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Amir Elahi

Overview

Amir Elahi (1908–1980) was a cricketer who is notable for the rare distinction of having represented two Test-playing nations — India and Pakistan — during his international career. A leg-break and googly bowler, he played in the early years of Test cricket on the subcontinent, both before and after the Partition of 1947.

Key facts

Full name Amir Elahi
Born 1908
Died 1980
Role Bowler (leg-break and googly)
Test teams India; Pakistan
Era Pre- and post-Partition cricket

Background

Elahi belonged to the generation of cricketers whose careers straddled the Partition of British India in 1947. Like a small group of contemporaries, he featured in first-class cricket on the subcontinent during the 1930s and 1940s, when domestic competitions such as the Ranji Trophy and the Bombay Pentangular provided the principal stage for Indian cricketers.

Career

With India

Elahi was selected for India's tour of Australia in 1947–48, India's first Test series after independence, captained by Lala Amarnath. He appeared in Test cricket for India during this tour as a spin bowler.

With Pakistan

Following Partition, Elahi moved to Pakistan and was part of the new nation's early cricket setup. He was a member of Pakistan's inaugural Test-playing squad on the tour of India in 1952–53, the first Test series ever contested by Pakistan, played under the captaincy of Abdul Hafeez Kardar.

Significance

Elahi is one of a very small number of cricketers to have played Test matches for both India and Pakistan, the others from the same period including Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Gul Mohammad. His career is therefore frequently cited in discussions of the cricketing transition that accompanied the Partition of the subcontinent and the establishment of Pakistan as a Test-playing nation in 1952.

References