00:00Today we take you back to one such rare and golden moment, a vintage knock from the elegant
00:05match to Zaheer Abbas.
00:07It was the second test match between Pakistan and Australia, played at the Gabba in Brisbane
00:12from November 27 to December 1, 1981.
00:16On a lively pitch against a strong Australian attack, Zaheer Abbas played a sparkling innings
00:21of 80 runs from 116 balls.
00:24He batted for 157 minutes and stroked 10 beautiful boundaries.
00:28Each shot a piece of art, full of timing and class.
00:32Though Pakistan eventually lost the match by 10 wickets, this knock from Zaheer Abbas
00:36stood out like a bright star on a cloudy night.
00:39His footwork placement and calm confidence were a treat for everyone who loves the game
00:45in its purest form.
00:46Watching Zaheer Abbas batting like watching a master painter at work, graceful, effortless
00:52and unforgettable.
00:53This was not just a knock of runs, it was a statement of elegance and style.
00:58A reminder of how cricket is not always about the brute power, but often about the beauty
01:03of touch, timing and technique.
01:05So sit back and relive the charm of that unforgettable innings.
01:09Let the memories flow and enjoy this rare piece of cricketing history.
01:13Zaheer Abbas, the Asian brand man doing what he did best, making batting look like poetry
01:18in motion.
01:19Four for one, two, five, Alderman.
01:21Yeah, that one, and that's a little bit lucky there by Zaheer, not happy with himself.
01:33And going through the fourth slip area for four, so good bowling there by Alderman.
01:38There's Zaheer there, not across to it, and his head wasn't behind the line of the ball.
01:43He was perhaps a little bit fortunate there to find the gap between third slip and gully.
01:48You can see he was intent on aggression, and that's a sort of shot one expects from a player in
01:54form.
01:59It's a good shot by Zaheer here, bisecting the extra cover and put off the other ball,
02:03going away down towards the boundary.
02:04They'll probably get three for this.
02:12Lillie to Zaheer Abbas.
02:22That's very nicely placed by Zaheer, who is giving Dennis Lillie a little nudge as he's
02:28gone past him.
02:31We have time for Zaheer to play Dennis Lillie off the back foot, keeping the eye on the ball,
02:39Zaheer here, and just touching Dennis Lillie as he taps that bat in.
02:45Very friendly stuff out there, nice, easy two, rushing between the wickets by Zaheer.
02:52It's imperative that one of those players have to start to build a big score, and those players
02:57perhaps go on and get a century.
03:01One shot before, perfectly timed, and what a good wicket this is.
03:12Dennis Lillie dropping one in short, but Zaheer, plenty of time to get back, just pull it away,
03:17forward of square leg.
03:19Good shot by Zaheer, plenty of time, gathered the pace, where it was pitched, and plenty
03:29of time to go back and just hook it away there, as forward of square.
03:40Good shot, ball runs that, perfect timing, well pitched up.
03:55Here this inning's just starting to blossom now.
03:59Rolls down to Zaheer, only one gully now, the other one's gone out to squarish point, that's
04:06a bit confused.
04:13In the air, and he's got it away safely, turned out to be quite a good shot before.
04:26Dennis Lillie once again trying Zaheer here out with the bouncer, not hit all that well,
04:30and all that convincing, just clearing the man at backward square, but short boundary out
04:35there, and bouncing away for four runs.
04:37So he's a good bouncer, so he's coming on the front foot, put a little bit in two mines,
04:42and then whack.
04:43He can't pick it up as well as he would have liked.
04:46Waits for Yardley.
04:48Timed that very well indeed, to get it away past Middon.
04:56That's not really a hard hit stroke, but very close to going to the boundary.
05:03Three more to Zaheer.
05:05There's no urgency about Zaheer Abbas's batting this afternoon.
05:11He's playing just within himself, but beautiful on drive that one.
05:16Just whipping it off the pads, wide of mid on.
05:20Got hit with a great deal of power, but just good timing.
05:23Thompson to Zaheer Abbas.
05:28Well played.
05:29Beautiful shot by Zaheer.
05:30On to the back foot.
05:31That one a bit short, and cut away down towards the point boundary.
05:35And so that's the end of the over, four for 196.
05:42So Thompson, two Zaheer.
05:47Bouncer and he's pulled that away.
05:50That's a beautiful shot.
05:51Beautifully played that one by Zaheer for four.
05:53And so the crowd cheer.
05:56He's 50.
05:58Very, very well played innings too.
06:00And a very important one from a Pakistan point of view.
06:04And he's epitomized concentration out there.
06:08Zaheer is 50 of 91 balls in 119 minutes.
06:14What a lovely shot to reach his 50.
06:16This is a very important 50 for Zaheer.
06:19He was in a beautiful position there to just hit it around the corner for four.
06:24Very important 50 for Zaheer.
06:26It'll put him in a good frame of mind.
06:28And of course, he's brought a great deal of assurance and authority to the Pakistan innings.
06:33Ian Chappell seems to have settled down.
06:37He won't be back out there.
06:38So he's got 105.
06:39So Greg could well get himself right up near Cowdery.
06:43If not, pass him.
06:45That's a beautiful shot from Zaheer.
06:48Beautifully placed on the onside, bisecting the field.
06:51And it's running away down to that deep mid-wicket boundary.
06:53And Lily won't stop it.
06:54So, beautiful timing.
06:56That's a lovely shot.
06:59He leaned into that one.
07:02Beautiful positioning of the feet.
07:04And his balance was perfect.
07:06And the turn of the wrists.
07:08The last minute.
07:09And it raced through mid-wicket for four.
07:11What a lovely shot from him.
07:13And he's beginning to look very good now.
07:16That was Zaheer's seventh boundary.
07:27And this could be his eighth.
07:29This one going down towards the square leg fence.
07:31Thompson trying to cut it off, but he won't get there.
07:33So, another Fortes are here.
07:35And Terry Alderman just beginning to stray in direction.
07:38He hasn't looked that impressive on this good pitch up here at the Gabba.
07:44And that's Zaheer possibly cutting loose now.
07:46Getting into his best form.
07:49The form which got him so many runs in the county season.
07:53Picking that one off beautifully.
07:56And clipping it away for four.
07:58So, he's now sighting the ball well.
08:01And seems to have recovered his top form.
08:03It was going to be very interesting to see how
08:05Terry Alderman handled the better pitches.
08:07Of course, the English pitchers are inclined to seam around a bit.
08:10And help the medium pacer.
08:13The Perth pitch too is rather helpful.
08:16Well, this one's not.
08:17And it's going to be a big tester for Alderman.
08:20That's a good shot by Zaheer.
08:21Played straight.
08:23Going down the ground.
08:24Wood running across there pretty quickly.
08:26They'll only get two.
08:27And so, the end of the over.
08:31Eleven coming from that over.
08:33And the score four for 2-2-2.
08:38Thompson to Zaheer Abbas.
08:41Now, that's up in the air again.
08:42Oh, beautifully placed.
08:43Well pitched up there by Thompson and Zaheer.
08:47Here smashes that down to the mid-on boundary.
08:53What, uh, I wonder does Lily watch when he runs up to bowl?
08:58As I run into bowl, firstly I look at my mark to make sure that my foot hits the place I want to put it.
09:04And then, straight away from there, my sights go right onto the target where I want to bowl the ball.
09:15The target there was obviously on the stumps.
09:17It was on the stumps.
09:18It was well played by Zaheer down to mid-on.
09:20Dirk Wellham running across from the offside.
09:23Two to Zaheer.
09:24Another lovely drive from Zaheer.
09:29Hit very firmly but the slow outfield, slowing it down as it reached the boundary.
09:35Leaned into that one and really got it in the middle of the bat.
09:40Driven past the bowler on the onside.
09:45So, Zaheer now in prime form.
09:49And looking and watching the ball very carefully.
09:52It's a short one and it's hit high in the air and, uh, not quite connected there by Zaheer.
10:02Wood comes around but the ball had bounced, uh, a few times before it reached him.
10:07Just for a second there that looked as if that might have been carrying down to Wood,
10:11who came around very quickly initially.
10:13But it didn't.
10:16Well, that was pretty close.
10:17The trap nearly paid off.
10:20Ball landing ahead of a fielder who had to run around a bit.
10:25But credit to Lilly for tempting Zaheer into that shot and creating a bit of a risk for him.
10:32Let's see what he does now.
10:33Perhaps it could be another short pitch delivery.
10:42That one just outside off stump and Zaheer calling for a quick single there and Roger responding.
10:47So, one to Zaheer, that was a good ball from Lilly, just outside the off stump.
10:53And very well played by Zaheer.
10:55Zaheer this time playing it away on the off side.
11:02He got on top of it well.
11:03It was a short lifting delivery on the off stump.
11:07And he placed it well and ran well to get that single.
11:11Now, let's see what Lilly hasn't.
11:16Lilly to Zaheer Abbas.
11:21And four more.
11:23Meant to be the surprise, the short run and the bouncer.
11:26But Zaheer's a bit too experienced for that.
11:28You might be able to talk one of the younger players into it.
11:33And isn't he in good position too?
11:35He's moving across that with him.
11:37Even before the ball is bowled.
11:38He's inside the line and he pulls it in front of square.
11:41Now, that's just an indication of how early he hit that ball.
11:50Oh, and he's done him the same way as Javid Miendad.
11:53But that one, I think, was a slice of luck.
11:55Javid Miendad's dismissal was very good bowling.
11:58And excellent thinking.
11:59That one was just unfortunate, I'm afraid, for Zaheer Abbas.
12:03Yes, I think it was the bounce with the Zaheer Abbas.
12:05He was expecting that ball to bounce much higher.
12:08And he gave himself room to play square on the wicket.
12:12And the ball didn't bounce enough.
12:14It hit the underside edge and from there ricocheted sickeningly onto the off start.
12:19And there is the lead.
12:21Very happy about that.
12:22The fall of the seventh wicket at 245.
12:24Zaheer Abbas, often hailed as the Asian breadman, was a bestman of rare class and unmatched grace.
12:37When he walked out to bat, it was not just about runs.
12:40It was about the poetry of cricket unfolding in front of your eyes.
12:44With a high back lift, silken touch and exceptional timing, Zaheer could pierce the tightest field with ease.
12:52He was especially majestic through the covers and square of the wicket.
12:56His drives were not just shots but pure statements of class.
12:59There was an effortless charm in the way he batted, never in a rush, never out of balance.
13:03Whether facing express pace or tricky spin, Zaheer Abbas remained composed, often making world-class bowling attacks look ordinary.
13:13He was the first Pakistani bestman to score over 100 centuries in first-class cricket, a testament to his consistency and dominance over a long career.
13:22One of the few subcontinental players to truly master English condition, Zaheer Abbas left a lasting legacy with Gloucestershire in county cricket,
13:30where he was adored not just for the runs but for the way he scored them.
13:35In test cricket too, Zaheer Abbas played some unforgettable innings, including multiple double surgeries, often shouldering the burden of the Pakistan batting lineup.
13:44He was not aggressive in the modern sense but was authoritative in his own graceful way, a rare quality deeply respected by both fans and fellow cricketers.
13:53Zaheer Abbas had an extraordinary first-class carrier that firmly established him among the all-time greats of the game.
14:02Over the course of 459 matches, he played 789 innings and scored a staggering 34,843 runs at a superb batting average of 51.54, a mark of true consistency and excellence.
14:16He registered 108 centuries and 158 half centuries, with his highest score being 274.
14:24These numbers reflect not just his brilliance but also his hunger for big scores across different conditions.
14:31Zaheer Abbas was not just a master in international cricket but also a dominant force in domestic and county cricket, especially during his prolific years with Gloucestershire in England.
14:41Though primarily a best man, he also bowled occasionally, delivering 9,858 balls and taking 51 wickets.
14:51With a bowling average of 83.33 and best bowling figure of 3.58, in the field he was sharp and reliable, taking 316 catches during his first-class journey.
15:01These statistics underline a career filled with class, longevity and unmatched grace, a true symbol of cricketing artistry.
15:10If you liked this video, please comment, share and subscribe.
15:13Thanks for watching.
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