Majid Khan (cricket player)
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Majid Jahangir Khan is a former cricket
er, specialist batsman and former captain of the Pakistan cricket team and perhaps the most fearless opening Batsman produced by Pakistan. Khan's first-class career spanned from 1961 to 1985. He played 63 Tests for Pakistan, scoring 3,931 runs and made 8 centuries, scored over 27,000 first-class runs and made 73 first-class centuries, with 128 fifties. Majid played his last test for Pakistan in January 1983 vs India at Lahore and his last ODI was in July 1982 vs England at Manchester.
Born in 1946 in Ludhiana, in the state of Punjab in India
, Khan grew up in Lahore
, the capital of the Punjab in Pakistan
. His father, Jahangir Khan
, had played Test cricket for India before partition. Majid Khan had started his career as a pace bowler, but an injury and doubts over his technique converted him into an off-spin bowler and batsman. He also played for the teams of Glamorgan
and Cambridge University
in England
, for Queensland, Australia, and in Pakistan for Pakistan International Airlines
, Rawalpindi
and the province of Punjab
. Majid Khan is the son of Dr. Jahangir Khan who famously killed a bird in flight while bowling during an MCC vs Cambridge University match in 1936. This bird is now part of the permanent MCC museum exhibit at Lords Cricket ground. Dr. Jahangir Khan was the Chief Selector of Pakistan Cricket Board (then BCCP) when Majid Khan was close to National selection. Dr. Jahangir Khan resigned from his post to maintain impartiality of the Cricket board during selection of the national team.
Majid's Test career started in 1964 against Australia. Khan is one of only four batsmen (the other three are VT Trumper, CG Macartney and DG Bradman) to have scored a century before lunch in a test match, scoring 108 not-out off 112 balls against NZ in Karachi during the 1976-77 test series. Majid Khan also holds the unique honor of scoring the first one day century for Pakistan, in an ODI against England at Trent Bridge on 31st August 1974. Khan scored 109 from 93 balls with 16 fours and a six.
Majid had played for Lahore since 1961/62 and had made his Test debut against Australia in 1964/65 and toured England with the 1967 Pakistani`s. During a match with Glamorgan, Majid blasted a rapid 147 in 89 minutes, hitting Roger Davis for five sixes in one over. Wilf Wooller, the club secretary, had been a close friend of Majid`s father when Dr.Jahangir Khan had been up at Cambridge, and the influential Glamorgan secretary persuaded Glamorgan county to sign him as the overseas player from 1968. In 1972 he won the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the season’s fastest century which he scored in 70 minutes for Glamorgan against Warwickshire. He captained the Welsh county between 1973 and 1976, scored over 9000 runs punctuated with 21 first-class centuries for them. Imran Khan
, the legendary Pakistani ex-captain and fast bowler, and Javed Burki are his cousins. Bazid Khan
, Majid's son, has also played for Pakistan, making the family the second, after the Headleys
, to have three consecutive generations of Test cricketers.
Initially, Majid Khan continued to boost Pakistan' middle order, until he was promoted to fill the opener's slot with Sadiq Muhammad in 1974. He was the first century scorer for Pakistan in One Day International Cricket, scoring 108 runs vs England at Trent Bridge Nottingham in the same season. Majid Khan was also a specialist slip fielder and made most catches look easy. Khan was also well known as a "walker", maintaining the high traditions of the game in an era when professionalism was straining at the traditional etiquettes of the game.
The 1976-77 tour of West Indies was the most remarkable period for Majid Khan, where he scored scored 530 test runs against one of the most powerful bowling attacks in the history of the game. His best innings was perhaps the 167 in Pakistan's second innings at Georgetown Guyana that saved Pakistan from a certain defeat. http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63186.html Pakistan lost that series 2-1.
After retirement from International Cricket, Khan became an administrator with the Pakistan Cricket Board
, becoming the CEO of the board in mid 1990s. He now lives in Islamabad.
Majid Jahangir Khan is a former 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, specialist batsman and former captain of the Pakistan cricket team and perhaps the most fearless opening Batsman produced by Pakistan. Khan's first-class career spanned from 1961 to 1985. He played 63 Tests for Pakistan, scoring 3,931 runs and made 8 centuries, scored over 27,000 first-class runs and made 73 first-class centuries, with 128 fifties. Majid played his last test for Pakistan in January 1983 vs India at Lahore and his last ODI was in July 1982 vs England at Manchester.
Born in 1946 in Ludhiana, in the state of Punjab in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Khan grew up in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, the capital of the Punjab in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. His father, Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan (cricketer)
Dr. Mohammad Jahangir Khan played cricket for India during British rule and after the partition of India served as a cricket administrator in Pakistan afterwards. He graduated from Islamia College, Lahore.Jahangir was a big man who stood six feet and bowled medium pace...
, had played Test cricket for India before partition. Majid Khan had started his career as a pace bowler, but an injury and doubts over his technique converted him into an off-spin bowler and batsman. He also played for the teams of Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
and Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
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...
, for Queensland, Australia, and in Pakistan for Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines cricket team
Pakistan International Airlines cricket team are a first-class cricket side based in Karachi, Pakistan. They have won the Qaid-i-Azam Trophy more times than anyone else...
, Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
and the province of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. Majid Khan is the son of Dr. Jahangir Khan who famously killed a bird in flight while bowling during an MCC vs Cambridge University match in 1936. This bird is now part of the permanent MCC museum exhibit at Lords Cricket ground. Dr. Jahangir Khan was the Chief Selector of Pakistan Cricket Board (then BCCP) when Majid Khan was close to National selection. Dr. Jahangir Khan resigned from his post to maintain impartiality of the Cricket board during selection of the national team.
Majid's Test career started in 1964 against Australia. Khan is one of only four batsmen (the other three are VT Trumper, CG Macartney and DG Bradman) to have scored a century before lunch in a test match, scoring 108 not-out off 112 balls against NZ in Karachi during the 1976-77 test series. Majid Khan also holds the unique honor of scoring the first one day century for Pakistan, in an ODI against England at Trent Bridge on 31st August 1974. Khan scored 109 from 93 balls with 16 fours and a six.
Majid had played for Lahore since 1961/62 and had made his Test debut against Australia in 1964/65 and toured England with the 1967 Pakistani`s. During a match with Glamorgan, Majid blasted a rapid 147 in 89 minutes, hitting Roger Davis for five sixes in one over. Wilf Wooller, the club secretary, had been a close friend of Majid`s father when Dr.Jahangir Khan had been up at Cambridge, and the influential Glamorgan secretary persuaded Glamorgan county to sign him as the overseas player from 1968. In 1972 he won the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the season’s fastest century which he scored in 70 minutes for Glamorgan against Warwickshire. He captained the Welsh county between 1973 and 1976, scored over 9000 runs punctuated with 21 first-class centuries for them. Imran Khan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...
, the legendary Pakistani ex-captain and fast bowler, and Javed Burki are his cousins. Bazid Khan
Bazid Khan
Bazid Khan is a Pakistani cricketer. He comes from a famous cricketing family, with his grandfather Jahangir Khan having represented British India before the partition of India and his father Majid , and uncles Imran Khan and Javed Burki having all captained Pakistan.With a combination of an...
, Majid's son, has also played for Pakistan, making the family the second, after the Headleys
George Headley
George Alphonso Headley was a West Indian cricketer who played 22 Test matches, mostly before the Second World War. Considered one of the best batsmen to play for West Indies and one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Headley also represented Jamaica and played professional club cricket in...
, to have three consecutive generations of Test cricketers.
Initially, Majid Khan continued to boost Pakistan' middle order, until he was promoted to fill the opener's slot with Sadiq Muhammad in 1974. He was the first century scorer for Pakistan in One Day International Cricket, scoring 108 runs vs England at Trent Bridge Nottingham in the same season. Majid Khan was also a specialist slip fielder and made most catches look easy. Khan was also well known as a "walker", maintaining the high traditions of the game in an era when professionalism was straining at the traditional etiquettes of the game.
The 1976-77 tour of West Indies was the most remarkable period for Majid Khan, where he scored scored 530 test runs against one of the most powerful bowling attacks in the history of the game. His best innings was perhaps the 167 in Pakistan's second innings at Georgetown Guyana that saved Pakistan from a certain defeat. http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/63186.html Pakistan lost that series 2-1.
After retirement from International Cricket, Khan became an administrator with the Pakistan Cricket Board
Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board is a sporting organization that is responsible for governing all professional cricket including Test cricket and One Day International matches played in Pakistan...
, becoming the CEO of the board in mid 1990s. He now lives in Islamabad.