PESHAWAR, Aug 29: President Pervez Musharraf is ikely to honour all living cricketers who played during Pakistan’s inaugural Test tour of India half a century ago, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday.

The event was originally planned for last year but was postponed after Pakistan’s home series against Australia and West Indies were rescheduled to neutral venues because of security concerns in the country.

The ceremony would be held in Islamabad on Sept 16.

Abdul Hafeez Kardar led Pakistan’s first team to India, where it lost the five Test series 2-1 in Oct-Dec 1952.

Of the 16 who went on the inaugural tour, Kardar, Amir Elahi, Maqsood Ahmed, Mahmood Hussain, Anwar Hussain and Nazar Mohammad have died.

The invitees include Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Israr Ali, Khan Mohammad, Waqar Hasan, Wazir Mohammad, Rusi Dinshaw, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Khursheed Ahmad, Khalid Qureshi.

They will each receive a commemorative medallion, a cash prize of 250,000 rupees (around US$4,200) and a current green Pakistan blazer.

“The ceremony is meant to recognise the contribution of these cricketers and to honour their services for the country,” a PCB spokesman said.

Pakistan had planned a three-nation one-day tournament and a Test series to celebrate its Golden Jubilee of Test cricket last year but Australia refused to tour Pakistan over security fears triggered by two bomb attacks in Karachi.—AFP