Veteran cricket journalist Qamar Ahmed is no more

KARACHI: A chapter in cricket journalism was closed on Thursday when Qamar Ahmed, a veteran reporter, broadcaster and former first-class cricketer, passed away after cardiac-related illness in Karachi. He was 88.

His Namaz-e-Janaza was offered at Masjid Bait-ul-Salam in DHA Phase IV after Maghrib prayer.

When contacted by Dawn earlier this month, Qamar said that he was hospitalised in Karachi after experiencing cardiac issues on June 2, and so underwent angioplasty after which he was advised rest by doctors.

“Qamar quietly passed away while sleeping in the morning [on Thursday],” his sister confirmed to Dawn on Thursday.

Born in Bihar in 1937, Qamar was fifth among nine children, six sisters and three brothers, of his family. After migrating to Pakistan following the end of the British rule in the sub-continent, his family settled in Hyderabad, Sindh.

A jovial personality to the core, Qamar was a reporting stalwart who remained on the field for around six decades covering cricketing stories developing on and off the field.

Though his 17-match first-class cricket exploits for Hyderabad ended only after seven years — in 1962-63 — Qamar, a slow left-arm orthodox spinner, during this time obtained a unique feat, of dismissing all Mohammad brothers, including Little Master Hanif Mohammad.

After having started his journalism career in Hyderabad Sindh, Qamar in the early 1960s left for England where he settled and functioned as a freelance journalist in which he excelled while working for several prominent international media organisations including BBC, Reuters and AFP. He also worked for TV New Zealand as a broadcaster during the 1992 World Cup which was won by Pakistan under Imran Khan’s captaincy.

Qamar had also been writing for Dawn since the 1980s, occasionally contributing reports as well as insightful comments. He covered a number of Pakistan’s matches for the paper also during the 1992 World Cup, including the final.

As an avid writer, Qamar besides reporting wrote and worked on a number of books, including Pakistan Book of Cricket (annual from 1976 to 1998-99), Testing Times, Showdown and Golden Greats of Pakistan Cricket.

His last book, Far More than A Game: An Autobiography of a Cricket Writer and Broadcaster, which was published in 2020, was a memoir of his life in cricket. The book cites Qamar’s stories on several major controversies in the game including the Kerry Packer revolution, umpiring disputes and the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

As an energetic journalist who travelled widely to cover international contests particularly featuring Pakistan, Qamar, who completed a master’s degree in English literature at the University of Sindh, earned a number of distinctions in his long and illustrious career.

Covering 400 Test matches as a professional reporter in different countries – after witnessing the 2014 game between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Sharjah – is one of the prime achievements of his marathon career. Moreover, he reported every single 50-over World Cup held from 1975 to 2007.

His professional work was not restricted to Pakistan, as he also witnessed Sunil Gavaskar’s 10,000th run, Richard Hadlee’s 400th wicket, Anil Kumble’s 10 wickets, cricket’s 1,000th Test and its 2,000th in the year 2011.

Always sporting a smile, Qamar was a simple and decent personality. He will be profoundly missed by fans, players and experts alike.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2026