| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Munir Ahmed Dar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1974-03-04)4 March 1974 (age 51) Gujrat, Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Slow left-arm orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 18) | 24 June 2008 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 25 June 2008 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 12) | 16 March 2014 v Nepal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 20 March 2014 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Gujranwala | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source:CricketArchive,21 March 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Munir Ahmed Dar (born 12 April 1974) also known asMoner Ahmed is a Pakistani formercricketer who has represented theHong Kong national team internationally. He notably scored 36 runs off 27 balls as Hong Kong beatBangladesh (aTest-playing nation) during the2014 ICC World Twenty20.
Dar played twoList A matches forGujranwala in the 1999Tissot Cup without appearing again at that level.[1]
He moved toHong Kong in 2000 to visit his brother and started playing in the amateur leagues there.[2]
Qualifying through residency,[3] he later appeared for theHong Kong national cricket team, starting with the 2005 edition of theHong Kong Cricket Sixes.[4]
Dar turned out forOld DOHS Sports Club in the 2007-08Dhaka Premier League.[5]
Dar made hisODI debut for Hong Kong during the2008 Asia Cup, coincidentally played in Pakistan.Though Hong Kong struggled with its form pre-tournament – losing most of its practice matches such as a 187 run defeat toWAPDA - he seemed more confident, posting 3 for 35 in 10 bowling overs and making 18 runs (off seven balls) during that game.[6]However, Dar would have less impact during the tournament proper. Against his home nationPakistan, he had no wickets in 8 overs bowled (for 34 runs conceded) and scored 14 runs in a 155 run defeat.[7] He then went for 55 runs in 10 bowled overs and posted 4 runs in a 256 run thrashing byIndia.[8]
Dar returned to form during the2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Three.In the second game, against division powerhouseAfghanistan, he bowled a wicketless but economical spell of 32 runs conceded from his 10 overs before nearly rescuing Hong Kong's batting from a perilous 90 for eight with a quickfire 49 off 38 balls though they both fell short.[9]In the fourth game, againstUganda, the spinner took 4 for 30 as he caused a middle-order collapse that put Hong Kong in command. As a batsman, he was powerless to stop a narrow single run defeat which sent their opponents to theWorld Cup Qualifier instead of them.[10]
In the2011 Hong Kong Cricket Sixes he was instrumental in helping Hong Kong reach the knockout stage, bowling well and hitting 33 from nine balls againstSouth Africa in a 5 wicket win.[11]
Dar was a decisive contributor in Hong Kong's run to the2011 ACC Twenty20 Cup final, earning three man-of-the-match awards along the way.One of those came during an edgy semi-final againstOman in which his 76 not out with the bat rescued the team from a precarious position of 74–6 to win the game.[12]Though they went on to lose the final to Afghanistan, Hong Kong still qualified for the2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.Totalling 202 runs and 11 wickets over the tournament, the veteran was named Player of the Tournament, as his desire to win was praised by his coachCharlie Burke .[13]
Having missed some preceding tournaments for personal reasons,[14] Dar returned for the2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.He took 17 wickets at 13.05 apiece throughout the tournament (second overall), including two separate 4 for 17 hauls against respectively theUSA andCanada.Most importantly, he contributed 22 with the bat before taking 3 for 26 against in the 5th place playoff semi-final againstPapua New Guinea, which Hong Kong won to qualify for theWorld Twenty20 for the first time in their history.[15]For his contributions, Dar madeESPNcricinfo.com 's team of the tournament selection.[16]
On a negative note, during the same 2013 Qualifier, Dar was twice reported forchucking (illegal bowling action). Though he was cleared the first time by theHong Kong Cricket Association, the second report meant he would have to undergo further scrutiny, this time by theICC.Their experts concluded that all of the bowler's deliveries (stock delivery, quicker one and arm ball) exceeded the 15 degrees elbow extension tolerated. He was then banned from bowling for a year starting from January 2014.[17]
Despite his bowling ban, Dar was selected for the 2014 World Twenty20 as a specialist batsman.Having been left out of the first group game (a dismal defeat toNepal), Dar returned for the second against Afghanistan.He failed in hisTwenty20 International debut, posting only 3 runs, with Hong Kong doing no better as they slumped to another defeat that eliminated them from tournament contention.[18]
Nevertheless, he starred in the dead-rubber game against tournament hostsBangladesh.Having bowled out Bangladesh for a meagre 108, Hong Kong then faltered and lost five wickets for 50, at which time Dar came out to the crease.Dar proceeded to give the initiative back to Hong Kong with a few boundaries, before colliding with Bangladesh captainMushfiqur Rahim in the 15th over while scrambling to avoid a run-out.After a break to receive treatment, Dar soldiered on and – still chasing 26 runs off 24 balls – smashed 15 runs off aFarhad Reza over to edge closer to victory.Though he was bowled before reaching the target, his 27-ball 36 was instrumental in handing Hong Kong a historic first competitive win over aTest-playing nation.[19][20]Though Dar couldn't really bask in the glory as he had to leave Bangladesh soon after to return to Hong Kong, he later revelled in the feat, proudly mentioning to a reporter that he had appeared in 732 stories in newspapers and web publications around the world.[20][21]
Anall-rounder, his playing style has been described as “substance-over-style” with “nothing graceful or stylish” about it. Batting with an “unorthodox front-on stance”, he privileges hard hitting over precision, at times launching “ugly swipes”.His left-arm spin is also said to “come out awkwardly” and lack deceit, with Dar preferring to dismiss the batsman rather than contain him.[13]
After moving to Hong Kong, Dar both played and worked (as a coach) for the Little Sai Wan Cricket Club until 2013 when the team's sponsor Diasqua - a diamond company - offered him a job.[22]
Despite playing internationally for Hong Kong, Dar does not have aHong Kong SAR passport and maintains hisPakistani citizenship. This caused a problem prior to the2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Two played inDubai as it meant he had to travel 4,800 kilometres toKarachi to obtain a new electronic passport (along with five other players).[23]