LAHORE   -   Former Pakistan all-rounder Billy Ibadulla passed away on Friday at the age of 88. He had a brief career for Pakistan dur­ing which he played four Tests from 1964 to 1967. He is known for being the first-ever Pakistani player to score a hundred on his Test debut. The former all-rounder made his Test debut in 1964 against Australia at Kara­chi’s National Stadium. While opening the innings, he struck 166 runs in the first innings, during which he also construct­ed a 249-run opening stand with fellow debutant Abdul Ka­dir, who scored 95. 

This partnership remains the highest between two debutants for any wicket in Test cricket. However, Ibadulla went on to play only three more Test matches for Pakistan, scoring a total of 253 runs in four match­es. He also took one wicket with his off-spin bowling. 

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also sent their condolenc­es to Ibadulla’s friends and fam­ily through a statement on their official X (formerly Twitter) ac­count. “The PCB is deeply sad­dened by the passing of former Test cricketer Khalid Ibadulla on 12 July. He played four Tests from 1964 to 1967, scoring 253 runs, and was the first Pakistan batter to score a century on Test debut,” the cricket board post­ed. “In 417 first-class matches, he amassed 17,078 runs and took 462 wickets. PCB extends its heartfelt condolences to his friends and family.” 

He was one of the first Paki­stani players to play county cricket in England, where he made a respectable career play­ing for Warwickshire. “He was a special cricketer, one of the greatest, and we had lots of fun times together,” Warwickshire president Dennis Amiss, who played alongside Ibadulla at the club, wrote in a tribute to his former team-mate as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.