Daily Times

Prince Mohammad Aslam Khan was born on 15th March, 1935, to the Nawab of Manavadar. He was heir to the princely state of Gujarat in pre-partition India which had a population of only 26,000. Prince Aslam was a left arm spin bowler whose first-class career spanned from 1955 to 1978

I have mentioned this in ink and in person that Pakistan’s cricket is full of characters who possess great talent and valour. I would like to bring to your attention one particular figure of Pakistan’s long-gone era of cricket where the game was played on the basis of pride, passion and the will to establish Pakistan on the world’s cricketing map. Ladies and gentlemen, let me take this wonderful opportunity to introduce  to you Prince Mohammad Aslam Khan — original inventor of the doosra.

Prince Mohammad Aslam Khan was born on 15th March, 1935 to the Nawab of Manavadar. He was heir to the princely state of Gujarat in pre-partition India which had a population of only 26,000 back in those days. Prince Aslam was a left arm spin bowler whose first class career spanned from 1955-1978. Like many bowlers of his time, the prince had to bowl never ending spells on dead sub-continent wickets. He managed to find a place with the all-important Pakistan Eaglets (a formation which groomed many early stars of Pakistan), but didn’t manage to find a place within the Pakistan team itself.

It was indeed unfortunate that Prince Aslam could not find a place within the Pakistan cricket team as many of his contemporaries of that time admit that his bowling left many in a perplexed mystery.

These contemporaries have openly admitted that Prince Mohammad Aslam Khan was the true inventor of the ‘doosra’ (Perhaps it would be safe to say that Saqlain Mushtaq revived it again during the modern era of the game). Prince Aslam’s doosra would turn sharply from off stump to leg stump. After Partition and the creation of an independent state of Pakistan, Prince Aslam’s father, the Nawab of Manavadar had lost most of his property and was not able to transfer all his money to Pakistan. Prince Aslam was now restricted to the confines of Manavadar House in Karachi. Yet, shifting houses had little impact on this spinning genius. Manavadar house offered tile flooring which allowed the Prince to practice his spin bowling. It also had a cement pitch long enough for bowling without a run up.

As mentioned earlier, Prince Mohamaad Aslam Khan never made it to the Pakistan playing XI. Perhaps, the reason can be attributed to the fact that he was a non-conformist (and a bit of a rebel as well) who had a very colourful social life. His social life had no boundaries.

He was a man who accepted everyone — the rich and the poor. The prince possessed music skills and played with many pick up bands. He was a big hearted and generous man who used to spend lavishly on friends and total strangers. He was a welcoming man and just about anyone could spend a nice colourful evening at his residence.  He loved music so much that he once got into trouble with the stern AH Kardar. One night, Prince Aslam played his music well into the night and was asked by Kardar to stop. Prince Aslam refused and said his playlist had not yet finished.

He was a man who bowled many magical deliveries and was a mentor to some very talented players of his time; who won his respect as well

In his later years, financial constraints became a burden on the Prince (as was the case with most people who migrated from India to Pakistan at the time of Partition) as he could no longer afford such an elaborate and lavish lifestyle. The financial burden was heavy which unfortunately gave him the tag of a “has been.” However, this tag should never overshadow the fact that his life was not a wasted one. He was a man who bowled many magical deliveries and was a mentor to some very talented players of his time; who won his respect as well.

This article has been written out of reading a chapter from Peter Oborne and Richard Heller’s White on Green (the previous edition was the fantastic Wounded Tiger). To the current generation this article might seem a bit dull, mundane and boring. However, an example can be learnt from characters such as Prince Aslam and such an example is one of discipline. There have been some Pakistani cricketers of the past who faced severe disciplinary issues and for these reasons destructed their career as cricketers. A lesson should be learnt to play by the rules and of course what the authority has laid down at the end of the day. Discipline leads to responsibility and responsibility could lead to power.

The writer is apologising to Shoaib Akhtar and the cricketing fraternity at large if anything has been written out of context

Published in Daily Times, October 9^th 2017.