Hanif Mohammad

Hanif Mohammad, known as the "Little Master", was Pakistan's first cricketing great and one of the most resilient batsmen in the history of the game. Born on 21 December 1934 in Junagadh, he became the cornerstone of Pakistani batting in the 1950s and 1960s.

Career

Hanif's defining achievement came in 1958 against the West Indies in Bridgetown, when he batted for 970 minutes to score 337 — the longest innings in Test history, a record that stood for nearly half a century. His epic innings saved Pakistan from defeat and became one of the most celebrated feats in cricket. He scored 3,915 Test runs, a Pakistani record for decades, and was the first Pakistani to score a triple century in Tests.

He was also a pioneer of Pakistani cricket administration in later years and the patriarch of a famous cricketing family — his brothers Mushtaq, Sadiq and Wazir all played for Pakistan, and his son Shoaib Mohammad also represented the country.

Legacy

Hanif Mohammad is remembered as the founding father of Pakistani batting, whose courage and technique set the standard for everyone who followed. He passed away in 2016, and his life remains a cornerstone of Pakistan's cricketing heritage.