To survive for more than 60 years as a ‘journalist’ with dignity and professional integrity without any favour in cash or kind is in itself an achievement, and that too at a time when media in general and journalists in particular are facing serious professional, ethical and moral crises. But Qamar Ahmed, or ‘Q’ bhai, kept that image till the end. With over 400 Test matches, 10 World Cups and over 1,100 first-class matches, his name would go into the history of cricketing journalism as unique. He finally got out at 89, 11 short of his century. Qamar Ahmed is dead. Long live Q, bhai.
I always found him busy with his typewriter in the 80s and with a laptop these days, whenever I went to see a Test match or One Day at the National Stadium, Karachi. He was a Pakistani cum Englishman in his lifestyle with his hat on.
Whether his own country, i.e. Pakistan, recognised his services for the game or not but the cricketing world has certainly recognised it.
When I last spoke to him two days before his death, he was planning for yet another trip to London, not merely for his annual medical check-up but also to cover the forthcoming Pakistan-England series, and I said, “Qamar bhai, this time I will accompany you,” and he laughed and said, “Sure, I know about your love for cricket.”
Some two months back, he asked me, “Why don’t you write a piece for my forthcoming book? I remembered you did some remarkable stories on cricket. Write about your experience or anything exclusive,” he said. About a month back, I sent him that article. I am not sure about the present status of the book, but he told me that it’s almost ready. I hope the publisher will publish the book and give its royalties to his family.
Another Qamar bhai’s unpublished book was on Asian Bradman Zaheer Abbas, whom I interviewed in London last year during a festival in the absence of Q bhai. To my pleasant surprise, Qamar bhai texted me, “excellent”. The two had some sort of misunderstanding, due to which the book is yet to be published. But, Qamar bhai always described Zaheer as one of the greatest cricketers who has scored a record more than 100 first-class centuries.
Qamar bhai was not merely a ‘cricketing journalist’ but a remarkable ‘storyteller’ as the way he had written about his experience as a child during ‘Partition’ and how a Hindu family protected his family and gave shelter. In his autobiography, “Far More Than a Game”, he narrated the whole story and years later, when he met them during his visit to India, how emotionally they welcomed him.
He also have special love for Urdu poetry and music, and once told me that he had attended Pakistan-India Mushaira in Hyderabad, most of which were organised by my father, Mirza Abid Abbas. “I know your father, who was more than merely an iconic literary figure and an educationist, but also a keen cricket lover and had seen me playing for Hyderabad and Sindh teams,” he stated.
While he knows almost every cricketer who matters in the world and top cricketing journalists, his ‘relationship’ is with Pakistan’s most celebrated cricketer and former captain, Imran Khan. They had a ‘love and hate’ relationship. In his book, he had written a whole chapter on him. “I still believe that he should not have joined politics as a national hero and should not become controversial,” he said.
I still remember when Imran Khan, in his early days in politics, once came to the Karachi Press Club. I was sitting with Qamar bhai and Owais Tohid. He suddenly saw us and straight away came to Qamar bhai and said,” Hello, Q.” Qamar bhai also greeted him with a pleasant smile and asked about his new innings, i.e. politics. Imran also smiled and said, “Let’s see. The inning has just started.”
Imran often discussed cricket with Owais and me, so he was not surprised seeing us sitting with Qamar and said, “You are in the right company.”
Qamar bhai also have lot of stories to tell about the great Mohammad brothers and disclosed which once also confirmed by his friend and youngest among the brothers, Sadiq Mohammad, that he had got all of them out, including great Hanif Mohammad and Mushtaq Mohammad, in first-class cricket.
He is a witness to many golden eras, high and low of cricket, including some memorable moments including Pakistan winning the World Cup 1992. Perhaps, not many people know, but he once told me that he had also seen the late Pir Pagaro’s batting for Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium, where he almost survived a deadly spell of fast bowler Mannan, when one of his bouncers hit him, and thousands of his followers almost rushed towards the pacer, but he stopped them.
Q bhai himself, a left-arm leg spinner, had also led Hyderabad and played for Sindh XI, before in the mid-60s he left for England and settled there. Till his death, his famous ‘house’ was almost a hub for top Pakistani cricketers, including Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Sarfraz Nawaz, and had a lot of stories to tell.
He always described his historic and rare meeting with the legend and hero of all the oppressed classes of the world, former South African President Nelson Mandela.
As I said above, he was not merely a cricketing journalist but also a very social person. His relationship with the greatest Pakistani film couple, Mohammad Ali and Zeba. After the death of Ali, he maintained his contact with Ms Zeba to enquire about her health. Another legendary actor of his era, Mustafa Qureshi, was a year junior to him in school. Whenever the latter visited the Karachi Press Club and saw Qamar bhai, he made sure to sit with him for some time.
A few years back, he went with a group of cricket lovers from Baluchistan to help them develop the Gwadar Cricket Stadium.
With his passing, the world of cricket has lost one of its finest journalists — a complete professional who, over a career spanning more than 60 years as both a reporter and commentator, served the profession with honesty and integrity. Above all, he was a master ‘storyteller’, chronicling both on-the-record and off-the-record cricket controversies, from match-fixing scandals to off-the-field happenings.
Miss you, Q bhai!
The writer is a journalist and analyst of Geo, Jang and The News. He can be reached on X: @MazharAbbsGEO
