Ghulam Guard
Encyclopedia
Ghulam Mustafa Guard was an India
n cricket
er who played in two Tests
from 1958 to 1960.
Ghulam Guard, 'a tall, high-shouldered man, who shuffled up to the wicket in twelve steps and ran the ball away from the right-handed batsmen at distinctly above medium pace, especially when fresh', was the first left-hander to open the bowling for India. At 6' 3", he was the tallest cricketer to play for India between Ladha Ramji
in the 1930s and Abey Kuruvilla
in the nineties. Guard bowled successfully in Indian domestic cricket for Bombay
and Gujarat
for more than 15 years from 1946-47.
But he was almost 33 before he was picked for his first Test appearance, the first match against West Indies
at Bombay (Mumbai) in 1958-59. He took three good wickets – John Holt (Jr)
, Conrad Hunte
, and Gary Sobers – but was dropped for the rest of the series, and did not tour England in 1959.
Guard reappeared in the third Test against Australia
in 1959-60, also at Bombay (Mumbai), but failed to take a single wicket and was again dropped. That season, his wickets, allied to a strong batting line-up, were instrumental in Bombay's winning of the Ranji Trophy
, and he took nine wickets for 135 runs against Mysore
in the trophy final. He took 31 wickets in the season at an average of 15.
He went on to become the Superintendent of Police in Gujarat.
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...
n 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 who played in two Tests
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...
from 1958 to 1960.
Ghulam Guard, 'a tall, high-shouldered man, who shuffled up to the wicket in twelve steps and ran the ball away from the right-handed batsmen at distinctly above medium pace, especially when fresh', was the first left-hander to open the bowling for India. At 6' 3", he was the tallest cricketer to play for India between Ladha Ramji
Ladha Ramji
Ramji Ladha Nakum was an Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1933....
in the 1930s and Abey Kuruvilla
Abey Kuruvilla
Abey Kuruvilla is a former Indian pace bowler of the mid 1990s.Kuruvilla stood a towering tall and coupled with his broad frame cut an imposing figure on the field....
in the nineties. Guard bowled successfully in Indian domestic cricket for Bombay
Mumbai cricket team
The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team representing the city of Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. It is the most successful team in the Ranji Trophy, India's top domestic cricket competition, with 39 titles, the most recent being in 2009–10. The team's home ground is the Wankhede Stadium in...
and Gujarat
Gujarat cricket team
The Gujarat cricket team is one of three Ranji Trophy cricket teams representing the state of Gujarat . It was in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy although it has had very little success. There have, however, been many cricketers that have passed through its ranks and gone on to play for the...
for more than 15 years from 1946-47.
But he was almost 33 before he was picked for his first Test appearance, the first match against West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
at Bombay (Mumbai) in 1958-59. He took three good wickets – John Holt (Jr)
John Holt (Jr)
John Kenneth Constantine Holt was a West Indian cricketer who played in seventeen Tests between 1954 and 1959....
, Conrad Hunte
Conrad Hunte
Sir Conrad Cleophas Hunte, KA was a Barbadian cricketer. Hunte played 44 Test matches as an opening batsman for the West Indies.-Early life and career:...
, and Gary Sobers – but was dropped for the rest of the series, and did not tour England in 1959.
Guard reappeared in the third Test against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in 1959-60, also at Bombay (Mumbai), but failed to take a single wicket and was again dropped. That season, his wickets, allied to a strong batting line-up, were instrumental in Bombay's winning of the Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
, and he took nine wickets for 135 runs against Mysore
Karnataka cricket team
Karnataka cricket team is a cricket team that represents the Indian state of Karnataka in domestic first class cricket. One of the strongest teams in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group, it has produced many of the Indian cricket team's leading players throughout its existence...
in the trophy final. He took 31 wickets in the season at an average of 15.
He went on to become the Superintendent of Police in Gujarat.