Dilawar Hussain
Encyclopedia
Dilawar Hussain was an early Indian
Test cricket
er.
Dilawar kept wickets
for India in three Test
matches. On his debut, Dilawar was made to open the innings against England
on a green wicket in Calcutta
in 1933/34. He was hit on the head by Morris Nichols and retired. He returned with a bandage over his head, was hit on the thumb by Nobby Clark
, but top scored with 59. He made 57 in the second innings and is one of the few cricketers to top score in both innings on debut. He had started his first class career making 64 and 112 in his very first match. His last appearance came about in the 1936 Indian tour of England
; Dilawar was in Cambridge
at the time and joined the team in England.
Cota Ramaswami has painted an exquisite picture of Dilawar -
Because of his time in Cambridge
, Dilawar missed a few seasons of domestic cricket. Cashman writes that he had an encyclopedic memory which enabled him to recall cricket score sheets ar will and was also a 'great eater and talker', 'who could liven the passing hour with an unbroken monologue on any subject from philosophy ... to the art of seasoning a good curry'. Dilawar was known as 'Professor' in his later years. He took a doctorate in Philosophy and was a double M.A. degree holder. He served as the Principal of the Government College, London and the Muslim Anglo-Oriental College in Lahore
. He was a founder member of the Cricket Control Board in Pakistan
and a selector.
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
er.
Dilawar kept wickets
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
for India in three Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
matches. On his debut, Dilawar was made to open the innings against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
on a green wicket in Calcutta
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
in 1933/34. He was hit on the head by Morris Nichols and retired. He returned with a bandage over his head, was hit on the thumb by Nobby Clark
Nobby Clark
Nobby is the diminutive form of the name Norbert. It is also a nickname most commonly used in English for those with the surname Clark or Clarke.-Nobby Clark:...
, but top scored with 59. He made 57 in the second innings and is one of the few cricketers to top score in both innings on debut. He had started his first class career making 64 and 112 in his very first match. His last appearance came about in the 1936 Indian tour of 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...
; Dilawar was in Cambridge
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...
at the time and joined the team in England.
Cota Ramaswami has painted an exquisite picture of Dilawar -
- He was a tall and bulky person with a prominent stomach and invariably played with a clean shaven head without any hat or cap or any kind of head gear. He always wore very loose pants and after batting for a while or keeping wicket for sometime his shirt will be hanging out of the trousers and somebody must tuck it in, now and then. He had a rather ugly and uncouth stance at the wicket as he held his bat very low and bent his body forward so much that his head was practically in line with the top of the wickets. Those who watched him from the on side could only see his prominent hind portion of the body sticking up while the head, bat and the rest of Dilawar Hussain were hardly visible. However, he had a very sound defense and so it was very difficult to get him out. He was the most selfish batsman that I have ever seen.
Because of his time in Cambridge
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...
, Dilawar missed a few seasons of domestic cricket. Cashman writes that he had an encyclopedic memory which enabled him to recall cricket score sheets ar will and was also a 'great eater and talker', 'who could liven the passing hour with an unbroken monologue on any subject from philosophy ... to the art of seasoning a good curry'. Dilawar was known as 'Professor' in his later years. He took a doctorate in Philosophy and was a double M.A. degree holder. He served as the Principal of the Government College, London and the Muslim Anglo-Oriental College 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...
. He was a founder member of the Cricket Control Board 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...
and a selector.