Late Pak PM Zulfikar Bhutto ‘useful batsman’

Former Pakistan prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a useful right-handed batsman, who played for the Sunder Cricket Club in Bombay and University of California and was occasionally used as opener, says a new book on the country’s cricket history.

Had he gone to Oxford first for his studies instead of California he could have earned a place in the cricket team of the university and the famous Blue, it also says. Oxford has been graced by some of the most famous cricketers of all time, producing many Blues who have gone on to represent their country such as Imran Khan, Douglas Jardine, and Mike Smith.

Wounded Tiger: A History of Cricket in Pakistan by British journalist Peter Oborne is an insight into the nation’s tryst with the game, digging deep into the political, social and cultural history and is packed with memories from former players and top administrators. ‘Bhutto was more than a star-struck fan. He was also a useful right-handed batsman, who played for the Sunder Cricket Club in Bombay, where he was occasionally used as opener. 

In his autobiography, Abdul Hafeez Kardar asserted that Bhutto was a good enough cricketer to have earned a Blue had he attended Oxford first, and then the University of California at Berkeley, rather than the other way around,’ the book, published by Simon & Schuster, says.