Test cricket began in 1877 with a two-Test series played between England and Australia, in Melbourne. Both teams won a match apiece and the series was drawn. Since then, no other Test-playing nation had ever won a Test in its inaugural series. In 1952 this record was about to change.

Pakistani was touring India for its inaugural Test series of five matches. The first Test was played at New Delhi and an inexperienced Pakistan side was overwhelmed by an innings and 70 runs. The second Test was scheduled to be played at the newly laid University Ground in Lucknow, at the edge of the Goomti river, and it was the first time that this city was hosting a Test match. Another difference was that the wicket was a jute matting wicket, which allowed greater and more consistent bounce.

Before the match started there had been some discord between the Pakistan captain and his board. After the first Test debacle the tour selection committee, consisting of A.H Kardar, Fazal Mehmood and Anwar Hussain, had asked for the middle order batsman Asghar Ali to be sent as a replacement for Israr Ali. Khan Mohammad had also sustained a groin injury and it wasn’t sure how long it would take to heal. His replacement was also considered. Initially the Board told Kardar to try the batsmen already with the team, and later when it became apparent that Khan Mohammad may be unable to play again on the tour, they sent the 17 year old Lahore all rounder Khalid Ibadullah as a replacement. This was resented by the fans at home and a petition with 5000 signatures in support of sending Asghar Ali was generated but fell on deaf ears. In his autobiography Waqar Hasan mentions a furious Kardar saying, “I have got too many babies in the team and cannot afford to nurse another.” Ibadullah played a solitary first-class match on the tour scoring 2 not out and bowling 22 wicket-less overs.

Before the second Test started, Kardar asked the team to put the first Test experience behind them. As Waqar recalls he said, “We will be playing at Lucknow which means ‘luck - now’. Our luck is going to change now and we are going to beat India.”

For Pakistan Zulfiqar Ahmed and Mahmood Hussain were making their test debuts. The full side was Nazar Mohammad, Hanif Mohammad, who was also entrusted with the wicket keeping duties, Waqar Hasan, Imtiaz Ahmed, Maqsood Ahmed, Kardar, Anwar Hussain, Fazal Mahmood, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Mahmood Hussain and Amir Elahi.

The Indian captain Amarnath won the toss and elected to bat. Mahmood Hussain and Maqsood Ahmed opened the Pakistan bowling. The Indian opener Pankaj Roy glanced Mahmood Hussein’s first delivery in Test cricket straight into the hands of Waqar at leg slip, who floored an absolute sitter. At the other end Maqsood bowled DK Gaekwad for 6 and trapped Gul Mohammad lbw before he could open his account.

Fazal, coming on as first change, while maintaining line and length, failed to obtain any swing in the air and therefore decided to focus on using the seam and try his leg cutters instead. The tactic worked and a sharp leg-cutter moved off the seam to uproot Manjrekar’s off stump when he had scored just 3 runs. Kishenchand was soon lbw without scoring and India were reeling at 22 for 4. At lunch they had reached 46 for 4 as Pankaj Roy and Polly Umrigar tried to mount a fight back.

After lunch, Mahmood Hussain worked up a good pace and with the score at 55 clean bowled Umrigar for 15. Pankaj Roy’s resistance ended when he was out lbw to Fazal for 30, and India were 65 for 6. Just 3 runs later Lala Amarnath was caught off Mahmood Hussain for 9. The remaining Indian batsmen didn’t offer much resistance either, with only HG Gaekwad reaching double figures. Just 85 minutes after lunch the Indian innings folded up at 106 all out. Fazal had figures of 5 wickets for 52 runs and was ably supported by Mahmood Hussain with 3 for 35 and Maqsood with 2 wickets for only 12 runs.

The Pakistani openers Hanif and Nazar took the team to 46 without loss by the close of play, with Nazar on 21 and Hanif on 25. Amarnath had used all his six bowlers without success.

The next morning Hanif finally fell for 34 with Pakistan’s score at 63. Waqar joined Nazar and added 55 runs for the second wicket before Amarnath had him leg before. Imtiaz fell the same way just 2 runs later, without troubling the scorers. Maqsood now joined Nazar and played an entertaining innings of 41 before throwing away his wicket, to an injudicious stroke off the medium pace of Nyalchand, when he was well set for a big score. His 41 had made up the lion’s share in a 47 run partnership with Nazar. Kardar and Anwar Hussain were also snared by Nyalchand and Pakistan were 201 for 7, when Fazal came in to bat. A cameo of 29 from Fazal in a 38 run partnership with Nazar took Pakistan to 239 for 7 wickets by the close of play. Nazar was still undefeated with 87.

The next morning Zulfiqar joined Nazar, who now realized that he was running out of partners. As he would demonstrate again two years later in Pakistan’s victory at the Oval, Zulfiqar showed that he was no mug with the bat. In a 63 run partnership that took just 45 minutes, he contributed 34, while Nazar reached his century in a little over seven and a half hours, facing 520 deliveries and stroking ten boundaries.

Mahmood Hussain also chipped in with a quick 13, so that he and Zulfiqar had added 92 runs with Nazar in just 75 minutes, of which Nazar’s share was just 37. When Amir Elahi was bowled by Gul Mohammad for 4, the Pakistani innings came to a close with the score at 331. Nazar had batted through the entire innings for 124 not out in 8 hours and 37 minutes with 12 boundaries.

India began their second innings with a deficit of 225 runs. The top scorer from the first innings, Pankaj Roy fell to Mahmood Hussain with the total at 4. There was brief initial resistance from DK Gaekwad and Kishenchand before the latter was dismissed by Fazal. Manjrekar soon followed and when Gaekwad was out for 32, India were 73 for 4. Both wickets fell to Fazal, who also dismissed Gul Mohammad, so that half the Indian team was back in the pavilion for just 77.

Lala Amarnath was the only batsman to offer any resistance as wickets fell around him. Umrigar made 32 and HG Gaekwad just 8 as India collapsed to 115 for 7 wickets. Amarnath now found a doughty partner in wicket keeper Joshi and the two added 55 runs for the 8th wicket before Joshi was dismissed for 15. Ghulam Ahmed fell at the same score and the match would have been over on the 3rd day, but Zulfiqar had earlier dropped the easiest of catches at square leg off a mishit by Amarnath, when he was on 6. At the end of the 3rd day India were 170 for 9 wickets, with Amarnath still there on 50.

The next morning India were all out for 182. Amarnath remained unbeaten with 61 and Fazal had taken 7 wickets for just 42 runs to earn match figures of 12 wickets for 94 runs. The match belonged to him and Nazar. Pakistan had won by an innings and 43 runs, to become the first team to win a Test in their inaugural series since 1877. Over the next six years Pakistan would repeat this feat of winning at least one Test in its inaugural series against every test playing nation.

In this match Nazar became the first player to stay on the ground for the entire course of a Test. Over thirty years later, in 1983, his son Mudassar would also carry his bat though an entire innings for an unbeaten 152 against India at Lahore. For Fazal this was the first of four 12 wicket Test match hauls that he would take in his career.

The crowd at Lucknow was unique in using the choicest Urdu language phraseology even when berating the players. Waqar vividly recalls one vintage remark in his autobiography. When he was fielding on the boundary a group of students, trying to attract his attention, disparaged him as follows, “Aji Qibla, aap agar rukh-e-zeba iss taraf naheen karenge tu hum aap ke Abba huzoor ki shaan main gustakhi kar daingey.” (“your honor if you do not turn your beautiful face in this direction, then we will use rude language to insult the honour of your father.”)