ISLAMABAD: Former Test cricketer Maqsood Ahmed, also known as Merry Max, was remembered on the occasion of his death anniversary in a gathering held here on Monday.

Born on March 26, 1925 in Amritsar, Maqsood Ahmed played in 16 Test matches for Pakistan between 1952 to 1955. He was educated at Islamia College, Lahore.

Maqsood was a useful all rounder in the first-ever cricket team of Pakistan. An aggressive hitter of the ball, Maqsood played a vital role in the recognition of Pakistan as a Test playing nation when he made a fluent 137 against the visiting MCC side in 1951-52.

A right-handed middle-order batsman, Maqsood was a hard hitter of the ball and his highest score was 99, which he made in the third Test against India in 1954-55. In England in 1952 he became the first Pakistani to play as a professional cricketer and the English press dubbed him as “Merry Max”.

As a batsman, he scored a total of 507 runs. He was also a right-arm medium fast bowler and has three wickets in Test matches to his credit.

After retiring from cricket, Maqsood worked as a commentator and sports journalist for PTV, BBC and Radio Pakistan. He also served as the national cricket coach and coached many Test stars including Intikhab Alam, Asif Iqbal, Mushtaq Mohammad, Sadiq Mohammad and Majid Khan.

He was the chairman of the national selection committee of the then BCCP which selected the World Cup winning team in 1991-92. From independence in 1947 to the time of his death, he was associated with cricket in Pakistan and dedicated all his life and abilities for the promotion of Pakistan cricket.

Maqsood died on Jan 4, 1999 in Rawalpindi.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2016