KARACHI: One of the rare Parsi first-class cricketer Soli.R.Mavalvala has passed away yesterday in Vancouver, Canada. He was just over 90. Soli, a left-arm slow bowler and a left-handed batsman from Karachi having made his first-class debut for Sindh against Bombay in Ranji Trophy in 1947-48 played in Pakistan’s first recorded first-class match for Sindh against West Punjab at Bagh-e-Jinnah in December 1947 which West Punjab won by an innings and 68 runs.

The match played in aid of Quaid-e-Azam relief fund for the refugees from India coming to Pakistan is considered to the first even before the official Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was initiated in 1953-54. . A match in which late Aslam Khokhar scored 117 for Punjab and Fazal Mahmood made 60.

Soli had 5 for 96, his best in four first-class matches he played in his career from 1947-48 to 1953-54.

When West Indies led by Jeff Stollemeyer visited Pakistan in 1948-49 Soli playing for Sindh at Karachi Gymkhana scored 16 and 48 unbeaten innings both in a drawn match in which Joe Carew the opener had made a100 and Everton Weekes 56.

His last and fourth first-class game was at the Dring Stadium Bahawalpur for Sindh against Bahawalpur, the inaugural match in the first ever Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where he took 3 for 57 in a lost cause. In four first-class matches he scored 93 runs at an average of 18.60 and took eight wickets at 38.25.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2017