Pakistan’s late Test cricketer Maqsood Ahmad’s son Imtiaz Ahmad has accused the Pakistan Cricket Board of removing late cricketer’s name from one of the gates at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
Famously known as Merry Max, Maqsood Ahmed was a useful all-rounder in the first ever cricket team of Pakistan and played 16 Test matches from 1952 to 1955.
A right-handed middle-order batsman, Maqsood was a hard hitter of the ball and is one of the Test cricketers whose highest score was 99, which he made in the Third Test against India in 1954–55. In England in 1952 he became the first Pakistani to play as a professional cricketer and the English press dubbed him "Merry Max".
From independence to the time of his death he was associated with cricket in Pakistan and dedicated all his life and abilities for the promotion of Pakistan cricket. In recognition of his service one of the gates of the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium carries his name, "Maqsood Ahmed Enclosure" and so does one of the benches at the Bagh-e-Jinnah Cricket Ground located inside the historic Lahore Gymkhana.
But now there is no trace of his name at the Pindi Stadium and his son Imtiaz alleged that PCB chairman Ehsan Mani was behind the move.
“He never enjoyed good relations with the PCB. Mani is from Rawalpindi and he was coached as club cricketer in Pindi Club by Merry Max. I don’t know how and why his name got removed from general Enclosure. He was Rawalpindi’s first Test cricketer,”said Imtiaz.
Imtiaz said Merry Max deserved better treatment but the PCB just quietly removed his name.
“I tried to contact Mani, as I have good relations with him and played in the same school team, but he never responded. Today the Rawalpindi Stadium is looking awesome and hosting the PSL matches but they buried his name under the new turf. It is silent burial of one of the best and well known cricket star, commentator, sports journalist. He deserved better from the PCB but the silently removed his name from Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.”
He alleged that Mani was a poor bowler and could not get selected for the first class cricket in Rawalpindi team and he has taken revenge by removing Maqsood’s name from the stadium.
When contacted, PCB’s Director Media Samiul Hassan said the Pindi Cricket Stadium was not under the PCB’s control and is being maintained by the local administration and the change of name of any enclosure at Pindi Stadium is neither in PCB’s knowledge nor the PCB has to do anything with it.