Arif Butt

Arif Butt
Personal information
Born(1944-05-17)17 May 1944
Lahore, Punjab, British India
Died11 July 2007(2007-07-11) (aged 63)
Lahore, Pakistan
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast-medium
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 47)4 December 1964 v Australia
Last Test29 January 1965 v New Zealand
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 3 97
Runs scored 59 4,017
Batting average 11.80 29.10
100s/50s 0/0 4/22
Top score 20 180
Balls bowled 666 11,879
Wickets 14 201
Bowling average 20.57 26.79
5 wickets in innings 1 10
10 wickets in match 0 2
Best bowling 6/89 8/45
Catches/stumpings 0/– 44/–
Source: Cricinfo, 23 May 2023

Arif Butt (Urdu: عارف بٹ; 17 May 1944 – 11 July 2007) was a Pakistani Test cricketer.

Born in Lahore, Punjab, Butt made his first-class debut for Lahore against Punjab University in 1960-61 at the age of 16. He learned his cricket at the Friends Cricket Club of Lahore, coached by his uncle Khawaja Abdur Rab, and went on to play first-class cricket for Pakistan Railways from 1962-63 until his retirement after the 1977-78 season. He was a tall fast-medium bowler and useful batsman.

He made his Test debut for Pakistan at Melbourne in 1964-65, taking 6 for 89 in the first innings, becoming the first Pakistani to take 6 wickets on Test debut.[1] He also opened the batting in the Pakistan's second innings, in place of injured wicket keeper Abdul Kadir, making 12 and defying the Australian new ball attack for almost an hour.[2]

In the tour of New Zealand that followed, Butt played in the first two of the three Tests, taking 7 wickets at 24.28. In what turned out to be his last Test innings, in partnership with Intikhab Alam, he added 52 runs for the ninth wicket to help secure a close-fought draw.

He bowled a hostile bouncer and a genuine leg cutter and was considered unlucky to play only three Tests at a time when Pakistan often struggled to find effective fast bowlers. He toured England in 1967 but "flopped completely",[3] taking 12 wickets at 54.50 in nine matches.

He scored a defiant maiden century against Karachi in the 1966–67 Quaid-i-Azam Trophy final and, in 1973-74, captained Railways to victory in the Patron's Trophy and the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. He took 6 for 55 against Sindh in the Quaid final and scored 718 runs in that season, including a career best 180 as an opening bat against Punjab. His best bowling figures were 8 for 45 for Railways against Sargodha in 1972-73.

He died from heart and lung complications arising from diabetes. His funeral in Lahore was attended by a host of former cricketers and officials including Sarfraz Nawaz.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Six wickets on Test debut". Archived from the original on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
  2. ^ Australia v Pakistan, Melbourne 1964-65
  3. ^ Wisden 2008, p. 1548.
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


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