History of Pakistan cricket is rich to the extent of players contributing on religious grounds. The most popular among them are a roll of cricketers belonging to a different religious group having played international games for Pakistan to demonstrate their potential and faithfulness. Of the five best-known Pakistani cricketers of the non-Muslim group, the following ones are discussed in detail below:
1. Wallis Mathias
Wallis Mathias debuted in his first Test match for New Zealand on 7 November 1955 and for Pakistan in 21 Test matches by the end of 1962. His Test career saw him score 783 runs at an average of 23.72 with a top score of 77. In the first-class tournament, he represented his team in 146 matches with 7,520 runs at an average of 44.49 and 16 hundred. Besides his batting, Mathias was also renowned for his quick reflexes behind the slip cordon, and even difficult catches looked simple to him. He died on July 1, 1994, but his name is remembered in the annals of Pakistan cricket.
Also read: Aishwarya Shindogi Biography
2. Danish Kaneria
Karachi, Pakistan-born Danish Kaneria was a retired leg-spin bowler and 2000-2010 Pakistan national team cricketer on December 16, 1980. He is the only second Hindu and that too after his cousin Anil Dalpat alone, who has ever played for Pakistan abroad in cricket. He played Tests for Pakistan 61 times, taking 261 wickets at a total average of 34.79 with 15 five-fighter hauls. He represented Pakistan in 18 One Day Internationals (ODI), and took 15 wickets. His leg-spin, assisted by a beautifully disguised googly, was the mainstay of Pakistani bowling in the era. But his career was tainted with spot-fixing charges, and in 2012 the England and Wales Cricket Board lifetime banned him.
3. Anil Dalpat
Anil Dalpat Sonavaria, born on 20 September 1963 in Karachi, was the first Hindu who had played for Pakistan at Test cricket. Dalpat was a wicket-keeper batsman and represented Pakistan in Test cricket against England in March 1984. Brief as his international career was, Dalpat’s precedent left the door ajar for other non-Muslim Pakistani cricketers. His cousin Danish Kaneria afterwards represented Pakistan in his stead and turned out to be an all-time great leg-spinner for the nation.
4. Sohail Fazal
Sohail Fazal, born 11 November 1967 in Lahore, is one of a very few Christians to have represented Pakistan. Getting little opportunity abroad, he enjoyed a longer career at home, playing 51 List A matches, scoring 938 runs at 22.87, and taking 44 wickets.
5. Duncan Sharpe
The right-hand batman scored 56 runs in Australia, representing his country in its first international match, but retired from international cricket almost immediately afterwards and emigrated overseas, although continuing to act as an administrator and also a coach.
They are the examples of Pakistani cricket history and multicultural nature of it, and they are examples of the part played by non-Muslim cricketers towards making Pakistan a winner in sports. They are the examples of Pakistan cricket’s multicultural nature and diverseness of the game for different origin cricketers.
About the Author
