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KARACHI, Nov 12: Bombay cricket hero K.C. Ibrahim died in Karachi on Sunday following a short illness. He was 88. A key figure from the influential Bombay cricket world of the 1940s, Ibrahim was a steadfast opening batsman possessing the full range of strokes. Between 1938 and 1950, he played 60 first-class matches for Bombay and 4 Tests for India. In 1967, he moved with his family to Karachi.
Khanmohammad Cassumbhoy Ibrahim’s name holds legendary status among aficionados and seasoned enthusiasts. Born in Bombay’s Khoja community on Jan 26, 1919, he played cricket for school and college, and went on to captain Bombay University as well as Bombay.
Ibrahim’s superlative first-class average of 61.24 places him eighth in the all-time list, ahead of the likes of Hanif, Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Miandad.
He once scored 709 runs in consecutive innings for Bombay without being dismissed (218, 36, 234, and 77, all not out, followed by 144) which continues to be a world record.
That season (1947-48) saw him recognized as one of the Five Cricketers of the Year by the Indian cricket board.
Ibrahim played a fighting knock of 85 on Test debut, for India versus West Indies at Delhi in 1948, but his true ability is not reflected in his Test average of 21.12.
In 1944, Ibrahim played an unforgettable innings that will forever dominate his legacy. Set a fourth innings target of 298, he carried his bat for 137 not out and saw his team home with one wicket to spare.
It was the final of the fabled Bombay Pentangular, contested by Muslims versus Hindus in the fiercely partisan climate of 1940s India.
“It was an innings motivated by an indomitable spirit,” wrote Pakistan’s first captain, Abdul Hafeez Kardar, of that performance which had a demoralizing effect on opposition morale, as dramatic as Javed Miandad’s 1986 sixer-ending knock at Sharjah.
A strong-willed gentleman and determined leader, Ibrahim left cricket to become a successful businessman.
He is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter, as well as several grandchildren.
