Azhar mahmoods debut...

[Amjid Javed]

1997 (8 years ago today)

A couple of notable Test firsts on a frustrating day for South Africa at Rawalpindi. Ali Naqvi and Azhar Mahmood became the first pair of debutants to score centuries in the same innings, and Azhar added 151 for the last wicket with Mushtaq Ahmed, equalling the Test record set by Brian Hastings and Richard Collinge for New Zealand against Pakistan at Auckland in 1972-73.

link - http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1...10OCT1997.html

100 & 50 for azhar on debut... he seemed to have a liking for s.african bowling. sadly his test career for political and performance reasons never really fufilled the early potential shown.

[Officer Barbrady]

Hopes were high when he scored those three hundreds. There are many factors as will be pointed out but I will repeat that I have seen very few worse players of spin than Azhar.

[Amjid Javed]

Originally Posted by Marooned Hopes were high when he scored those three hundreds. There are many factors as will be pointed out but I will repeat that I have seen very few worse players of spin than Azhar.

I agree azhar was an awful player of spin. However, against the quicker bowlers he was pretty good. Azhar was a very dangerous lower order batsmen in similar way to moin and wasim akram. His bowling was handy at times. main problem was azhar was always seen as a handy batsmen or bowler. If he had significantly improved on of his suits then maybe his career would have been more fruitful.

[TaZ]

He was always 2nd to the Razzaq of 1999.... and kept out on that basis which I think was fair. Unlike now, the allrounders should be fighting it out for one spot in test cricket. I'll never forget how ineffective he was on his return to the Pak team v England in that 3 ODI series after demolishing most of the county circuit at Surrey.

Where he has been unfairly treated is when he failed, he was dropped, when Razzaq fails, he stays.

[Pathan007]

i mean scoring 3hundreds were wonderful on those pitches. where none of the Pakistani batsmen performed and struggled besides Saeed Anwar 119not out. who also struggled on those pacy and bouncy pitches .

[Saj]

At that time Azhar was of course an unknown quantity and I recall that in the centuries he made, a lot of runs came in the 3rd man, point, gully and square on the off side.