Ex-cricketer Abid Ali no more
Abid Ali also had the dubious pleasure of reading his own obituary after former India cricketer Farokh Engineer mistakenly announced his death on the air back in the mid 2010s;
Hyderabad: Former Hyderabad and India allrounder Syed Abid Ali, a key player during the 1960s and 70s, passed away in Tracy, California (USA) on Wednesday. He was 83.
A lower order batsman and a medium pace bowler, Abid Ali was among India’s successful allrounders before Kapil Dev. He also had the distinction of opening the bowling as well as batting for India in seven Tests — five against New Zealand (in 1968-69) and two versus the West Indies, in 1971.
Abid Ali also had the dubious pleasure of reading his own obituary after former India cricketer Farokh Engineer mistakenly announced his death on the air back in the mid 2010s.
Born in Hyderabad, Abid Ali started as a wicket-keeper and played for the St George’s Grammar School and All Saints High School before making it to the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy side.
He made his First Class debut for Hyderabad in the 1959-60 season. Over 212 matches, he aggregated 8,732 runs at an average of 29.30, including 13 centuries, with a highest score of 173 not out against Kerala in 1968-69. Abid Ali also took 397 wickets at an average of 28.55, with 14 five-wicket hauls.
His Test career began with a bang. He took 6 for 55 on his debut against Australia in Brisbane in 1967. They were the best bowling figures for an India debutant then.
Subsequently, he featured in 29 Tests between 1967 and 1974 and scalped 47 wickets in 49 innings at an average of 42.12. With the bat, he got 1,018 runs at 20.36 per visit in 53 innings, which included six half-centuries. A brilliant close-in fielder, he took 32 catches too.
Abid Ali also played five One-Dayers between 1974 and 1975, taking seven wickets at 26.71 apiece. In the three innings that he got to bat, he scored 93 runs, averaging 31.00 with a highest of 70, which came against New Zealand in the 1975 World Cup, incidentally his last international match.
After retiring in 1979, Abid Ali migrated to the USA, where he coached club sides. He was also coach of the United Arab Emirates Under-15, 17, 19 and senior teams from 2002 to 2005. He also served as coach of the Hyderabad junior teams as well as Andhra Ranji team in the 2000-01 season.