Shafqat Rana – The CAP Podcast #55

Mr. Shafqat Rana is a former cricketer who played for the national team in the 1960s. In his conversation with the Lahore OHP team, Mr. Rana speaks of what inspired him to play cricket, revealing his dedication for the sport by talking about going to Minto Park, where he used to go for net practice. Mr. Rana then recalls his experience during a Pakistan vs. Australia Test match in Karachi from when he was still new in the team. He gives a detailed account of when Pakistan won the semi-final of the 1992 World Cup against New Zealand.

Shafqat Rana (born August 10, 1943 in Simla, British India) is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in fiveTests from 1964 to 1969.

"Shafqat Rana was a very good right-handed batsman, strong on the drive and cut, who was not given that many opportunities in a broken career in which he played five Tests in six years. The highlight was an appearance against New Zealand in 1969-70 when he made a career-best 95, and a total of 167 runs, in the third Test at Lahore, and 65 at Dhaka where rioting caused the abandonment of the game."

He made his first-class debut in 1959-60, and toured England with the Pakistan Eaglets in 1963. He toured Australia and New Zealand with the Pakistan team in 1964-65, scoring 182 runs at 18.20 and not playing in any of the Tests. He later toured England in 1971, scoring 228 runs at 17.53, also without playing a Test.

He played his last first-class match in 1978-79. His highest score was 174 for Lahore against Sargodha in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 1968-69 at Lahore, when he put on 330 for the fourth wicket with Waqar Ahmed.