Surviving for more than 60 years as a ‘journalist’ with dignity and professional integrity without any favors in cash or kind is in itself an achievement, and that too at a time when the media in general and journalists in particular are facing serious professional, ethical and moral crises. But Qamar Ahmed, or ‘Q’ bhai, maintained that image till the end. With over 400 Test matches, 10 World Cups and over 1,100 first-class matches, his name would go down in the history of cricket journalism as one of a kind. He finally came out at the age of 89, 11 shy of his century. Qamar Ahmed is dead. Long live Q, bhai.
I always found him busy with his typewriter in the 80s and with a laptop these days, whenever he went to watch a Test Match or One Day at the National Stadium in Karachi. He was a Pakistani and English in his hat-on lifestyle.
Whether his own country i.e. Pakistan has recognized his services to the game or not, the cricket world has certainly recognized him.
The last time I spoke to him, two days before his death, he was planning another trip to London, not only for his annual medical check-up but also to cover the upcoming Pakistan-England series, and I said, “Qamar bhai, this time I will accompany you,” and he laughed and said, “Sure, I know about your love for cricket.”
About two months ago, he asked me, “Why don’t you write an article for my next book? I remembered you wrote some notable stories on cricket. Write about your experience or something exclusive,” he said. About a month ago, I sent him that article. I’m not sure about the current status of the book, but he told me it’s almost ready. I hope the publisher publishes the book and gives his royalties to his family.
Another unpublished book by Qamar bhai was on the Asian Bradman Zaheer Abbas, whom I interviewed in London last year during a festival in Q bhai’s absence. To my pleasant surprise, Qamar bhai texted me, “excellent.” The two had some kind of misunderstanding, so the book has not been published yet. But Qamar bhai always described Zaheer as one of the best cricketers who has scored a record of more than 100 first-class centuries.
Qamar bhai was not just a ‘cricket journalist’ but a ‘storyteller’ notable for the way he had written about his experience as a child during ‘Partition’ and how a Hindu family protected his family and gave him shelter. In his autobiography, “Much more than a game,” he told the whole story and years later, when he met them during his visit to India, with what emotion they received him.
He also has a special love for Urdu poetry and music, and once told me that he had attended Pakistan-India Mushaira in Hyderabad, most of which were organized by my father, Mirza Abid Abbas. “I know his father, who was more than just an iconic literary figure and an educationist, but also a great lover of cricket and had seen me play for the Hyderabad and Sindh teams,” he said.
While he knows almost all the top cricketers in the world and top cricket journalists, his ‘relationship’ is with Pakistan’s most celebrated cricketer and former captain, Imran Khan. They had a ‘love-hate’ relationship. In his book, he had written an entire chapter about him. “I still believe that he should not have joined politics as a national hero and should not become controversial,” he said.
I still remember when Imran Khan, in his early days in politics, came to the Karachi Press Club. I was sitting with Qamar bhai and Owais Tohid. Suddenly he saw us and immediately came to Qamar bhai and said, “Hello, Q.” Qamar bhai also greeted him with a pleasant smile and asked him about his new innings i.e. politics. Imran also smiled and said, “Let’s see. The entry has just started.”
Imran often talked about cricket with Owais and me, so he was not surprised to see us sitting with Qamar and said, “You are in the right company.”
Qamar bhai also has many stories to tell about the great Mohammad brothers and revealed that it was once also confirmed by his friend and the youngest of the brothers, Sadiq Mohammad, that he had taken them all out, including the greats Hanif Mohammad and Mushtaq Mohammad, in first-class cricket.
He witnesses many golden eras, highs and lows of cricket, including some memorable moments, including Pakistan winning the 1992 World Cup. Perhaps, not many people know this, but he once told me that he had also seen the late Pir Pagaro bat for Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium, where he almost survived a deadly spell from fast bowler Mannan, when one of his bouncers hit him, and thousands of his supporters almost ran towards the pacer, but he stopped them.
Q bhai himself, a left-arm leg-spinner, had also led Hyderabad and played for Sindh XI, before, in the mid-60s, he left for England and settled there. Until his death, his famous ‘house’ was almost a hub for top Pakistani cricketers, including Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Sarfraz Nawaz, and he had many stories to tell.
He always described his historic and rare meeting with the legend and hero of all the oppressed classes of the world, former South African president Nelson Mandela.
As I said earlier, he was not just a cricket journalist but also a very sociable person. Her relationship with the biggest couple of Pakistani cinema, Mohammad Ali and Zeba. After Ali’s death, he kept in touch with Mrs. Zeba to ask about her health. Another legendary actor of his time, Mustafa Qureshi, was a year younger than him in school. Whenever the latter visited the Karachi Press Club and saw Qamar bhai, he made sure to sit with him for some time.
A few years ago, he went with a group of cricket lovers from Balochistan to help them develop the Gwadar cricket stadium.
With his passing, the cricket world has lost one of its greatest journalists – a complete professional who, throughout a career spanning more than 60 years as a reporter and commentator, served the profession with honesty and integrity. Above all, he was a master ‘storyteller’, narrating cricket controversies both official and unofficial, from match-fixing scandals to off-field events.
I miss you, Q bhai!
The writer is a journalist and analyst for PakGazette, Jang and The News. He can be reached at X: @MazharAbbsGEO
