'I Was Fortunate To Face Him': Winner Of 1983 WC Sandeep Patil Remembers The Late Abdul Ismail, Picks Mumbai Stalwart As The Best Swing Bowler

While Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians were trying to force their way into Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Mumbai cricket stalwart Abdul Ismail passed away due to cardiac arrest at the age of 79. Ismail's exploits in domestic cricket are well known, as he was also somebody who had earned himself the title of ‘Sultan of Swing’. Ismail's glorious career spanned more than a decade, and he was the leading man of Mumbai's pace attack in the 1970s.

Sandip Patil Pays Tribute To The Late Abdul Ismail

Ismail, during his playing days, very well justified the tag of ‘Sultan of Swing’. The late pacer had taken a total of 244 wickets at an average of 18.08. He had a total of 75 First-Class appearances to his name. Mumbai cricket has always been looked upon as one of the strongest in the domestic circuit, as the late Abdul Ismail was one of its architects.

Former India cricketer and the member of the 1983 World Cup winning team Sandeep Patil hailed the late Ismail as one of the greatest swing bowlers to have ever played the game. 'I was fortunate not to face Abdulla [I always called him Abdulla] in inter-office cricket. He would have been a handful I’m sure. Our seniors like Sunil Gavaskar and Ashok Mankad used to say that if Abdulla’s first ball was an outswinger, we would win. I have seen several good swing bowlers like Ian Botham, Bob Massie and our very own Balvinder Singh Sandhu, but Abdulla will always be on top of my list.', wrote Patil in his column for Mid-Day.

The 'Sultan of Swing' was not only a key member of multiple Duleep Trophy triumphs for West Zone but also one of the members of the different Mumbai teams that won five Ranji Trophy titles. Mumbai, till this point in time, has won 42 Ranji Trophy titles, and this makes them the most successful team in the tournament's history. Despite his talent and heroic exploits on the cricket field, Ismail remained pretty unfortunate and failed to represent India.

But Ismail was not the only one who did not get to represent the nation on the highest level. Ismail, alongside Karsan Ghavri and Eknath Solkar, formed Mumbai's legendary pacer trio that had an ample amount of support from left-arm spinner Padmakar Shivalkar back in the 1970s.

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Abdul Ismail's Journey: A Cricketing Career That Came Full Circle

Abdul Ismail certainly did not represent Team India, but it does not diminish the kind of talent that he had and how much it contributed towards Mumbai's domestic success. The Irani Cup was the tournament that marked Ismail's debut and final match, a coincidence that was a part of such a legendary career.

Ismail never actually bid farewell to the game, as he also coached youngsters and worked closely with Mumbai cricket as a selector across age groups and the Ranji Trophy. The late 'Sultan of Swing' was also felicitated by the Mumbai Cricket Association to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Wankhede Stadium.

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