inam ul rehman
In the year 1991, as Kashmir was slumped into an attritional war against the state of India, apart from bodies falling, strikes and curfew became a new norm in the Valley.
During these days with schools, and colleges closed staying indoors was a perfect recipe. It was during these days that I started to take interest in a sports magazine which my siblings used to relish. It was an Urdu magazine “Akbar-i-Naujawan” primarily focused on sports but had a segment on literature, and was published from New Delhi. Although my siblings brought it to read literature I read it for sports feature. The good thing about this magazine was that it provided healthy coverage to the Pakistan cricket team.
In one such issue there was an interview of cricketer Ramiz Raja. When asked to name his favourite bowler he names three instead of one, but when he was asked about batsman he replied one and only Viv Richards, and mentions one of a reason of him not wearing helmet against any pace bowler.
Helmet? By then I was an avid follower of cricket but didn’t give importance whether players wear wearing helmets or not. After this interview I started to watch out for it.
At the fag end of 1991, West Indies cricket team toured Pakistan to play three one-day internationals. Most matches played between these two world beaters of that time went to the wire. The West Indies cricket team had a pace battery that demoralised opposition. But Pakistan cricket team led by Imran Khan held its own sway. But one thing I know was searching why no batsmen was able to play West Indies pace battery without helmet.
On November 22, 1991, Pakistan made a change for the second ODI match. Javid Miandad was out because of his fitness issue, and in his place Inzamam ul Haq, a difficult name to pronounce then, was drafted in. Pakistan batted first and Inzamam came at one down position. The commentator on the Radio Pakistan described him as a talented batsman in domestic circuit who is not afraid to face fast bowlers without helmet. And here he has come out to face Marshall, Ambrose, Bishop, and Patterson, without putting a helmet, aired commentator on the Pakistan radio.
I was fascinated with it. I thought world-class batsmen should bat without putting a helmet. Viv Richards, retired by then, was one example of it, other was Windies captain Richie Richardson. Some other Windies batsmen would at times also bat without helmet but unlike the two of them. Apart from Australian batsmen, particularly Dean Jones, David Boon, and sometimes Steve Waugh, who would don caps against other teams except West Indies, no other team batsmen would put cap while facing fast bowlers. And I am talking of the late 80s and early 90s. So, Inzamam not wearing a helmet against the most ferocious fast bowlers of his time was not only bravado but romantic for me.
I was not able to watch the match on the television for two reasons. Those days electricity during winters in Srinagar was like intermittent fasting. You never knew when it will come, and there was no cable or DTH facilities. The match was live on the Pakistan television and for that you needed an antenna which could rely grainy pictures on your black and white television. In any case a slight wind would level those grainy pictures as well. I had the latter but on the former I was as helpless as Kashmiris are in changing the boundaries.
The urge to see Inzamam play fast bowlers on the television had to wait. And this wait stretched to three months. Although Pakistan’s next opponent Sri Lanka played 3 Tests and 5 ODIs with Inzamam being selected for the ODI part. I was not interested in this series because many top batsmen would not wear helmets against the pace attack of Sri Lanka particularly in ODIs.
Then on Feb 23, Pakistan played its first match of the 5th world cup against West Indies in Australia. I made a plan to visit my cousin’s home to watch it because the Pakistan television was beaming it live. Fortunately Pakistan batted first, after a slow opening wicket partnership between Aamir Sohail and Ramiz Raja, the former got out, and in came Inzamam. To my disappointment he came out to bat with his helmet on. For me he had lost the sign of being a great batsman.
I moved on. Then I saw Inzamam making his test debut against England. In that inning he came out wearing a Pakistani cap. It was rare to see a Pakistani batsman making debut in Test match and not to put helmet against pacers. The English bowlers bowled a few bouncers to him but he didn’t wear a helmet. In that same series against England when Pakistan played its fifth and last test match of that summer another Pakistani cricketer, Rashid Latief, made debut and blasted 50 runs without wearing a helmet. I was hoop a cock as if he was Viv Richards. Rashid played many ODI and Test matches without wearing a helmet. Against Australia in Rawalpindi Test match (1994) that was a cliffhanger Rashid didn’t wear a helmet, and his hitting brought Pakistan closer to the victory.
A year before Inzamam surprised me when he played the West Indies pacers without helmet in a Test match in which he also scored first of his 25 Test centuries. It was rare sight to hear a batsman facing West Indies pacers in Test without donning a helmet.
The other batsman whom I took keen interest was Ricky Ponting. He came to play the 6th world cup hosted in the subcontinent, and didn’t wear helmet in any match. Pointing was not afraid to even face Shoaib Akhtar bare headed. He did that in ODI’s during Australia’s tour of Pakistan in 1998. Four years later Pointing took on Mohammad Sami, a fast bowler, in a Test match without wearing a helmet.
For me a fast bowler was one who would hit batsmen and force them to wear protective gears. Shoaib was fastest bowler of his time, but Ponting took him apart in that ODI series.
Shoaib’s reputation as the fastest bowler reached crescendo during the 7th world cup played in England. He bowled bouncers, and no batsmen took off his helmet while facing him. Reputation plays a big part in cricket. Now that Shoaib’s reputation as the fastest bowler was on I thought no one would play him without helmet. I was wrong. Two West Indies tailender batsmen faced Shoaib without putting helmet during the tri series final match in West Indies during 2000. What kind of fast bowler he was that tailenders are not afraid to face him without helmet?
It made me certain that although Pakistan may have fastest bowler but the aggression of of a fast bowler was missing. Waqar was fastest bowler in his earlier days but even Sri Lankan, Kiwis, Zimbabwean, and Indian batsmen played him without helmet.
In comparison to Pakistani bowlers I saw Glenn McGrath and co, in 1995 series forcing Richie Richardson to wear helmet which also signalled the end of glory days of the West Indies cricket. I remember the “Times of India” putting up a pic of Richardson wearing a helmet. Thanks to youtube channel of Rob Linda (https://www.youtube.com/user/robelinda2) I was able to see many matches in which David Boon faced West Indian bowlers without putting up helmet, but all of those are ODIs. Ponting perhaps is the last batsmen who didn’t wear a helmet for some part of a Test match while facing a genuine fast bowler. The ball hits his chin but it sounds as if it has hit a concrete wall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeI6YuYcPJg).
Now, no cricketer dons a cap while playing a fast bowler, even when a medium pace bowler bowls all batsmen put up helmets. There is now theatrics, money, and glamour, but minus bravado.
