Karachi – April 22nd 1955

Martin Chandler | 8:26am BST 19 April 2026

Published: 2026
Pages: 12
Author: Battersby, David
Publisher: Private
Rating: 4 stars

The letter that accompanied this one tells me that it is David Battersby’s twenty sixth monograph since 2016, and he has produced a few books along the way as well, which is an impressive output from a man who also has a full time job*.

Anyone who goes to our home page will see that we have reviewed all of the books and monographs which, because money is not the motivation for writing them are, to a greater or lesser extent, cover subjects well outside the mainstream of cricket literature.

David’s abiding interest is cricket and cricketers from Pakistan, with a decent sprinkling of title based on New Zealand, Glamorgan and Gloucestershire subjects. Some are a tad self-indulgent to say the least, but that observation is certainly not intended as a criticism. If it were I would certainly open myself up to accusations of hypocrisy.

And I have to say this one certainly falls into that category, but what a cracker it is. The main theme of the book is what happened on the date referenced in the title, 22nd April 1955. On that day three brothers, Hanif, Wazir and Raees Mohammad, all made centuries as Karachi defeated Combined Services in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

The 1954/55 season was the second incarnation of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and the monograph begins with an account of how the Trophy came into being. I have always been aware that the Trophy was Pakistan’s first domestic First Class competition but I certainly didn’t know that it was named after the nation’s founder, Mohammad Al Jinnah.

The account of the match itself comes from long lost newspaper reports and the whole ensemble is supplemented by some excellent illustrations, none better than the reproduction on the front cover of a signed image of the three centurions – what a remarkable family the Mohammads were!

Karachi – April 22nd 1955 is not a long read but it is a very good one and highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the earliest days of the domestic game in post-partition Pakistan. It is published in a limited edition of 118 copies and can be obtained directly from the author (battersby156@hotmail.com) or, in Australia, from Roger Page.

*Actually possibly not quite full-time – the details of my conversation with David at Cheltenham last summer have become a little hazy!