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Mudassar, whose father played a few Tests for Pakistan in their early
years, announced his arrival in international cricket with the slowest
Test match century up to the end of the 20th Century - taking nine hours
and 17 minutes to reach three figures in the Lahore Test against Mike
Brearley's 1977-78 England team. It was uncharacteristic stubbornness
compared with his normal smiling nature, but that was never a good guide
to the determination he put into his batting and his accurate medium
pace swing bowling. That was shown on occasions like his partnership of
451 with Javed Miandad when Pakistan met India in Hyderabad in 1982-83, a
series in which he followed his own 231 with 152 not out at Lahore and
152 at Karachi.
With the ball he was always a surprise addition to the
match-winners, but he sprung that surprise on England at Lords in 1982,
when he took 6-32. India were often the butt of his best Test innings.
As well as the prolific series above he made 126 against them at Lahore
in 1979-80 and 199 at Faisalabad in 1985-86. He made 124 against England
at Edgbaston in 1987, followed by 120 in Lahore in the return series
against Mike Gatting's side a few months later. In 1979 he was a World
Cup semi-finalist, while in the 1983 competition in England his bowling
was to the fore, taking 3-43 against New Zealand in Nottingham. He was a
semi-finalist again in 1987 and scored 40 against West Indies at
Karachi. Mudassar spent nine years playing league cricket for Burnley in
Lancashire and turned out for Cheshire between 1980 and 1988. (Bob Harragan)
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