Farokh Engineer

Photos: Farokh Engineer

Farokh Engineer: Brylcreem boy turns sumo wrestler!

Farokh Engineer Biography

Farokh Engineer

Destructive with the willow at anywhere in the batting order, flamboyant behind the stumps, and a Brylcreem Boy who prowled the field with a distinctive swagger, Farokh Engineer would probably have been a marquee player in IPL if he was born in the right era.

Engineer scored 2,611 runs at 31 from 46 Tests. He smashed 2 hundreds; during one of these, against West Indies at Chepauk in 1966-67 he scored 94 before lunch on Day One. He also had 82 dismissals to his name. His 13,346 First-Class runs came at 30, along with 824 dismissals from 335 matches. He was also India’s first ODI Man of the Match.

Good enough to be selected for Rest of the World thrice, Engineer handled Bishan Bedi, EAS Prasanna, and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar with ease. He had a large frame, but he crouched very low, and was deceptively agile on either side.

He had a brief contest with Budhi Kunderan for the gloveman’s spot. In the end Engineer won the battle, though Kunderan played another couple of Tests as a specialist batsman.

Lancashire offered him a contract after India’s England tour of 1967. Not only did he add value as a player, he was also a crowd-puller to Old Trafford. He eventually married a Lancastrian and settled down in Manchester.

Engineer played a crucial role in India’s maiden overseas series win, against New Zealand in 1967-68, where he scored 321 runs at 40 and effected 10 dismissals. He was not a part of the 1971 tour of West Indies, but he was there in England.

He took one of the most famous catches of his career at Lord’s, when a ball from Bedi hit the shoulder of John Edrich’s bat; Engineer slipped, kicked the ball in the air lying down, and regained balance to come up with a diving catch.

India were 125 for 5 at The Oval after England put up 355, and Engineer’s 59 was crucial to take them to 284. He later saw India home with 28 not out during the final chase.

He quit once Syed Kirmani arrived. With him ended a legacy, for Engineer remains the last Parsee to play for India. His benefit match at Lancashire fetched him £26,000 — an astonishing sum for the era.

Engineer also had reasonable day jobs to support his expensive lifestyle. He worked in the sales department of Mercedes-Benz during his day to India. Once in England he worked for Hawker Siddeley, and later became Brand Ambassador for Jaguar and Lycamobile. He also became Vice-President of Lancashire CCC.

Abhishek Mukherjee

Farokh Engineer Batting & Fielding Averages

Career

Avg

100s

50s

Test

ODIs

T20s

World Cup

Farokh Engineer Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
ODIs	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
T20s	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--		--