Of Roberts, Lillee and the tale of the first helmet

Sadiq Mohammad story

When Sadiq Mohammad, the former Pakistani opener, walked into the MA Chidambaram Stadium’s media box during the first India-Pakistan one-day international here on Sunday, the journalists couldn’t have enough of him.

For a while the action in the middle, where Pakistan had mounted a spirited chase of India’s modest target, took a backseat as the 67-year-old, brother of the more accomplished Hanif and Mushtaq, slipped into retro mode and reeled out one interesting story after another as if they had all happened yesterday.

The tales, ranging from facing the fearsome fast bowlers to him becoming the first batsman to wear a helmet, made for absorbing listening. Sadiq, between 1969 and 1981, made 2579 runs in 41 Tests for Pakistan at 35.81.

“The toughest bowler I faced was Andy Roberts, and also Dennis Lillee in 1976,” recalled Sadiq, who was in the city as a goodwill ambassador of the Pakistan Cricket Board. “Dennis was faster in 1973, but he became a very good bowler in 1976.

He started controlling his line and length, and was more dangerous for that. Roberts’ strength was that he made sure every ball hit the bat, whether it was for a four or a six or in defence.

“His idea was to make the batsman play each and every ball. That’s why I call him such a good bowler, because I had to play five balls out of six with the bat. I think Dennis Lillee was the most intimidating. I played Thommo (Jeff Thomson) only once. When I played him, he had a shoulder or a collar-bone injury then.”

Helmet tale

While many former cricketers take a particular pride in the fact that they played some of the fastest bowlers without helmet, Sadiq had no hesitation in admitting that he was the first one to wear the protective gear.

“In those days, there were no helmets at all. And because there were no helmets, we never bothered about it, and never got injured (chuckles).  We watched the ball harder.

But I was the first one to wear a helmet in a Test match, in 1978 when I played against England in Edgbaston. When I came out with the bat, everyone said ‘give him a bike as well!’ It was a very funny type of helmet,” he reminisced while pointing out the incident when Kapil (Dev) hit him on the helmet in the Faisalabad Test in the 1978-79 series.

In the same breath, the small-built cricketer recounted an injury, the after-effects of which are felt even today. “I was called up for a Test match against the West Indies in Karachi in 1974 and Intikhab Alam asked me to field at short-leg for Vanburn Holder.

I told him not to place me there because West Indies were close to declaring, but Intikhab insisted that I field there. He bowled a full toss next ball and Holder smashed the ball which hit me on the back of my ear. It happened nearly 38 years ago but even now, I wake up every night at least once with a shiver, and remember that shot by Holder.”

Sadiq, however, went out to bat the next day and made an unbeaten 98 to help Pakistan escape with a draw  in the match but not before mentioning that he was lucky to have survived that blow from Holder.