LAHORE, May 30: Legendary fast-medium bowler Fazal Mahmood, who was the first to take 100 wickets in Test cricket for Pakistan, died here on Monday after a cardiac arrest. He was 78. Once a blue-eyed debonair, Fazal Mahmood mesmerized cricket experts and fans alike with his leg cutters. He was dubbed as ‘Hero of the Oval’ in 1954 when he took 12 wickets for 99 runs to allow Pakistan to score their first victory against the hosts on home soil.

At The Oval, Fazal captured six wickets for 53 runs in the first innings and six more for 46 in the second, making headlines in the English press like “England team Fazalled”.

Born on Feb 18, 1927, in Lahore, Fazal never hung his boots, and continued to work as an honorary director for a textile concern. This he did till death came calling on him soon after Monday’s lunch hour in his office. He suffered a massive heart attack at around 3.15pm and was rushed to a hospital in Gulberg where doctors declared him dead.

A veteran of 34 Tests during an illustrious career spanning over 10 years (1952-62), Fazal was selected for the Indian team that was to tour Australia in 1946-47. But, at partition he opted for Pakistan, forgoing the opportunity of bowling to all-time great batsman Don Bradman. Fazal used to refer to it as a ‘big miss’ later in life.

He finally started his career against India in 1952 by playing the first Test at Feroze Shah Kotla Ground in Delhi. On that maiden tour he was accompanied by Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmad, Khan Mohammad, Nazar Mohammad, Maqsood Ahmed, Waqar Hasan, Israr Ali and Anwar Hussain, who also made Test debuts. Pakistan lost the Delhi Test but Fazal struck back with a vengeance at Lucknow to give Pakistan its first win against India, with a match haul of 12 for 94.

After the retirement of A.H. Kardar, Fazal was named captain of the team and he led the side in 10 Tests in three series (1958-59) against West Indies, (1959-60) against Australia and (1960-61) against India. After India’s tour, Fazal was not selected for home series against England and he announced his retirement.

But he was recalled when Pakistan toured England in 1962 after the team had lost three Tests under the captaincy of Javed Burki. Fazal played only one Test at The Oval during the tour, which proved his last.

He took a total of 139 wickets for a cumulative 3,434 runs in 34 Tests. Wielding his lethal leg-cutters, he took five wickets in an innings 13 times and 10 wickets in a match four times, finishing at an average of 24.70. He had the distinction of taking 12 wickets in a match against almost all Test playing teams of the time.

Fazal started his first-class career in 1942-43 and also played for the Northern India team. He played 112 first class matches, taking 466 wickets for 8,837 runs at an average of 18.96. He was honoured with the President’s Pride of Performance Award in the mid-1950s, and was also declared the first Pakistani Cricketer of the Year by Wisden in 1955. A gold medal in 1997 by the then President of Pakistan Farooq Leghari capped his accolades.

Prominent world cricketers have acknowledged Fazal’s class and calibre as a medium-pacer.

“Fazal was simply unplayable in his day. My most difficult and memorable innings was at The Oval against him where I scored 53 in 1954,” Denis Compton, an English batsman recorded.

“If cricket was played as much in those days as now, Fazal would have taken a thousand wickets,” Sir Alec Bedser, another English player, said of him.

“Fazal Mahmood was a great friend and a great bowler. A very intelligent and difficult bowler to play,” said Syed Mushtaq Ali, an Indian legend in his own right.

“Fazal could make the ball talk on a matting wicket,” said Neil Harvey of Australia. “Though I never saw Fazal play, I heard of his achievements when I began playing cricket and during the beginning of my career wherever I went — India, England or West Indies — people used to talk about Fazal,” Imran Khan, the other legendary bowler produced by Pakistan, had said in his speech at the launching ceremony of Fazal’s autobiography From Dusk to Dawn in Lahore two years ago.

He has also left behind an Urdu version of his autobiography Fazal Mahmood aur cricket, which covers his career till 1954. Another book on cricket, entitled West Indies say West Indies tak, and Talash-i-Haq are also to his credit.

Fazal was the first director of the West Pakistan Sports Board in 1970. He also served as director of the Punjab Sports Board in the late ‘70s. He was instrumental in grooming many a sport stalwart, including two great hockey players, Khwaja Zakauddin and Munir Dar, as in-charge of the police sports department from where he retired as deputy inspector-general.

The Oval Hero is survived by his son Shahzad Mahmood and two daughters, Shahida Haq and Shaista.

Fazal’s funeral prayers will be held at the Jamia Naimia in Garhi Shahu, Lahore, on Tuesday (today) at 10am and he will be laid to rest in the Musafarkhana graveyard on Durand Road.