Pakistan Cricket Legend Israr Ali passes away at 88

Pakistan’s oldest cricketer Israr Ali passed away in his hometown in the Okara district on the 1^st of February 2016. He was 88 and also Pakistan’s oldest living cricketer. Israr had represented Pakistan between 1952 and 1959, featuring in four tests.

Born in Jullundur, British India on the 1^st of May 1927, Ali represented Multan and Southern Punjab in the domestic circuit. In spite of picking up a massive 114 wickets in 40 domestic matches, Israr Ali failed to make an impression on the international level. However, according to Ali, his international career was significantly shortened due to his fallout with then captain Abdul Hafeez Kadar.

Israr Ali made his international debut against India at the Feroz Shah Kotla in 1952. Playing as a top order batsman, Ali failed to make a mark, scoring a total of just 10 runs in the match. His last match came in 1959 against the Australians in Lahore. Once more, Israr Ali failed to impress, bringing down the curtain on a short international career.

Following his retirement, Ali served as a cricket administrator and president of the Multan region from1981-82. However, Israr Ali moved away from the game in 1987, eventually moving back to his hometown in Okara. “I parted from cricket after 1987, maybe because I was losing the passion, and decided to stay back in Okara,” Ali had said when he was 85 years old.

Israr Ali moved back to his hometown Okara at the age of 85, bidding farewell to the game. He eventually went into a career of agriculture in the fertile Okara delta.