Historical Article

Nazim Shirazi

Tipu Sultan (BanglaCricket.com forum member)

To those who do not know him as a cricketer. A good looking, well dressed, friendly, down to earth, modest person, who is a Bangladeshi living in Los Angeles.

To me, Tipu Sultan, who has seen him play in Bangladesh as a teenager in the early 80's and still see him play in Los Angeles. This is what I see and here is my report to a Nation who needs to know.

Nazim Shirazi known to many who have seen him as one of the most gifted and talented cricketer Bangladesh has ever produced. He was a very reliable opening batsman for Bangladesh and a tremendous fielder from a very young age. Nazim is a fighter, always plays with a lot of heart, mentally and physically very strong and the smartest captain in the history of Los Angeles Cricket. Ask him about his past and he will modestly say, "there were others who were as good or better than me in Bangladesh". Personally, I seriously doubt that. The reason is simply because he is still better than our top current players even today by playing only once a week.

He left BD when he was about 19 or 20 in the early 80’s. Those who do not know him, Nazim is born cricketer from a cricketing family which has produced more cricketers than any other family in BD cricket history at the top level.

He was a world-class fielder as well. I was fortunate to see his game when he was a young boy and remember his many diving catches and his electrifying speed in the field. He could field at any position and was as good a fielder as anyone in world at any position. Hard to believe only because he is a Bangladeshi, but very true. If he was an Australian or a South African, it would be easier to believe.

He is one of the few Bangladeshi players who is capable of playing and actually performing against any team at the highest level. He is fearless, has a very positive attitude, confident and knows how to combat test attack whenever he has a chance to play against them in Los Angeles.

He left Bangladesh at his prime and immigrated to the US with his family. He played for the national team when he was very young and was successful. Every BCB official knows about him. His first cousin is Jahangir Shah Badshah and was also a great player for Bangladesh.

Believe me, this man is still going strong. For last 12 years, his team established absolute dominance over all the West Indians teams. His captaincy and leadership destroyed each and every West Indian fast bowling bullies. I am a witness and have seen him play for many years. It is a lot of fun to see a Bangladeshi totally dominating in cricket for a change. He had a major back problem from 1993 to 1998. After physical therapy and rest for a full year, Nazim is as strong as ever and very fit for his age.

I was amazed to see, how he manages to pull off a match from a sure defeat. He is very good at transferring pressure on the other side. His ability to see the potential-player is also very good. He forms a team with unknown players, trains them very hard and he wins the league championship against teams with much better players. Sounds like fairy tale but it is true. Most interesting, the same team without him would struggle to score 150 runs.

Nazim always leads the team from front and motivates each player to put up a tough fight. After all it is all about winning and losing is not an option.

I have seen him play against the Jamaicans in Los Angeles against Franklin Rose, Jimmy Adams and others a few years ago. Then he had a major back problem and could not even take a proper batting stance, but fought single handed and scored some 60 not out, chanceless. In the same match, most USA players could not even score double figures due to the fierce pace bowling from Franklin Rose and others.

I have met him personally in Los Angeles and seen him play for a few years. Nazim is very fit now, passionate about BD cricket and some one who actually cares about our cricket and our players without ever putting them down. I can always sense his deep frustration whenever BD fails and how much he regrets not being in Bangladesh to help. He is proud to be a Bangladeshi regardless of our performance in International Cricket.

Even these days he practices very hard and scores when it counts most. He is still one of the most successful players in Los Angeles. Nazim is a big game player who will always come through, mostly under pressure.

We need a player and a captain like him in our Bangladesh team. Hopefully, we'll find one sooner than later.