Abdul Hafeez Kardar & Younis Khan inducted in PCB Hall of Fame

“The two gentlemen will always remain shining stars of Pakistan cricket and idols for the future generations.” Ramiz Raja said.

Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Younis Khan inducted in PCB Hall of Fame. Pakistan’s two iconic figures — first Test captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar and most successful Test batter Younis Khan — have been inducted into the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Hall of Fame.

These two stars have joined Abdul Qadir, Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas in the illustrious group.

Kardar (posthumously) and Younis were inducted following a transparent voting process, participated by Miandad, Akram, Younis, Sana Mir, Urooj Mumtaz, Aaliya Rasheed, Dr Nauman Niaz, Rasheed Shakoor, Qamar Ahmed and Waheed Khan.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said that the Hall of Fame is designed to acknowledge, recognise and cherish the sacrifices, contributions and achievements of the role models in cricket.

“AH Kardar gave us a cricket dream, vision and mission in our formation years, and Younis Khan was one of the players who gave his absolute best in fulfilling those expectations through exemplary hard work, deep commitment and untiring performances against all opposition and across all formats,” he added.

“The two gentlemen will always remain shining stars of Pakistan cricket and idols for the future generations.”

Reacting to the news, Shahid Kardar, AH Kardar’s son, said: “This is a richly deserved tribute to a natural Skipper whose inspirational leadership, imprint of character, tactical brilliance and sheer grit put Pakistan on the world cricket map by evolving a bunch of club level cricketers into a team that achieved laurels beyond its perceived potential. He lit the flame that set the country ablaze, converting just another pastime sport into a rage.

“The Kardar family is profoundly touched and gratified at the recognition of the contributions of their patriarch with his inclusion in the Hall of Fame by the Pakistan Cricket Board.”

Younis, while reacting to the news, said that he feels honoured and humbled to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. “There are many notable names amongst the list inducted prior to me, whose performances have been outstanding. I, thus, feel it a matter of immense pride and honour for my name to be amongst those legends, having given my all to make my country proud,” he said.

He dedicated the achievement to those who helped him in his journey, his family team-mates, captains and support staff.

Kardar was born in 1925 and played three Tests for India on the 1946 tour of England. He represented India’s domestic teams Northern India (1943 and 1945) and Muslims (1944).

Under Kardar’s captaincy, Pakistan achieved an unparalleled distinction of winning a Test in the maiden series against all the Test playing nations of the day including India, England, New Zealand, Australia and West Indies.

Kardar, who scored 927 runs and took 21 wickets in 26 Tests, also headed the then Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan from 1972-1977. In 1958, he was awarded Pride of Performance, the highest national literary award of Pakistan, while he was posthumously awarded Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the second highest civilian award in 2013.

Kardar passed peacefully in Lahore on 21 April 1996, aged 71.

Younis, who turns 45 next month, featured in third most Tests for Pakistan (118) in which he accumulated most runs for Pakistan (10,099) and 14th most overall in the 145-year history of Test cricket. He averaged 52.05 (18th highest amongst those who have played 50 or more Tests), scored 34 Test centuries (most for Pakistan and sixth most in the world), including six double-centuries (seventh most in the world along with Javed Miandad and five others) and a career-best 313 in February 2009, which subsequently took him to No 1 position in the ICC rankings.

He also captained Pakistan in 38 international matches, winning 14.

In 2010, Younis was bestowed with the prestigious Pride of Performance award while he received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award in 2018.

He served the national side as their batting consultant in 2020-21.

The formal inductions of the two newest PCB Hall of Famers will take place during the ongoing season.