HE would have been 84-years-old on Dec 21. Born to a sporting family in Junagadh in 1934, Pakistani cricket legend Hanif Mohammad, widely known as `Little Master` died at the age of 81 in 2016, leaving the cricket-loving nation in mourning.
He played for Pakistan in 55 test matches between 1952-53 and 1969-70 and scored 3,915 runs at an average of 43.98, including 12 centuries. At his peak, Hanif was considered one of the best batsmen in the world and he played at a time when Pakistan had very few test cricketers.
In obituaries, he was described as the `original Little Master`, a title later assumed by Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
He was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and had been under treatment for respiratory complications when he died.
His marathon score of 337 against the West Indies in a test at Bridgetown in 1957-58, is regarded as one of the epic knocks in cricket history. Af ter Pakistan found themselves following on from a first-innings deficit of 473 runs on the afternoon of the third day, Hanif spent more than 16 hours at the crease compiling his runs, allowing Pakistan to draw the game.
It remains the longest innings in test history and stood as the longestin all first-class cricket for over 40 years.
