CRICKET | Former India all-rounder Syed Abid Ali passes away at 83

Former India all-rounder Syed Abid Ali, known for his impressive Test career, passes away at 83 in California.

Former India all-rounder Syed Abid Ali passed away on Wednesday. He was 83.

A medium pace bowling allrounder, Abid played 29 Test matches for India, scoring 1018 runs and taking 47 wickets. One of the finest cricketers from Hyderabad, he made a fantastic start to his Test career against Australia in Brisbane in 1967-68, when he registered impressive figures of six for 55, his career-best. Later in the same series, he scored 78 and 81, showcasing his potential with the bat.

He was a member of the Indian team led by Ajit Wadekar that won the historic Test match at The Oval in 1971, after bowling out England for only 101 in the second innings. The four-wicket win, coupled with the other two Tests (Lord’s and Old Trafford) ending in a draw, saw India register its first-ever series win in England.

A fine fielder in his day, Abid notably even opened both the batting and bowling for India in seven Tests: against New Zealand in February 1968 and September/October 1969 and against West Indies in February and April of 1971.

While his ODI career spanned only five matches (93 runs and seven wickets), three of them came in the first-ever men’s 50-over World Cup (England 1975). 

In 212 First Class games, Abid took 397 wickets and scored 8732 runs. He scored 169 runs and picked 19 wickets in 12 List A matches.

As a coach, Abid handled the Hyderabad junior team, the national sides of Maldives and UAE, and was a mentor at the Telangana Cricket Association. He was also at the helm of the Andhra team that won the South Zone league in the 2001-02 Ranji Trophy.