Khalid Wazir, the former Pakistan cricketer, has passed away at the age of 84 in Chester. Born in Jalandhar, Punjab, he was the 16th player to represent his country at the highest level. The veteran was struggling with prolonged illness before breathing his last on Saturday, June 27. He was an attacking right-handed batsman, a more than handy medium pacer and an attacking fielder.
At the age of 18, when he was a student, he was picked for the 1954 tour of England. He made his debut in the very first match at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. He didn’t get to do much as he scored three runs in the first innings, batting at number eight before getting out to right-arm fast bowler Brian Statham. He didn’t get a chance to bowl as Pakistan used only two bowlers.
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Khalid Wazir played only two Tests
In the same tour, he played his last Test match at the Old Trafford in Manchester. It was also the series where Pakistan came back from behind to draw the series 1-1. However, on the tour, he scored 253 runs at an average of 16.86 and also picked up nine wickets at 62.66. In his first-class career, Wazir played 18 games, scoring 271 runs at 15.05 with a half-century to show for his efforts.
With the ball in hand, he picked up 14 wickets with a three-wicket haul to his name. His best performance came in the Lancashire League against East Lancashire where he bagged five for 57. His career ended at the age of 19. After returning to Pakistan, he didn’t play any first-class match. On Wednesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed its grief after he passed away.
Khalid Wazir happens to be the son of former Indian cricketer Syed Wazir Ali, who had an illustrious career. He represented India in seven Tests from 1932 to 1936, scoring 237 runs at an average of 16.92. At the first-class level, the Jalandhar-born was a stalwart without a doubt.
In 121 matches, he scored 7,212 runs at 38.77 with 22 centuries and 20 half-centuries. He was a decent medium pacer as well, picking up 34 wickets, though he remained wicketless in Test cricket. On June 17, 1950, he passed away at the age of 46 years and 275 days.