Shafiq-ul-Haq
Encyclopedia
Shafiq-ul-Haq was a Bangladesh
i cricket
player
who played in the 1979 ICC Trophy
and the 1982 ICC Trophy
in England
. In the latter tournament
he captained the side
and they finished fourth. They won 4 and lost 3 game
s in this tournament.
have already produced three top class wicketkeepers, Shafiq-ul-Haq Hira in the 1970s, Nasir Ahmed
Nasu in the 80's and Khaled Mashud
Pilot in more recent times. All three were highly competent, but Hira certainly had the edge over the other two, when it came to keeping wickets against the spinners.
He was lucky in a sense. Bangladesh
had three quality spinners in his time, Lintu
the left armer, Rumy
, the leggie and (Syed) Ashraful Haque
the offie. It was a delight to watch Hira keep wickets against these spinners. Keeping to Lintu
was a special challenge, because he was much quicker than an average spinner. Hira also showed great ability in picking up Rumy
, as the leg spinner used to mix up few googleys along with his leg-spinners.
During his time, he was the undisputed number-1 keeper of the country. In fact, two other keepers, Belal and Manju (elder brother of Nasu
) occasionally played for the national side, but only as batsman. Hira himself, was no mean batsman. He scored vital runs down the order on many occasions. His unbeaten 51 against the Deccan Blues (1978) helped Bangladesh
reach 300 for the first time in international cricket.
between 79 to 83. In 82, Bangladesh
reached the Semi-Final of ICC Trophy
, before losing to eventual champions Zimbabwe
. Players like Lipu
(future captain), Rafiq
, Nehal, Nadir Shah (now an internationally respected umpire) and many others matured under his captaincy.
After retiring from cricket, Hira has been actively involved with cricket as an administrator.
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...
i 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...
player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
who played in the 1979 ICC Trophy
1979 ICC Trophy
Canada proved too strong for Malaysia, Rasiah Ratnalingham's excellent analysis of 12-5-18-3 not enough to stop the Canadians winning by 44 runs thanks to 77 from Cecil Marshall and 4-33 from John Vaughan...
and the 1982 ICC Trophy
1982 ICC Trophy
The 1982 ICC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament held in England between 16 June and 10 July 1982. It was the second ICC Trophy tournament to be staged, with matches between the 16 participating teams played over 60 overs a side and with white clothing and red balls...
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 the latter tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
he captained the side
Side
Side was an ancient Greek city in Anatolia, in the region of Pamphylia, in what is now Antalya province, on the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey...
and they finished fourth. They won 4 and lost 3 game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s in this tournament.
As a wicketkeeper
In its 30-year history of international cricket, BangladeshBangladeshi 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...
have already produced three top class wicketkeepers, Shafiq-ul-Haq Hira in the 1970s, Nasir Ahmed
Nasir Ahmed
Nasir Ahmed is a former Bangladeshi cricketer who played in 7 ODIs from 1988 to 1990. He is one of the three best wicketkeeprs to play for Bangladesh, Shafiq-ul-Haq and Khaled Mashud being the other two. After the retirement of Haque, the selectors tried a number of young keepers, and Nasir ...
Nasu in the 80's and Khaled Mashud
Khaled Mashud
Khaled Mashud is a Bangladeshi cricketer. A wicketkeeper and more than a useful middle order batsman, he was a regular member of the national team between 1995-2007. Bangladeshi coach Dav Whatmore has gone so far as to claim Mashud as the best wicketkeeper in Asia.-Early Days:Mashud played for...
Pilot in more recent times. All three were highly competent, but Hira certainly had the edge over the other two, when it came to keeping wickets against the spinners.
He was lucky in a sense. 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...
had three quality spinners in his time, Lintu
Nazrul Kader
Nazrul Kader, also known as Lintu, was a left arm spin bowler from Bangladesh. He was a member of the Bangladesh cricket team that played against the MCC in the historical match at Dhaka in 1976-77.-Bowling action:...
the left armer, Rumy
Omar Khaled Rumy
Omar Mohammad Khaled was a Bangladeshi cricketer. A middle order batsman and a leg spin googley bowler, he played regularly for the national side between 1976-77 to 1983-84.-As a batsman:...
, the leggie and (Syed) Ashraful Haque
Ashraful Haque
Syed Ashraful Haq is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He was the architect of Bangladesh's first ever ICC Trophy victory, over Fiji in May 1979. His 7/23 from 9.2 overs completely destroyed the Fiji middle order, leading Bangladesh to a 22 run win. He was also a member of the Bangladesh side that played...
the offie. It was a delight to watch Hira keep wickets against these spinners. Keeping to Lintu
Nazrul Kader
Nazrul Kader, also known as Lintu, was a left arm spin bowler from Bangladesh. He was a member of the Bangladesh cricket team that played against the MCC in the historical match at Dhaka in 1976-77.-Bowling action:...
was a special challenge, because he was much quicker than an average spinner. Hira also showed great ability in picking up Rumy
Omar Khaled Rumy
Omar Mohammad Khaled was a Bangladeshi cricketer. A middle order batsman and a leg spin googley bowler, he played regularly for the national side between 1976-77 to 1983-84.-As a batsman:...
, as the leg spinner used to mix up few googleys along with his leg-spinners.
During his time, he was the undisputed number-1 keeper of the country. In fact, two other keepers, Belal and Manju (elder brother of Nasu
Nasir Ahmed
Nasir Ahmed is a former Bangladeshi cricketer who played in 7 ODIs from 1988 to 1990. He is one of the three best wicketkeeprs to play for Bangladesh, Shafiq-ul-Haq and Khaled Mashud being the other two. After the retirement of Haque, the selectors tried a number of young keepers, and Nasir ...
) occasionally played for the national side, but only as batsman. Hira himself, was no mean batsman. He scored vital runs down the order on many occasions. His unbeaten 51 against the Deccan Blues (1978) helped 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...
reach 300 for the first time in international cricket.
As a captain
He captained 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...
between 79 to 83. In 82, 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...
reached the Semi-Final of ICC Trophy
ICC 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...
, before losing to eventual champions Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. Players like Lipu
Gazi Ashraf
Gazi Ashraf Hossain , commonly known as Lipu, is a former Bangladeshi cricketer who played and captained the Bangladeshi cricket team in its first 7 ODIs, two in the Asia Cup in 1986, three in the Asian Cup in 1988, and two in the Australia-Asia Cup to 1990....
(future captain), Rafiq
Rafiqul Alam
Rafiqul Alam is a former Bangladeshi cricketer who played in 2 ODIs in the 1986 Asia Cup. In his debut match, , he scored 14. He followed this with 10 against Sri Lanka.-In ICC Trophy:...
, Nehal, Nadir Shah (now an internationally respected umpire) and many others matured under his captaincy.
| Bangladeshi ICC Trophy captains | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Name | Year | Played | Won | Tied | Lost | No result | Where finished |
| 1 | Shafiq-ul-Haq | 1979 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Third in qualifying group |
| 1982 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | Semi-Finalists | ||
| Total | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
After retiring from cricket, Hira has been actively involved with cricket as an administrator.
External links
- http://www.articlesbase.com/cricket-articles/the-first-generation-cricketers-of-bangladesh-2210264.html by Rafiqul Ameer