Google released on Thursday a doodle in honor of the legendary Pakistani cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar on his 94th birthday.
The search engine giant remembered Mr. Kardar – affectionately known as “The Skipper” – with a scrawl that shows the cricketer is playing an elegant shot on the forefoot.
“As one of the few players to have played Test cricket for both India and Pakistan, Kardar is the first test team in Pakistan and is widely known to be the father of a Pakistani cricket,” said Google in his review of the cricketer.
Mr. Kardar was born on January 17, 1925 in Lahore, the son of a well-known cricket family. He was educated at Islamia College and traveled to England to represent India in the friendly. He went on to play for Oxford and Warwickshire County Cricket Club, where he was coached by renowned New Zealand cricketer Martin Donnelly.
After the division in 1947 Kardar joined the Pakistani team and campaigned for the country to receive the full test status, which was finally granted in 1952.
He was an important figure in the cricket history of Pakistan and won in 1952 the first test of the national team. Although India was victorious in the series, Pakistan under his leadership won the first test victory in his second test in Lucknow.
As a left-handed batsman and slow, orthodox spin-bowler with his left arm, he scored an average of 23.76 runs in 26 games at 26 games and thus hit a total of six half-centuries. In bowling he took 21 wickets with an average of 45.42. In first-class cricket he scored 6,832 runs and took 344 wickets.
In 23 games he led the Pakistani team and led the national team to win all the then Test Nations, with the exception of South Africa, with whom they never had to fight.
“Kardar was a passionate competitor on and off the field and was deeply involved in organizing the Pakistani cricket, an early advocate of neutral referee and a passionate demonstrator against political interference in administration,” said the Google Post.
In recognition of his contributions to Pakistani cricket, Kardar received the Pride of Performance Award in 1958 from the Government of Pakistan.
On April 21, 1996, he breathed for the last time at the age of 71 years.
