Nazim Shirazi

[tpusltn]

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.

Sincerely,
Tipu Sultan.

[Tehsin]

I have a few pitures from Nazim bhai that i will post on the site by tomorrow.

This is for those who are not familiar with him and those who forgot about him.

[Ehsan]

Good job tehsin bhai....I'm just 18 and I hardly know him as he used to play cricket before 88 or 90s.

[Tehsin]

Tipu Sultan bhai, apnaar message tao tuley dilam.

Link to the article

[shahid]

I am a 18 year old BDi living in India and was born in 1984. I never saw Nazim Shirazi. Here are his statistics from CricInfo:

SN Shirazi
Born: ?
ICC Trophy: Bangladesh 1982

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mat Runs HS BatAv 100 50 W BB BowlAv 5w Ct St

overall 5 107 52 21.40 0 1 - - - - 1 0

[CholCholBD]

Is there any way he is going to go back to Bangladesh cricket tentatively? If he does, even as a coaching staff, it could do wonders.

[Antora]

I've never heard of Nazim Shirazi. My Dad always talks about all the Old players that used to play, but he never mentioned Nazim Shirazi! Well I must say he sounds like a player Bangladesh needs BADLY! I wonder if he could join but maybe as a coaching staff or something.

[BANFAN]

Grrrreaaate, reminiscence .......... Thanks Tipu Sultan & Tehsin.
Old cricketers must be involved for our development, provided they are ready to invest time.
What's his profession now in LA?

[yaseer]

Originally Posted by CholCholBD
Is there any way he is going to go back to Bangladesh cricket tentatively? If he does, even as a coaching staff, it could do wonders.

So funny........a player from LA will be working as a coaching staff in Bangladesh!!! Bangladesh cricket er obostha etto kharap hoi nai je LA theke cricket coach ante hobe. Lots of 1st class, premiere division ex-players are here for coaching, International cricketer der kotha ar nai ba bollam.

[yaseer]

Thnx for sharing about Nazim Shirazi. I never heard of him before, but as he played for Bangladesh National team in a young age, must be a very good player.

Also nice to hear that he is still playing at this age and doing well in LA leagues.

[mahbubH]

As I can remember, he played only few matches for BD (one ICC tournament) and played 1/2 seasons in Dhaka league.

[bujhee kom]

i remember him very well! shirazi was indeed our hero looking opening batsman back then!
salaam to him!

[Zeeshan]

Originally Posted by bujhee kom
i remember him very well! shirazi was indeed our hero looking opening batsman back then!
salaam to him!

Continue the sequence in IQ puzzle:

rabbit, RAB, orang utan, ......................?

coyote?

[billah]

Nazim bhai is a very good leader. Under his captaincy, all these Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan kids do very well in the local league. He is about 44-45 now. He plays every season. I had a chance to watch his team win the championship in 2006. Nazim bhai's team holds the record of winning the championship many times - I think 21 or 22 times !

Although most of the players were half his age, he still had the best strike rate and one of the best averages in the league. He is also a wonderful person. Many young LA cricketers can vouch for that. He mentors and helps many of them.

In the context of the discussion here, I think he is good choice for a coach/consultant. This is why:

He is very capable of motivating the young cricketer.

He never left the game. Plays and coaches regularly.

He speaks the language.

Comes from a cricketing blood line: Nadir Shah, Jahangir Shah Badshah (cousins). Mr. Ispahani, a BCB sponsor, is Nazim bhai's uncle.

He is always interested in our cricket.

[billah]

Here are some pics from 2006 SCCA final:


Nazim bhai in action, responding to 276


After the improbable win


With the trophy


With Tipu bhai, tpusltn, starter of this thread

[Kermani]

I am a very good friend of Kazim Shirazi. I still remember our days at Ispahani Colony's small ground where Nazim, Kazim, Atahar Ali Khan and Pappu used to hang out and talk about cricket matches, etc. Nadir Shah used to join us at the same place. I was more close to Kazim. I am talking about late 70s and early 80s. Ispahani Colony was our regular hang out place.