MJ Mobed was playing in the match for Karachi against MCC in 1926-27. Minocher Jamshedji Mobed was a right-hand batsman and right-arm off-break bowler who played in 29 first-class matches for Sind, Parsees, Karachi, Muslims, and Parsees, and the Rest of India from 1926–27 to 1943–44. He scored 991 runs at an average of 25.41 with two hundreds, of which the highest was a knock of 111.
He held 20 catches and captured 58 wickets at 24.43 runs apiece, with the best of 5-42. Known affectionately as ‘Manchi’ he was born in Karachi on September 12, 1899, and died here too on December 29, 1986. Cricket historian Dr. Khadim Hussain Baloch once wrote about Mobed: “Manchi was educated at NJV School (in Karachi), where he literally shot to fame, hitting the clock tower of the school building in an unbeaten inning of 127 at the age of 14, following which his name was inscribed on the honors board of the school.
His career started in 1919, when he represented the Parsees in the inaugural year of the Sind Cricket Tournament, scoring 41 and 68 and taking two wickets with his right-arm off-spin. For the next 25 years, he proceeded to ravage and plunder all sorts of bowling to such a degree that he earned for himself the title of ‘Jessop of Sind’. Playing for various sides from Sind, he made scores of 54, 32, and 27 against Gilligan’s MCC team of 1926–27. Against Lord Tennyson’s MCC team of 1933–34, he had scores of 4, 40, 20, and 60.
Moreover, he led the Sind side in the Ranji Trophy between 1938 and 1943 and peed the Parsees in Bombay. After partition, he turned to the umpire and stood in the two ‘Tests’ against MCC in 1951–52, but his only visit to England was as manager of a Pakistan Eaglets side. Perhaps he was the most renowned Parsi cricketer not to be capped by India.
MJ Mobed’s son, Homi F. Mobed, also a right-hand batsman and off-break bowler, played in seven first-class matches for Karachi in 1956–57 and 1957–58, scoring 179 runs (average 35.80) with the highest of 96 and taking eight wickets for 26.25 apiece with the best of 3–14.
