‘The Don Bradman of commentary’CHISHTY MUJAHIDHe was the Don Bradman of commentary. There will be never anyone ever like him again. A doyen of his time, Kureishi sahab’s death has been a great shock. He was 18 years older to me and by the time I started he was already one of the most famous voices in cricket. His diction, clarity, vocabulary, choice of words, complete command over the game is what made stand apart. And in his time he shared space with some of the best commentators like Brian Johnston. One of the biggest certificates I have received has been from him when he nominated me as a replacement commentator for a Karachi match way back in 1972. He rang up Radio Pakistan and said, ‘‘Look, there is this young fellow, he is good and above all he knows his cricket.’’ Later, of course, we shared moments on India tours of 1979-80, 1983, 1987. With him the best part was that he never kept anything to himself and was always willing to share the tricks of the trade. ‘He’d be happy with Mohali result’WASIM BARI Today at 1 pm (Pakistan time) I felt like an orphan. A 30-year bond with a man who was my friend, mentor and guardian ended abruptly. Ever since he became unconscious three days ago, I knew life would not be the same. For starters, yesterday was one of those rare Sundays I spent without meeting him for lunch. Yet I will always cherish the time that I had with him. Since starting off as a 16-year-old in 1965, Kureishisahab was there with me all along. Even helping me get my first job with the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), where he was a senior officer; he drafted me into the side and gave me one of my biggest breaks. Indeed, you won’t find a single cricketer in Pakistan who is not indebted to him. Yes, we had our differences. Many a time he would disagree but I wouldn’t mind if he wrote about it. One of the biggest points of our disagreement was the selection of Shahid Afridi for Test matches. He felt Afridi would be very useful but I showed him statistics to prove my point. I don’t know if he was conscious on Saturday but if he was he’d have been happy to learn of the fightback at Mohali. For he was one who always fought and was always determined.
