Jan 08, 2007 03:50 PM
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Harsh Thakor writes
This son of Dr Jahangir Khan a former India test cap and Cambridge blue was born in Jalandhar, in Punjab just one year before partition.At the age of 15 scored 111 not out and captured 6 wickets for 67 runs for Lahore'B'.Later batting for Punjab University he scored a double century after hisside had been precariously placed at 5-4.
Majid made his test debut in 1964 agaisnst Australia at Karachi and began his career as fast bowler.He ruthlessly deployed the bouncer that got him into trouble and thus was forced to alter his bolwing style.On his first series in England in 1967 he was hardly succesful in the test matches but in the tour games gave some majestic performances scoring 973 runs at 42.30 , including aswashbuckling 147 not out in 89 mins at Swansea., where he hit the offspinner Roger Davis for 5 sixes.
It simply looked like abomber destroying an airbase.Glamorgan county signed him and Majid brillinatly displayed is prowess by scoring 1, 258 run sin his first season in 1969.That season he compiled one of Cricket's all-time classics agaisnt Worcesreshire.On a broken wicket he scored 156, like fighting a war in alien conditions.Majid exhibited the skill of asurgeon performing asuccesful operation on apatient who loked amost impossible to cure.(like amiracle)He craeted some strokes from his own book.He also batted brilliantly for Cambridge, captaining the Unversity side in 1971 and 1972, leading them to their first victory over Oxford in 14 years.He resembled a true aristocrat with his highly dignified personality.He was also effective playing for Queensland scoring 2 centuries in his first 2 matches of the 1973-74 but failed later .
In 1972- 1973 Majid took the Australian bolwing spearheaded by Dennis Lillee to the sword scoring 158 at Melbourne.He avearged over 50 in the series and was largely responsible for Pakisatn giving Ian Chapell's Australian team arun for their money.Showing graet technical precision he handled the boucy Australian tracks.He went on to score consistently agaisnt New Zealand and West Indies.
In 1974 I England he scored one of Cricket's classics in the first one day Prudential Trophy game.He compiled hsi century of 88 balls in amajestic style dominating the bolwing like a lion tearing his prey.The Englsih bowling attack that day resembled a demoralised enemy batallion retutning after defeat .In the tset serise he scored a brilliant chanceless 98 in the third test at the Oval which Imran Khan rated as a classic.
Majid made some useful fifties in the 1975 Prudential World Cup but Pakistan failed to qualify to the semi-finals.However he played an important role in Pakistan being ranked amongt the top 3 sides in the World with the WEst Indies and Australia, now batting as an opener.In 1976 in the first test in Lahore against New Zealand he registered a century before lunch destroying the Kiwi attack like a butcher chopping meat.He didnt make a great impact in Australia in 1976-77 but later on a tour of the Carribean batted as though the stars posessed him .He averaged over 65 runs scoring over 500 runs.His 167 at Georgetown which saved the match for his team was a classic.After Pakistan had a defict of over 250 runs he shared amagnificient 170 run partnership for the 2nd wicket with Zaheer Abbas.He magniciently hooked and drove the Est Indian Quickies like Andy Roberts and Joel Garner and batted like a commander leading a battle.It was a revelation seeing Majid and Zaheer bat together.Majid also scored a match-winiing 92 at Trindad and and almost took Pakistan to the brink of a test series victory agaisnt the mighty WEst Indies.Majid was simply the pillar of a strong Pakistani batting line up.(Wasim Raja, Mushtaq Muhammad and Asif Iqbal alos made useful contributions)
In 1977 he joined Packer CRicket but failed, getting frustrated with the artificial nature of Packer Cricket.He was graetly overshadowed by Viv and Barry Richards and the Chapell brothers.
In 1978 he came back with abrillinat CEntury at Melbourne versus Australia and baytted consitently in the 1979 Prudential World Cup scoring 2 fine fifties.In the semi-final he scored asuperb 81 taking the 4 pronged WEst Indian pace attack to the sword.With Zaheer Abbas he added 166 runs in a record partnership for the 2nd wicket partnership that looked like taking Pakistan into the final.It was a virtual repeat of the 1977 test match partnership between the same 2 batsman at Georgetown against the same team.The WEst Indian bowlers at that point loked like helpless pawns on a chessboard.However after he w was dismissed Pakistan's victory hopes were virtually sealed and the team collapsed like a pack of cards.Majid's stroke play was breathtaking that day..
Sadly, he faile miserably on the tour of India where his team lost disastously but came back brillinatly in ahome series against Australia averaging 199 run sincluding acentury at Faisalabad.We saw the old Majid agin combining feline grace with agression.To some extent he reagined form on the 1981-82 tour of Australia with amajestic 74 at Melbourne but failed agin on the 1982 England tour.He plaed his last test at Lahore agaisnt India in 1982-83.when he failed .It was sad sight seeing a one majestic tiger retire like a lamb.
Majid retired scoring 3931 runs in 63 test matches at an average of 38.92, including 8 Centuries but figures do little justice to his true prowess.On his day he posessed the genius of Viv and Barry Richards and looked like an emperor dictating his knights. On bad wickets was the best batsman in the World.After Sir Viv Richards Majid was the graetset exponent of the hook shot which he executed with the confidence of an emoeror leading a victory parade.Imran Khan rated him Pakistan's best batsman till 1976-77 and in crisis he overshadowed the great Zaheer Abbas.Majid effectively dealt with the likes of Dennis Lillee and Andy Roberts and at his peak never succumbed to genuine pace.It was sad that he hardly did justice to his true ability and retired so prematurely scoring not even 5000 runs.Possibly the politics and internal fighting within Pakistani Cricket affected him.Technically, his weakness was his limited footwork.It is debatable whether he coulkd be ranked a truly great batsman or merely avery good one.
After retirement he has served as asuccesful coach and commentator and was instrumenatl in Pakistan's triumph in New Zealand in 1994.However his career as aselector wastarnished by the match-fixing contriversy and Majid was convinced that Wasi Akram and his team were guilty in 1999.
Watching Majid Khan in full flow was simply like watching an artist making curves on aboard .He was a true genius.Few Cricketers combined such feline grace with agression.On his day Majid resembled a tiger prowling on his prey.His shots would however be executed with the grace of a pianist tapping his notes.
By Harsh Thakor
