Mushtaq Mohammad And Tony Cozier Nominated For Cricket Hall Of Fame

By John L. Aaron
Former Pakistani all-rounder Mushtaq Mohammad will be one of the inductees at this year’s Cricket Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony. The ceremony which each year draws international media coverage, is scheduled for next Saturday, September 22, 2007 at the Marriott Hotel downtown Hartford, Connecticut.

One of Pakistan’s famous five, Mushtaq Mohammad may not have been as gifted as his elder brother Hanif, but he went on to score more first-class centuries and take more wickets with his wrist-spin than any of his older siblings. In an international career that spanned three decades, he emerged from the classroom to become the youngest Test centurion in history.

Among the other international cricket personalities nominated to be inducted along with Mushtaq Mohammad, are former Indian opener Chetan Chauhau and well known West Indian cricket writer and commentator, Tony Cozier.

Cozier, who is from Barbados, has been described as the “‘keeper of the flame,” the unmistakable voice of West Indies cricket. “He wears his love for the game (and the West Indies team) proudly, but won’t hesitate to crack the whip when things are falling apart,” one writer stated. Having seen the best and the worst of West Indies Cricket, Cozier, the dean of West Indies cricket commentators, is at his best talking about the glory days and equally passionate when discussing the low points, the writer added.

Chetan Chauhau, the former opening partner of Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar, was described as one of the most courageous opening batsman in Indian cricket. With ten century partnerships, the pair is the most successful Indian opening pair.

Locally, New York cricket activist Krish Prasad and umpire Hammy Reid, are also among the list of persons to be recognized for their enormous contributions to the sport, and will be inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame at next Saturday’s ceremony.

Located in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, the Cricket Hall of Fame, established in 1981 is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help with the development and growth of the game in the United States. Each year, the Hall of Fame recognizes individuals, both cricketers and non-cricketers, local and international, who have made outstanding contributions to the sport. Last year the institution celebrated its 25th anniversary at a gala event in which eight new members were inducted.

Among the international list of previous inductees are G.R. Vishwanath, Joel Garner, Alvin Kallicharan, Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Garfield Sobers, George Headley, Sir Leonard Hutton, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Conrad Hunte, Alfred Valentine, Lance Gibbs, Rev. Wesley Hall, Clive Hubert Lloyd, Hanif Mohammed, John Law and Tom Ewart.
For more information and tickets to this year’s Induction Awards Dinner: Call (860) 930-4315 or 860-250-2796 or visit www.crickethalloffame.org

Information for this report courtesy of the Cricket Hall of Fame, Hartford, CT.
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