan came into being in 1947, the touring teams like Ceylon (Sri Lanka), West Indies and Commonwealth teams also played at the venue with cricketers of the caliber of Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell, De Saram of Sri Lanka and Gamini Goonesena also gracing the turf.

Not forgetting of course the great Australian all-rounder Keith Miller, and India’s Mushtaq Ali who was the first to make a Test hundred for India on an England tour. Munawar Ali Khan, a former Gymkhana president, who played in an unofficial Test for Pakistan, graced the field as well. In an unofficial Test against the West Indies in 1950, he missed a hat-trick as a catch was dropped of him at Bagh-e-Jinnah. Well, it would be impossible to name all of them who turned up at Karachi Gymkhana and Pakistan’s other iconic venues.

But what really fascinates one most of all is the fact that Pakistan’s recognition as a cricketing force was acknowledged here when we had a remarkable four wickets win over MCC in 1951, with the 17-year-old Hanif Mohammad making 64 winning runs and his captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar putting on 50.

Fazal Mahmood and Khan Mohammad were the most successful Pakistan bowlers to launch Pakistan on the cricket horizon. For the MCC, there were England stalwarts like the fast bowler Brian Statham and Tom Graveney, who made 123 in a losing cause, and there was Surrey and England’s fast bowler Peter Loader.

I have also, as a schoolboy, watched a couple of hour’s play during that game. It was well worth a visit, having travelled there from Hyderabad.

The MCC continued their tour to India later. But Pakistan with a readymade cricket culture even before becoming a separate country had very quickly, in fact within five years, become a Test playing nation after that match.

Karachi Gymkhana’s contribution to the game of cricket is unforgettable. The present lot organising the game at the venue is as enthusiastic as the people running the show in those days. They have done a lot in keeping its tradition alive with regular fixtures, including the annual Ramazan festival matches.

Twitter: qamaruk

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 3rd, 2016