Waqar Hasan, who recently passed away, was the last surviving member of Pakistan`s team which played the country`s first Test, against India in 1952-53. A few years back, this scribe interviewed him at his apartment in a posh London locality. Here are excerpts from that interview.

Right from the beginning, the atmosphere was very favourable. At home, we had a big lawn and I played with my elder brothers. Then in our locality, Chauburji in Lahore, there was a good team.

The standard of Lahore school cricket was very good. I was the captain of the school team when we won the local schools tournament, defeating the prestigious Aitchison College in the final. My photo with the trophy appeared in newspapers. The head master wrote on my school leaving certificate, “I see a future Pakistan cricketer in this boy.”

My cricket really blossomed when I joined the famous Government College, Lahore. Along with Islamia College, Lahore, their traditional rivals, Government College formed the bulk of the national team. In those days, there was little first class cricket and the Government College-Islamia College match was more or less a trial for Pakistan team selection.

Moreover, it was a real test of nerves. The students of the two institutions thronged the ground all the three days and the players had to go through a lot of hooting with the choicest remarks hurled. It really helped build my match temperament.

The club matches in Lahore were mostly restricted to 50 overs. On completion of half-century, a player retired to give other members of the side a chance. Perhaps, that was the reason that I didn’t convert many fifties into centuries.

Crisis situations brought the best out of me. If the score board showed 250 for two, I couldn’t bat with full concentration. On the other hand, I applied myself well when it read 30 for three.

When we lost our first Test by an innings, the boys were very demoralised. But our captain A H Kardar motivated us well. The team reached Lucknow for the second Test. Kardar said, “We are playing at ‘LUCK’NOW’. LUCK would change NOW.” –it did!

Though, my second innings partnership of 165 with Hanif Mohammad couldn’t save the Bombay Test of 1952-53, the Indian media appreciated our effort, especially highlighting the fact that I was only 20 years old and Hanif just 18.

I had joined the Universal Club, a leading Lahore side, during my last year at school. There I rubbed shoulders with Pakistan’s future Test cricketers, including Fazal Mahmood, Khan Mohammad and Aslam Khokhar; learnt a lot playing with them.

The partnership with Imtiaz Ahmed during the second Test against New Zealand in 1955-56 is my most cherished cricketing memory. I joined him with Pakistan tottering at 111 for six. Our partnership of 308 remained Pakistan’s highest for any wicket until 1972-73 and it is still the second biggest for the seventh wicket in Test cricket. It was at Lahore in front of my relatives and childhood friends.

I left Lahore for Karachi in 1954 to take up the job offered by Mr Kafiluddin, the chief engineer of PWD. The city also had a suitable business environment. Kafiluddin was the man who built Karachi’s National Stadium; should be named after him.

In the 5th Test in 1952-53 at Calcutta, when the sixth Pakistani wicket fell in the second innings, we were only 12 runs ahead. Fazal Mahmood provided me with great support. I batted for over five hours for 97 and we brought Pakistan to safety.

Kardar’s captaincy contributed a lot to Pakistan’s early successes. He was a shrewd captain and great fighter. He had wonderful man management skills and brought the best out of the players.

Tom Graveney was my favourite cricketer: he had a graceful style; it was a pleasure to watch him bat.

The Oval victory of 1954 was arguably Pakistan’s greatest win of their first decade in Test cricket. In a low-scoring match, I didn’t score many runs. However, I did take a vital catch in the second innings to dismiss the ninth English batsman. It wasn’t a difficult catch as Loader’s hit went quite high but shouts of my teammates, “don’t drop it, don’t drop it” did make me nervous. I was much relieved when the ball landed safely in my hands.

We were paid pittance for Test matches. Initially it was Rs50 per day, and later reduced to Rs15. The board didn’t give any reason.

My Test record (1071 runs; average 31.50) might look ordinary, especially by the present day standards. But of all the Pakistanis who played in 10 or more Tests during our first decade, my average is second only to that of great Hanif Mohammad.

It gives me immense satisfaction to have achieved many firsts for Pakistan. I was the first to score half century in each innings of a Test; I scored the first Test half century in England; the first Test half century at home; I was the first to score a half century in each innings of a home Test; I was involved in the first century partnership (with Hanif, 3rd Test vs India in 1952-53); I was also involved in the first partnership of more than 200 runs (308 with Imtiaz, vs New Zealand in 1955-56).

I lost my regular place in the Test team but the main reason for quitting cricket after the 1959-60 season, at the age of only 27, was financial. I decided to establish my business as I had seen former stalwarts Amir Elahi and Wazir Ali living a not so happy life in their later days.

My first business venture, started in early ‘60s, concerned textile machinery. In 1970, National Foods was established as a spice company; we have two factories in Karachi and one in Lahore. National Foods produces over 100 products and enjoys a good repute even outside Pakistan.

Fielding was Pakistan’s weakest link in the early years. It was never taken seriously during camp training.

In 1963-64, after being out of first class cricket for four years, on the insistence of the officials of Karachi cricket association, I agreed to captain the city team. I played only three more first class tournaments in two years and under me Karachi won Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (twice) and the Ayub Trophy. In the first instance, I was given the second string, the Karachi Blues, and we defeated the senior string (Whites), in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which had the services of no less than five Test captains of past and future. I mainly played for fun with no ambitions of making a Test come back.

I served as a national selector several times in ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. I was the chief selector when the Pakistan team won the Test series 3-0 against the visiting Indians in 1982-83.

I played no role in younger brother Pervez Sajjad’s cricketing development as I had moved to Karachi when he began serious cricket in Lahore. Plus we were altogether different tradesmen: I was a right hand batsman and Pervez was a left arm orthodox spinner.

I had the misfortune to see my Karachi teammate Abdul Aziz die during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final in 1958-59. On the matting wicket, the off spinner Dildar Awan’s ball popped up and hit Aziz on his chest over the heart. He died on the way to hospital.

People considered me a handsome man. I was offered main roles by the Pakistani film producers. One offer came when I was in Lahore just before a Test. I had refused, yet one newspaper reported that I was to play the hero in a movie. Whenever I came fielding near the boundary during that Test match, spectators shouted, “Hero! Hero!”

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