 Syed Wazir Ali, an Indian Cricketer was born on 15th September 1903 in Jullundur, Punjab. He was the prominent figure in early Indian cricket. He was a right-handed batsman and a medium pace bowler. Syed Wazir Ali played in the regional teams of colonial India like Central India, Maharaja of Patiala's XI, Muslims, Sind and Southern Punjab.
Syed Wazir Ali played in all the Tests that India played before the Second World War. In the tour of England in 1932, Syed Wazir Ali scored 1229 runs in first class matches and 1725 overall. In the next tour to England in 1936, Syed Wazir Ali was hampered by a hand injury but recorded his highest score of 42 in the Test at Manchester. Syed Wazir Ali had his first class cricket career, when he played for Southern Punjab in the Ranji Trophy and Muslims in the Bombay Pentangular, during the time of British Rule in India. The unbeaten 222 rums in the 1938 to 1939 Ranji Trophy final against Bengal Cricket Team was then the highest run in the tournament. Bengal Cricket Team had earlier been all out for 222, but Southern Punjab still ended up in the losing side. The best score of Syed Wazir Ali was 268 runs not out for Indian University Occasionals in 1935. It was the highest score in Indian first class cricket. But both the records were beaten by undefeated 316 runs in 1939 to 1940 by Vijay Hazare. Syed Wazir Ali was second only to C.K. Nayudu among his contemporary Indian cricketers but he apparently resented it having to play second fiddle to Nayudu. Nayudu had many rivals and Wazir was often a stalking-horse for them. Syed Wazir Ali captained India of Colonial Team, in two unofficial Tests against an Australian XI in 1935 to 1936. C. K. Nayudu had captained the side in the first two matches of the series and dropped out of the matches in which Syed Wazir Ali captained the side. After the independence of Pakistan in the year 1947, Syed Wazir Ali migrated to Pakistan and ended his life in poverty. He died on June 17, 1950 in Karachi, Sind, Pakistan at the age of 46. |
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