Majid Khan was the quintessential cricketer, gentleman, and aristocrat. Born into a storied cricketing family, his father, Jahangir Khan, was an opening bowler for India in the 1930s, and his son, Bazid Khan, played a Test match, making them the second family after the Headleys to produce three consecutive generations of Test cricketers. His cousins, Javed Burki and Imran Khan, both captained Pakistan, while his uncle, Baqa Jilani, was a first-class cricketer. Majid married Javed Burki’s sister and later served as Director of Sports for Pakistan Television, an ICC match referee, and briefly as the PCB’s CEO in the late 1990s. He also coached Pakistan during their 1994 New Zealand tour.
Remarkably, Majid transitioned from an opening bowler to a world-class batsman, a feat nearly unprecedented in cricket history. His time in England, playing for Glamorgan and Cambridge University, was pivotal in this transformation.
Nature of Batting
At his peak, Majid Khan arguably surpassed all Pakistani batsmen in raw genius, rivaling the likes of Viv Richards and Barry Richards in talent. His batting was a blend of audacious aggression and silken grace, with hand-eye coordination and timing that bordered on magical. Wearing his iconic faded gardener’s hat, Majid wielded his bat like a wand, caressing the ball to the boundary with effortless precision, as if it obeyed his will.
His style fused the ferocity of a tiger with the elegance of an antelope. In the 1970s, alongside Viv Richards, Barry Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath, and the Chappell brothers, Majid was among the finest exponents of batsmanship, a formidable adversary to the era’s fast-bowling giants. After Viv Richards, he was arguably the best exponent of the hook shot.
Highlights of Cricketing Career
Majid’s early exposure to English conditions shaped his batting prowess. His whirlwind 147 in 89 minutes against Glamorgan during a Pakistan tour match showcased his prodigious talent, leading Glamorgan to sign him as their overseas player. He played a pivotal role in their 1969 County Championship triumph. At Cambridge, he led his university to a surprise victory against the 1971 Pakistani touring side.
In 1969, Majid’s 156 for Glamorgan at Worcester on a treacherous wicket was a masterclass, akin to a surgeon navigating a complex operation. With sixteen elegant boundaries, he tamed a strong Worcestershire attack, displaying control reminiscent of Victor Trumper or Jack Hobbs on unprepared surfaces.
Despite a slow start in Tests—scoring just over 400 runs in 13 matches in his first eight years—Majid announced his arrival with a composed 158 against Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson at Melbourne in 1972. Promoted to open the batting during the 1974 England tour, he scored 48 on a drying pitch against Derek Underwood and a stylish 98 at The Oval, cementing his role as an opener. His deft handling of spin, particularly Underwood, was exceptional.
In Pakistan’s first-ever ODI century, Majid scored 109 off 93 balls against England in 1974, dismantling Bob Willis, Peter Lever, Chris Old, and Underwood with explosive grace. In the 1975 World Cup, he was consistency personified, scoring 209 runs in three games. His first-class 110 against Australia in Swansea in 1975 exuded ease, dispatching 85mph deliveries from Max Walker and Alan Hurst with silent precision.
In 1976, at Karachi against New Zealand, Majid became the first since Don Bradman to score a century before lunch on the first day of a Test, hooking Richard Hadlee and Collie Cairns with unmatched impetuosity while driving crisply through the covers. His record against express pace was exemplary, particularly against Australian and West Indian attacks. In 1976-77 in Australia, he averaged 49.40, famously hooking Lillee for a six and later presenting his gardener’s hat to the Australian spearhead after Pakistan’s first Test win on Australian soil.
On the 1977 West Indies tour, Majid aggregated 530 runs at an average of 53, negotiating a fearsome pace attack with supreme skill. His 167 at Georgetown resurrected Pakistan from 280 runs behind, blending concentration, technique, and strokeplay in a knock that ranks among the finest against lethal pace. His 88 at Barbados and 92 at Trinidad were instrumental in Pakistan’s victories, showcasing his durability.
In 1977 at Kingston, Majid took up wicketkeeping duties after Wasim Bari’s injury, catching four balls, and later added three more when Bari returned, setting a then-record for seven catches in an innings. In 1978-79 at Melbourne, he scored a match-winning 110, and in the 1979 World Cup semi-final, his 81 alongside Zaheer Abbas nearly upset the West Indies. In 1980, his masterly 89 against Australia’s Ray Bright on a dusty Karachi pitch highlighted his skill against spin.
However, Majid’s form dipped during the 1979-80 India tour, averaging around 20 as Pakistan suffered a 2-0 defeat. He rebounded spectacularly against Australia at home, averaging 199 with an 89 and an unbeaten 110. In 1981-82, he scored a match-winning 74 at Melbourne. Sadly, his career ended unceremoniously after lackluster performances on the 1982 England tour and the 1982-83 home series against India, where he was dropped.
Assessment
Majid played 63 Tests, scoring 3,931 runs at 38.92 with eight centuries and holding 70 catches as a brilliant slip fielder. In 23 ODIs, he scored 786 runs at 37.42 with a strike rate of 74.71, including one century and seven fifties, suggesting he could have been a limited-overs superstar in a later era. He took 27 wickets at 53.92, primarily in his early career as a fast bowler.
Majid was arguably the best batsman of his era on difficult wickets, navigating express pace in the helmetless days with feline grace. He was Pakistan’s finest player of fast bowling alongside Inzamam-ul-Haq and ranked among the best against pace after Viv Richards and Ian Chappell. In raw talent, he was on par with Gundappa Viswanath, surpassed only by Viv and Barry Richards.
However, Majid’s career was marred by inconsistency, often producing sublime cameos rather than mammoth innings. Unlike Zaheer Abbas or Javed Miandad, he lacked an appetite for big scores. Internal politics within the Pakistan Cricket Board and the impact of World Series Cricket may have hindered his potential. His career ended abruptly under Imran Khan’s captaincy, who preferred Mansoor Akhtar in 1982, leading to Majid’s retirement after just two Tests under Imran.
Ranking him among Pakistan’s batting greats, I place Majid ninth, behind Javed Miandad, Younis Khan, Hanif Mohammad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Zaheer Abbas, Saeed Anwar, Mohammad Yousuf, and Salim Malik. He surpassed Zaheer Abbas in crises and on bad wickets, was Pakistan’s best against pace alongside Inzamam, and at his peak, ranked just below Viv Richards, Barry Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, and the Chappell brothers.
*Freelance journalist
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