LAHORE, March 14: Former Test players and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman have condoled the demise of ex-Test wicket-keeper/batsman Taslim Arif, who died in Karachi on Thursday night at the age of 53.

Deeply grieved over the passing away of Taslim, former Test cricketers and fellow commentators Intikhab Alam, Saleem Altaf and Mohammad Ilyas called it a great loss for national cricket.

Dr Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said Taslim made a major contribution to national cricket as a player, commentator and selector.

Prayers were offered for the departed soul and the bereaved family to have the strength to bear this irreparable loss.

Our Sports Reporter adds from Karachi: Former captain Javed Miandad said Taslim’s death was a tragedy. “We all loved him, he endeared himself to everyone he played with. It is a great loss because he was there for all whenever needed,” said Miandad, who was Pakistan captain when Taslim made his double century (210 not out) against Australia at Faisalabad in 1979-80. “Taslim was unlucky not to play a lot of cricket for Pakistan in the presence of Wasim Bari.”

Miandad added he had advised Taslim to bat down the order because he was reliable behind the stumps. “It was not easy for him to concentrate on both tasks equally. I had played a lot with Taslim and found him a lively character who dedicated his life to cricket,” he added.

Another colleague and Test spinner, Iqbal Qasim said: “Taslim was a very kind, happy-go-lucky sort of character and we enjoyed each other’s company. His death has saddened us all.“I can never forget his historic unbeaten 210 against Australia. He kept wickets and stayed in the field during the entire duration of the match and I had the honour of playing alongside him in that game.”

Describing Taslim as a courageous person, former Test opener Sadiq Mohammad described said the late cricketer accepted challenges in the game.

Sadiq recalled that after incessant failure of openers during the tour of India in 1979-80, Taslim requested Pakistan skipper Asif Iqbal to include him as an opener in the Kolkata Test. “Asif included him in the team for the final Test in Kolkata and Taslim scored 90 in the first innings and 46 in the second,” Sadiq recalled. “That showed his self-belief.”

Taslim, who was a member of the national junior selection committee, played six Tests and scored 501 runs at an average of 62.62 besides claiming nine victims (six catches, three stumpings) behind the stumps. He also played two One-day Internationals in which he made 28 runs and had two dismissals (one catch and a stumping).

Taslim played for Karachi, Sindh and National Bank in a first-class career that spanned from 1967-68 to 188-89 and scored 7568 runs at 33.63 with 13 centuries, mainly as an opener. He held 312 catches and made 56 stumpings as wicket-keeper.

APP adds: Taslim was laid to rest here at the Cantonment Board Graveyard in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Friday afternoon with a huge number of cricketers, officials and organisers attending his funeral.

Taslim died at a local hospital on Thursday of lungs infection.

Dozens of Test and first-class cricketers as well as officials and the organisers attended his funeral including Miandad, Chairman PCB Dr Nasim Ashraf, Ex-hockey Olympians Islahuddin and Hanif Khan, all-rounder Shahid Afridi, former Test cricketers Sadiq Mohammad, Iqbal Qasim, Liaquat Ali, Sikander Bakht, Shoaib Mohammad, Mansoor Akhtar, Azeem Hafeez, Rashid Khan, Saleem Jaffar, chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed, Shafqat Rana, Rashid Khan, Jalaluddin and Masood Anwaar.

Also present on the occasion were Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town Nazim, Wasey Jalil, KCCA secretary Sirajul Islam Bukhari, KHA secretary Gulfraz Khan, friends and relatives.