15 Interesting facts about Hanif Mohammad - The Timeless Little Master

The Legendary batsman was popular for his solid temperament. Known as the “Little Master”, Hanif played the longest innings (970 minutes) in Test match history, during his knock of 337 against West Indies in 1957-58. Hanif played some memorable knocks for Pakistan and is hailed as a legend. He had been instrumental in numerous wins in crunch situations. His domestic record strikes a chord with his fabulous timing while his international feats are second to none.

Here are some of the interesting facts about Hanif Mohammad:

1. Born and brought up:

Hanif Mohammad was born in the Indian city of Junagadh in Gujarat in 1934. He was his parent’s third child after Wazir and Raees. His younger brothers Mushtaq and Sadiq were also born in Junagadh. When British India was partitioned in 1947, the Mohammad’s migrated to Pakistan and settled in Karachi.

2. Sporting family:

Hanif’s brothers Mushtaq, Sadiq and Wazir all played Test cricket for Pakistan, as did his son Shoaib, another brother Raees was once twelfth man for Pakistan and four nephews had participated in first-class matches.

3. Inspiring Mother:

His mother Ameer Bee was a national badminton champion in pre-independence India. She played a major role in inspiring the young talent.

4. Top crop:

Hanif was coached by Abdul Aziz, who had earlier played in Ranji Trophy for Jamnagar and father of Indian cricketer, Salim Durani.

5. Major teams:

He represented Pakistan, Bahawalpur, Karachi and Pakistan International Airlines.

6. Nickname:

He was popularly known as “Little Master” for his class acts on the field.

7. Debut day:

He made his debut against India at Delhi in the year 1952. He scored 51 in the first innings while got out cheaply for 1 in the second innings.

8. Stats to ponder:

In 55 Test matches, Hanif scored 3915 runs at an average of 43.98. He notched up 12 Test centuries and 15 half centuries.

9. Domestic dynamo:

In 238 first-class games, Hanif notched up 17,059 runs at an average of 52.32. He once scored a mammoth 499, missing out on 500 by just 1 run.

10. Safe hands:

Hanif took 178 catches at the domestic level. He also took 40 catches at the international level. Interestingly, he also registered 12 stumpings.

11. Jack of all trades:

He could bowl right-arm as well as left-arm. Apart from being a promising batsman, Hanif also kept wickets.

12. Record breaking 337:

Mohammad scored a famous 337 against West Indies in a six-day Test match at Bridgetown in 1957/58.

13. The giant 499:

In 1958/59, Hanif surpassed Don Bradman’s record for the highest individual first-class innings. He made a stylish 499 before being run-out attempting to reach his 500; this mark stood for more than 35 years before being passed by Brian Lara in 1994.

14. Wisden’s man:

Hanif was named as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1968.

15. Hall of Fame:

He was named in the ICC Hall of Fame in the year 2009.