Syed Ali Naqvi is a former Pakistani cricketer who played five tests from 1997 to 1998. He was born on March 19, 1977, in Lahore. Ali Naqvi’s rise to international prominence was dramatic, as he made his Test debut century after barely playing first-class cricket in his home country.
Syed Arooj Ali Naqvi was a compact, technically correct right-hand batsman who played with a very straight bat. Ali Naqvi scored a polished century, 115 runs off 270 balls in 352 minutes, and 14 fours in his debut Test against South Africa at Rawalpindi in 1997. Another debutant, Azhar Mahmood also made a century.
Therefore, this was the first instance in the history of the game when two debutant pairs scored a century in the same test. Captain and legendary batsman Saeed Anwar provided 45 runs, opening the partnership. In the second inning, he scored 19 runs with the help of three fours.
In 1997, after showing a strong performance for HBFC (House Building Finance Corporations) in the first-class level Grade-II championship, selectors eventually opted to pick him for the Pakistan A tour to England.
Ali showed a strong performance on this tour, which eventually helped him to be part of a flourishing campaign that saw him capped off with selection onto PCB’s Board XI side that faced South Africa after the summer—all happening before any international cricket had taken place! He made a brilliant century and fifty in the side match. Hence, at the age of 20, he was selected for the first Test match against South Africa at Rawalpindi.
Unluckily, after a successful start to their international career, he didn’t perform well and sustain promise in the next seven innings to four test matches. He failed badly in the two Test matches against South Africa and two against Zimbabwe, just accumulating 108 runs and being eventually dropped and banished to domestic cricket.
He had great potential to play a long run for Pakistan, but a few failures eventually shook the selector’s and captain’s confidence. Otherwise, if he manages to get a few more chances, he will have a great career. However, in the presence of Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail, there is no room for him in the opening slots.
Therefore, he went from the gloom to the domestic level for his remaining career, where he flourished and made 5,881 runs at 35.00 with the help of 14 hundred and twenty-fifties.
Ali also scored 2,423 runs with a healthy average of 43.26 in 64 List-A matches with the help of eight hundred and thirteen fifties. Ali Naqvi played domestic cricket for Pakistan Customs, Islamabad Cricket Association, Khan Research Labs, Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, Karachi, and Abbottabad.
