M.E. Pavri
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mehallasha Edulji Pavri | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
10 October 1866 Navsari, Gujarat, India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died |
19 April 1946 (aged 79) Bombay, India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting style | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Right-arm fast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1892-1913 | Parsees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1892 | All-India XI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1893 | Middlesex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: Cricinfo, 5 November 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mehallasha Edulji Pavri | |
|---|---|
| Born |
10 October 1866 Navsari, Gujarat, India |
| Died |
19 April 1946 Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India |
| Nationality |
 India |
| Occupation | Cricketer, Doctor |
| Religion | Parsi |
Mehallasha Edulji Pavri (10 October 1866 – 19 April 1946 in Navsari, Gujarat, India[1]) was an Indian cricketer, who played 26 first-class matches between 1892 and 1913. Undoubtedly one of India's greatest cricketers and one of its first ever genuine fast bowlers in its pre-Test era.
He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast bowler, one of the fastest in those times. Most of his first-class cricket was for the Parsees, but he also represented an All-India XI and Middlesex several times.
He made his debut on the Parsee tour to England in 1888, immediately becoming a revelation with his 170 wickets at an average of 11.66, and now he is widely regarded as the first great Indian cricketer.
According to legend, at Eastbourne, he is said to have sent a bail flying 50 yards, while in Norfolk, when he uprooted a stump, it flew nine yards and pitched itself the right way up.
Performances in other notable matches include the Parsees vs Lord Hawke's XI in 1892 which resulted in a narrow Parsi victory and was also the first-ever first-class match staged in the subcontinent. The match was considered as the Cricket Championship of India at that time, and Pavri took 2 wickets for 3 runs in 3 overs and 7/34 in 13.2 overs. The Parsis won match by 4 wickets.[2]
In 1892, he played against Lord Hawke's XI and in a 109-run Parsi win, he took figures of 2/18 and 6/36.[3] He also represented an All-India XI against Lord Hawke's XI in 1892.
He was consistent and a prolific wicket taking attacking bowler, and a decent bat who played in the middle order and had a top first-class score of 69. He also dominated the early years of the Bombay Pentagular Tournament.
He was also a learned scholar and a skilled doctor. He had mastered medicine while studying it in London. After retirement, he not only worked as a doctor but also wrote a very interesting book on Indian cricket, which analysed almost every important aspect and possible improvements of Indian cricket at that time.
References
- ↑ Note that Navsari and Bombay and a few other centres were the main centres of population for the minor Parsi community
- ↑ Parsees vs GF Vernon's XI CricketArchive.com. Retrieved 5 November 2012
- ↑ Parsees vs Lord Hawke's XI CricketArchive.com. Retrieved 5 November 2012