Nazam Shirazi


Nazim Shirazi was a Bangladeshi cricketer. He played in the 1982 ICC Trophy in England.

Career

Shirazi was selected in Jan 1982, to play for the Central Zone side against the touring Hyderabad Blues side consisting of Indian test players including B. S. Chandrasekhar, Chetan Chauhan, Anshuman Gaekwad, Roger Binny, Rakesh Shukla and other Test players. Opening the innings, he top scored for the side with 32. But even greater effort came in the three-day match at Dhaka. After the Bangladesh top order collapsed against the spin of Indian Test bowler Rakesh Shukla, Nazam, along with his cousin Jahangir Shah Badshah repaired the damage. Nazam scored 56, and Badshah made 40, out of a team total of 182.
Shirazi was selected for the ICC Trophy in England during the summer of 1982. There, he played 5 matches and scored 107 runs. His highest, 52, came in the 3rd-place play-off against PNG. He shared a 170-run 1st wicket partnership with Yousuf Babu.
During March 1983, Shirazi played against the touring West Bengal side, led by Indian test player Dilip Doshi. It was a miserable experience for the local side as the magic of Doshi's spin was too much for them. The West Bengal team won the match by an innings and 42 runs with Doshi taking 12 wickets. Nazam was one of the few Bangladeshi players who could handle Doshi properly. His 29 in the 2nd innings was the highest individual score for the local side.
Shirazi played in Los Angeles for more than a decade.

Family

Shirazi came from a big cricketing background. Nazam's older brothers Talib Shirazi and Kazem Shirazi also played at the top level in Bangladesh. His cousin Jahangir Shah Badshah was a regular for national side from 1978-1990. Badshah's brothers, Azim Shah, Munna Shah and Nadir Shah were highly successful in domestic cricket. Munna Shah and Nadir Shah also enjoyed brief stints with the national side. Nadir Shah later became an umpire.