Athar Ali Khan
Encyclopedia
Athar Ali Khan (born 10 February 1962, in Dacca, Bangladesh
) is a former Bangladeshi cricket
er. A tall right-handed batsman (6' 2"), he played 19 one-day internationals scoring 532 runs at an average of 29.55 with a highest score of 82. Throughout the '80s Athar played as a middle order batsman, batting mostly at No. 4 or 5. Later on, encouraged by the Indian Test Cricketer
, Mohinder Amarnath
, Athar started opening regularly for Bangladesh
. He was a slow medium pacer taking six wickets in ODI matches. He is Bangladesh cricket team's national selector and a cricket commentator.
Tigers in the first South East Asian Cup. A year later he played in the 3 Day match against Sri Lanka
at Dhaka
. During the season 1984–85 he was part of the Dhaka University team which won the National cricket Title. In the Semi-Final, against Dhaka
district, Athar scored 155 and shared a record stand of 447 with Tariquzzaman Munir (308).
's best performer in the Wills Asia
Cup at Dhaka. He scored 16 against India, 22 against Pakistan & 30 against Sri Lanka.Then on the final day of 1990, he entertained the huge 50,000 crowd at Eden Garden, Calcutta with 78* against Sri Lanka
. His innings included three huge sixes. Although Bangladesh lost the match, Athar was adjudeged the Man-of-the-Match.
Athar's highest ODI score (82) came against Pakistan in 1997. There, he put on a century partnership (110) with skipper Akram Khan
(59). He was involved with another century partnership a year later. Against Kenya, he put on 137 for the first wicket with Mohammad Rafiq
. Athar's own contribution was 47. This partnership set up Bangladesh's first ever ODI win. His best bowling in ODI was 2/33 against India at Mohali
in 1997. Sourav Ganguly
was one of his victims.
tournaments, in England
in 86, in Kenya
in 1994 and finally in Malayasia in 97. He had a disappointing time in England
in 86, as he lost his place in the side midway through the trophy, due to lack of form. He had scored only 55 runs from 5 innings. The wet conditions in England
didn't suit Athar's batting technique. After being overlooked for the 1990 trophy in Netherlands
, Athar returned for 1994 tournament in Kenya
. There also, he failed to live up to the epxectations, scoring only 90 runs from 6 innings. However, Athar played a big part in Bangladesh's success 3 years later. He scored 170 runs from 9 innings, with 2 not outs, as Bangladesh became the unbeaten champion.
Athar scored 92 not out against Hong Kong
, 69 not out against Singapore
in the League matches and followed these with 64 in the final against Hong Kong
. He was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match for the final.
Athar played for Bangladesh
in 3 SAARC cricket tournaments in Dhaka
. He scored 52 against Sri Lanka
A in 1994, to set up a win for his team.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
) is a former Bangladeshi cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. A tall right-handed batsman (6' 2"), he played 19 one-day internationals scoring 532 runs at an average of 29.55 with a highest score of 82. Throughout the '80s Athar played as a middle order batsman, batting mostly at No. 4 or 5. Later on, encouraged by the Indian Test Cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
, Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath Bhardwaj is a former Indian cricketer and current cricket analyst. He is commonly known as "Jimmy". He is the son of Lala Amarnath, the first post-independence captain of India. His brother Surinder Amarnath was a Test player...
, Athar started opening regularly for Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. He was a slow medium pacer taking six wickets in ODI matches. He is Bangladesh cricket team's national selector and a cricket commentator.
Early years
In 1984, Athar played for the BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
Tigers in the first South East Asian Cup. A year later he played in the 3 Day match against Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
at Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
. During the season 1984–85 he was part of the Dhaka University team which won the National cricket Title. In the Semi-Final, against Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
district, Athar scored 155 and shared a record stand of 447 with Tariquzzaman Munir (308).
ODI player
In October 1988, he was BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
's best performer in the Wills Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
Cup at Dhaka. He scored 16 against India, 22 against Pakistan & 30 against Sri Lanka.Then on the final day of 1990, he entertained the huge 50,000 crowd at Eden Garden, Calcutta with 78* against Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. His innings included three huge sixes. Although Bangladesh lost the match, Athar was adjudeged the Man-of-the-Match.
Athar's highest ODI score (82) came against Pakistan in 1997. There, he put on a century partnership (110) with skipper Akram Khan
Akram Khan (cricketer)
Mohammad Akram Hussain Khan , known as Akram Khan, is a former Bangladeshi cricketer who played in 8 Tests and 44 ODIs from 1988 to 2003. He captained Bangladesh in 15 of his ODIs. A hard hitting middle order batsman, Akram played first class cricket for Chittagong Division.Akram Khan was part of...
(59). He was involved with another century partnership a year later. Against Kenya, he put on 137 for the first wicket with Mohammad Rafiq
Mohammad Rafique
Mohammed Rafique is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He is the leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh in Test matches.-International career:...
. Athar's own contribution was 47. This partnership set up Bangladesh's first ever ODI win. His best bowling in ODI was 2/33 against India at Mohali
Mohali
Mohali is a city adjacent to Chandigarh, 18th District in Punjab, India. It is officially named after the eldest son of Guru Gobind Singh, Sahibzada Ajit Singh . It, along with Chandigarh and Panchkula, form a part of the Chandigarh Tricity...
in 1997. Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is a former Indian cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. Born into an affluent family, Ganguly was introduced into the world of cricket by his elder brother Snehasish. He is regarded as one of India's most successful captains in modern times. He started his...
was one of his victims.
ICC Trophy player
Athar played for Bangladesh in three ICC TrophyICC Trophy
The ICC World Cup Qualifier is an international one-day cricket tournament run under the auspices of the International Cricket Council. Any Associate or Affiliate member of the ICC may attempt to qualify for the ICC Trophy by means of a system of regional qualifying events. The test-playing Full...
tournaments, in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 86, in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
in 1994 and finally in Malayasia in 97. He had a disappointing time in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 86, as he lost his place in the side midway through the trophy, due to lack of form. He had scored only 55 runs from 5 innings. The wet conditions in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
didn't suit Athar's batting technique. After being overlooked for the 1990 trophy in Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Athar returned for 1994 tournament in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. There also, he failed to live up to the epxectations, scoring only 90 runs from 6 innings. However, Athar played a big part in Bangladesh's success 3 years later. He scored 170 runs from 9 innings, with 2 not outs, as Bangladesh became the unbeaten champion.
Other matches
1988 was a highly successful year for Athar Ali Khan. First, at the 2nd South East Asian Cup at Hong KongHong Kong cricket team
The Hong Kong cricket team represents Hong Kong in international cricket. It played its first match in 1866 and has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1969....
Athar scored 92 not out against Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, 69 not out against Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in the League matches and followed these with 64 in the final against Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. He was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match for the final.
Athar played for Bangladesh
Bangladeshi cricket team
The Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
in 3 SAARC cricket tournaments in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
. He scored 52 against Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
A in 1994, to set up a win for his team.
Outside cricket
He studied public administration at Dhaka University. He is related (through his marriage) to the well known TV actor Tauqir Ahmed.External links
- http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2006/05/02/sports.htm
- http://www.articlesbase.com/cricket-articles/the-middle-ages-2022784.html The Middle Ages by Rafiqul Ameer
- http://www.articlesbase.com/cricket-articles/the-original-tigers-2244729.html The Original Tigers by Rafiqul Ameer