Thread by @senantix

Thread:
January 1958
West Indies 579 Pakistan 106.
6-day Test. 3.5 of those days remained.
No one gave Pakistan a chance of saving the Test against Gilchrist, Atkinson, Valentine, Sobers, Smith.
And then 23-year-old Hanif Mohammad took guard

#cricket #onthisday

Perhaps moved by the boyish looks of the diminutive batsman, the veteran Walcott had passed on some valuable advice ahead of the innings: “Never try to hook Gilchrist.”
Hanif started swaying away as the terrifying fast man bowled a barrage of bouncers.
It paid off.

Pakistan ended Day 3 on 162/1, Hanif 61*
3 days left. No one gave them a chance
Even that exemplary leader, Pakistan’s captain, Abdul Hafeez Kardar, spared himself the trouble of a pep talk.
All Hanif got from Kardar was a note beside his bed that said, “You are our only hope.”

It was blisteringly hot when Hanif resumed his innings the next day. Layers of skin peeled off under his eye. The pitch started to show signs of wear and tear — some balls splitting the ground and rising sharply.
But Hanif batted on. 339/2 at stumps. Hanif 161*

Yet again he received a note from Kardar in the evening which simply said, “You can do it.”

The fifth day wore on, hot and sultry. Hanif stood at the crease, impregnable in defence, exquisite in technique and immovable in concentration. The day ended with Pakistan on 525 for 3. Hanif was still there on 270.

The lead was still just 52. Even a not-too-drastic collapse would mean a West Indian victory.
The note from Kardar that evening said, “If you can bat until tea tomorrow, the match will be saved.”
Hanif had already batted for two and a half days. Now he got ready to bat another

By now, the crowd — initially antagonistic towards Hanif’s relentless vigil — was thoroughly behind him. From all quarters of the stands, and trees, came all sorts of advice and encouragement. There were at least ten voices that told him how to play Gilchrist.

Lunch was taken at 566 for 4. Hanif on 297.
After the break, having batted for 14 hours 18 minutes, Hanif reached 300 … to roars of approval from the crowd.
At tea he was 334, The score now was 623 for 5. The match was safe. Kardar was at the other end.

He fell at 337 ... 27 short of the world mark of Len Hutton.
The 970-minute tale of phenomenal concentration had ended

Hanif, three layers of skin peeled from under his eye in the heat, walked back to tremendous applause, the sweat drenched handkerchief tied to his neck, still looking remarkably fresh.

He had rewritten the record of the longest Test innings by three hours — it remains unbroken till this day. Nine consecutive sessions and enough to encompass almost eleven separate football matches, with 24 boundaries, 105 singles, 44 twos and 16 threes.

Hanif Mohammad did a lot more in his career. 3915 runs at 44 with 12 hundreds, in a career spanning the first 17 years of Pakistan cricket.
But that 337 remains special, and those associated 970 minutes.

He was born on 21 Dec 1934.
#hanifmohammad #onthisday #cricket