Nazam Shirazi

Nazam Shirazi was a Bangladeshi cricketer. An elegant opening batsman, he was considered the best cricketing talent of the country in the early 1980s and was regarded as one of the most brilliant fielders Bangladesh ever had at any position. A combination of excellent eyesight and reflexes made him an attractive stroke player.

A memorable innings

Barely out of his teens, Nazam was selected in Jan 1982, to play for the Central Zone side against the touring Hyderabad Blues side consisting of Indian test players including B. S. Chandrasekhar, Chetan Chauhan, Anshuman Gaekwad, Roger Binny, Rakesh Shukla and other Test players. Opening the innings, he top scored for the side with 32. But even greater effort came in the three-day match at Dhaka. After the Bangladesh top order collapsed against the spin of Indian Test bowler Rakesh Shukla, Nazam, along with his cousin Jahangir Shah Badshah repaired the damage. Nazam scored 56, and Badshah made 40, out of a team total of 182.[1]

In ICC Trophy

He was an automatic selection for the ICC Trophy in England during the summer of 1982. There, he played 5 matches and scored 107 runs. His highest, 52, came in the 3rd-place play-off against PNG. He shared a 170-run 1st wicket partnership with Yousuf Babu (115).[2]

The final season

During March, 1983, he played against the touring West Bengal side, led by Indian test player Dilip Doshi. It was a miserable experience for the local side as the magic of Doshi's spin was too much for them. The West Bengal team won the match by an innings and 42 runs with Doshi taking 12 wickets. Nazam was one of the few Bangladeshi players who could handle Doshi properly. His 29 in the 2nd innings was the highest individual score for the local side.[1]

Sadly, this was his last season in international cricket, as very soon, he along with his family moved to Los Angeles, USA.

Cricket in California

Cricket isn't very popular in USA. Cricket is mostly played by the immigrants from the Indian Sub-continent & the caribbeans. Thanks mainly to Shirazi, his local side dominated the cricketing scenario of Los Angeles for more than decade.[3]

Family connection

He came from a big cricketing background. Nazam's older brothers Talib Shirazi and Kazem Shirazi also played at the top level in Bangladesh. His cousin Jahangir Shah Badshah was a regular for national side from 1978–1990. Badshah's brothers, Azim Shah, Munna Shah and Nadir Shah were highly successful in domestic cricket. Munna Shah and Nadir Shah also enjoyed brief stints with the national side. Nadir Shah is now an umpire.[3][4]

Children

Nazam has two children, a daughter and a son.

References

  1. 1 2 Hasan Babli. "Antorjartik Crickete Bangladesh". Khelar Bhuban Prakashani, November, 1994.
  2. ↑ BanglaCricket: Bangladesh in ICC Trophy,ICC Trophy 1982, England (Retrieved on 2008-10-01)
  3. 1 2 : Nazam Shiraji-Article at BanglaCricket.com (Retrieved on 2008-10-01)
  4. ↑ : Nadir Shah banned for ten years on corruption allegations according to ESPNcricinfo (Reported on 2013-03-18)
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