LAHORE: Former Pakistan Test captain and hard-hitting batsman Saeed Ahmad passed away here on Wednesday after a long fight with illness.

Saeed, 87, had become a preacher as a member of the Tablighi Jamaat. His younger brother Younis Ahmad had also played Test cricket for Pakistan.

According to Saeed’s close relatives, he had been bed-ridden since he protracted the illness before eventually passing away. Saeed was born in Jalandhar, now in the Indian Punjab, in 1937.

Saeed made his international debut against the West Indies in Bridgetown in 1958 — Pakistan’s maiden tour to the Caribbean — and went on to play 41 Tests before hanging his boots in 1972.

On the tour, Saeed hit 508 runs on the tour to established his popularity in the sport and made 65 in the second innings of his first Test and at one stage partnered with Pakistan legend Hanif Mohammad, who went on to set the record of 337 runs in that match.

Saeed also led Pakistan team in three Test matches against England in 1968. He was also the fastest Pakistani cricketer to reach 1000 Test runs in just 20 innings. He scored five centuries and 16 half-centuries.

Saeed’s career ended in controversial circumstances when he declared himself unfit for the third Test against Australia in 1972. In the second Test of the same series, he was involved in a heated altercation with Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee as the Pakistan management sent him back home.

He married renowned businesswoman Begum Salma Ahmed, a relative of Pakistani diplomat Shaharyar Khan. Saeed was was also conferred upon with the Pride of Performance award by the government of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2024