Syed Ijaz Hussain (born 7 April 1942) is a Pakistani former

cricketer Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

who played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

from 1957 to 1976. He represented

in the 1960s but did not play

Test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

Early life

Syed Ijaz Hussain, also known as Ijaz Khapra, was born in 1942 in what is now

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. Prior to India's partition in 1947, his father moved the family to

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur (Urdu: ; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 13th largest city of Pakistan and List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 8th most populous city of Punjab. Bahawalpur is the capital of Bahawalpur Division. Founded in ...

, where he worked as a road inspector. Following his father's death in the late 1950s, Ijaz, the eldest of seven, assumed additional responsibilities. His cricket skills were noticed at Government Technical High School in Bahawalpur. Despite being initially interested in hockey, a leg injury steered him towards cricket. A serious incident, when he was thrown from a train by classmates, resulted in a head injury that nearly ended his sporting career. After he left school he went to

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

in 1960 to work in a textile mill.

Cricket career

Hussain was a wicketkeeper-batsman who usually opened the innings. He could also bowl medium-pace and wrist-spin. His highest score was 173 in an innings victory for Railways Reds over Lahore Reds in 1965-66. Hussain toured England with the

Pakistan Eaglets Pakistan Eaglets were a team of young cricketers from Pakistan, founded by Justice A.R. Cornelius. They toured England and Wales every year from 1952 to 1959, Malaya and Ceylon in 1960–61, and England again in 1963. Most of their matches were n ...

in 1963, playing in three of the eight first-class matches. He played two matches for Pakistan against the touring Ceylon team in 1966-67, and all three matches for Pakistan Under-25 against MCC Under-25 later that season. He also played for Pakistan against The Rest (of Pakistan) in 1969-70.

Later life

Hussain worked for the

National Bank of Pakistan National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) is a Pakistani government-owned multinational commercial bank which is a subsidiary of State Bank of Pakistan. It is headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. As of December 2022, it has over 1,500 branches across Paki ...

in the 1970s before moving to

Sharjah Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...

, where he was among a group of Pakistani cricketers who developed the game in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. He was employed there in industry and banking. He retired in 2004 and returned to live in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hussain, Ijaz 1942 births Living people Pakistani cricketers People from Muzaffarnagar Bahawalpur cricketers Multan cricketers Pakistan Railways cricketers National Bank of Pakistan cricketers Public Works Department cricketers