Pakistan cricketer Muhammad Ebrahim Ghazali is known simply as Muhammad Ghazali or by his nickname “Ibbu.”. He played in his only two test matches against England on the famous 1954 tour. A dubious distinction that he achieved during the rubber in the third test match at Old Trafford, he was dismissed for the fastest pair in Test match history. This is all within a matter of two hours.
Muhammad Ghazali was a prominent figure in the later part of Pakistan’s cricket history. He was an off-spinning all-rounder who could bat right-handed. For several years, in cricketing publications around the world. He continued to be referred to as a left-handed batsman, having been born in the Indian state of Gujarat. He was actually born in Bombay.
It was in Maharashtra that he made his first-class debut in 1942–43 at the age of 18 and later played for the Muslims and South Zone in India before appearing for Sindh in newly independent Pakistan. Soon after, he became an important member of the combined service team that represented Quaid-e-Azam on the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Championship circuit.
On the 1954 tour of England in all, he scored 601 runs at an average of 28.61 and took 17 wickets at 39.64 in the first-class matches. He played the second and third of the four tests. Ebrahim was neither a part of an inaugural match at Lord’s nor the memorable 24-run victory at the Oval in the fourth test. But he enjoyed the victory with the team.
He was also a member of the strong Pakistan Eaglets side that toured England the year before. His highest first-class score was 160 for Combined Service against Karachi at the Aga Khan Gymkhana Ground in 1953–54. His best bowling was 5 for 58 the following season against Punjab in Lahore.
Muhammad Ebrahim Ghazali served as an administrator after his retirement in the mid-1950s. He was manager of the Pakistan team on a tour of Australia in 1972–73. By this time, he was a wing commander in the Pakistan Air Force. He also replaced Omer Qureshi in the capacity of manager on the 1978–79 tour of Australia and New Zealand.
After that, the former had to rush back home due to other professional commitments. Although Muhammad Aslam Khokhar one of his teammates on the 1954 tour of England, beat him, becoming the first century-maker in a first-class match on Pakistani soil, he also achieved the distinction of making a ton in the new country’s maiden first-class match.
![Muhammad Ebrahim Ghazali Muhammad Ebrahim Ghazali Cricketer](https://cricketthrills.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Muhammad-Ibrahim-Ghazali-Cricketer-700x1024.jpg)