Zaheer Abbas, the Asian Bradman turns 73 today

Cricket Legend, finest batsmen of all times, whose numbers speak his class, called as one of Pakistan’s greats, popularly known as Asian Bradman, Zaheer Abbas has turned 73 today.

He is among few professional cricketers who used to wear spectacles.

Born on this day in Sialkot, Punjab; Abbas made his Test match debut in 1969.

Playing only his second Test match, Zaheer Abbas scored 274 against England at Birmingham to give a sample of what he was made of.

His next hundred in Test cricket was also a double ton, again against England at The Oval in 1974.

Azhar Abbas’s maiden Test double had created enough excitement among the counties to be lining up to recruit him.

Abbas picked Gloucestershire and remained loyal to the club till his last county appearance.

His record in international cricket is undoubtedly impressive, given the era in which he played. Abbas’s batting average of 44.79 in Test cricket including 12 hundreds and 4 double hundreds puts him in a respected league.

At a time when ODIs were not played with anywhere close to the gusto with which they are now done, his 2,572 runs from 62 ODI games at an average of 47.62 and a strike rate of 84.80 are nothing short of excellent. A strike rate touching 85 in his era, is truly brilliant.

A stylish strokemaker who was memorable for his effortless beauty.

With over 7,500 runs for Pakistan in international cricket, he was dubbed the Asian Bradman because of his hunger for runs.

In June 2015, Zaheer Abbas became only the third cricketer to be appointed the ICC President after Colin Cowdrey and Clyde Walcott.