No matter what you do there is always room for improvement. In a business one looks up to outstanding contemporaries, in other walks of life as well the lessons to get the motivation are available but one must keep the following quote in mind.
“All the so-called “secrets of success” will not work unless you do.”
It was one bright afternoon of 2010, when I came a across a bunch of outstanding cricketers in Karachi.
They were not as famous as the ones wearing the national colour however they were doubly skilled and strong for various reasons.
Think about a fast-bowler or a fluent batsman would give you an image of Dale Steyn or Shoaib Akhtar or Sachin Tendulkar but how would you feel after seeing a fast bowler on crutches or a batsman with hand only? That was an amazing Let’s back track a little to know more about these players who are not disabled but differently-abled. It was in early 2007 when Saleem Karim, himself a polio victim, conceived the idea of a cricket team consisting of disabled players. He discussed his mind with Amiruddin Ansari, a former first class cricketer and a match referee with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who was all for it. Then, Mohammad Nizam, an active figure in Pakistan’s domestic circuit, joined hands to strive for this distant dream.
The trio started off with a door-to-door campaign and invited disabled individuals for trials at the National Stadium in Karachi and the wheel got in motion.
Only around 10 to 12 boys turned up for the trials and all were picked. Lucky the thin bunch had all the variety to constitute a cricket outfit. The team toured various cities and had to play against normal people.
Moving on the trio formed the Pakistan Disabled Cricket Association (PDCA), with Saleem Karim as president, Amiruddin Ansari as honorary secretary and Muhammad Nizam as the joint secretary.
As the next step coordinators in various cities were appointed to scout for talent and after a series of trials in different cities. The first national disabled cricket championship was held in 2010 in Karachi in which 12 teams participated.
Moving forward, other cricketers like Rashid Latif provided them with his club facilities (free of cost) and worked with the team in the area of coaching and from time to time national stars like Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Moin Khan, Sohail Tanvir, etc., too, visited their camps to impart tips.
In 2010 the team toured Malaysia and Singapore and in 2012 featured in an official bilateral series against England in Dubai. Pakistan clean swept the One-day International and two Twenty20 matches while in the second series in 2014 and again white washed the English counterparts. In 2015, the Afghanistan disabled cricket team toured Karachi. Pakistan again emerged victorious and that too with a one-sided margin of 3-0 and 2-0 in the T20 and ODI series, respectively. In September 2015, Pakistan participated in the five-nation ICRC International T20 Cricket tournament for people with physical disabilities, in Dhaka. Pakistan lost to England in the final of the mega event in which India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan also participated.
After the achievements, let’s meet the superstars of the national team, which is studded with amazing players who go beyond the limit day in and day out.
Farhan Saeed
The living legend bowls fast but on crutches! Yes, this wonder-boy has been a member of the Pakistan team since 2007. Farhan, like other handicapped, had to face a lot of negativity from his surroundings.
Farhan, who wasn’t given polio drops when young, used to play with normal boys in his locality and got picked after the first trials in 2007. How Farhan Saeed maintains his balance while delivering the ball or while batting is just remarkable. Farhan Saeed still cherishes the meeting with his hero, Shoaib Akthar, who according to Farhan broke into tears after watching him bowl.
Matloob Qureshi
The Multan-born handsome lad lost his right arm in a road accident at the age of five, but he didn’t give
up and became the first batsman to score an ODI century in this form of cricket. In 2012 Matloob Qureshi
scored 113 not-out against England in Dubai.
Husnain Alam
Another inspirational player in the team is Husnain Alam who has been leading the side since 2007.
Alam, a soldier, lost the front part of his left foot in 1999 by multiple splinters during patrolling in Kashmir. His philosophy is great, he was serving the country as a soldier and now doing the same as a cricketer
Husnain, one of the only two batsmen from Pakistan to have scored an ODI century, feels that Pakistan Cricket Board should treat the players with respect. Citing examples of England, he urged for central contracts too for his team.
Muhammad Fayyaz
A left-arm fast bowler, Muhammad Fayyaz was born without fingers in his right hand, but he didn’t let this be an excuse to not be able to do anything in his life. Fayyaz likes to imitate his hero, Wasim Akram, and feels proud to wear the Pakistan colour.
Fayyaz Ahmed
Another sensational player is a left-arm leg spinner Fayyaz Ahmed, who has remained a consistent performer both in national and international competitions. Ahmed was born in Mardan with one leg smaller than the other. Ahmed is a thinking cricketer, who can read situations rather well. He says his aim is to frustrate the batsmen. He also got his name in the history books by becoming the first physically-handicapped player to get a hat trick in an international T20 match. He bagged four wickets for only 14 runs in the semi-final against India in the five-nation T20 event in Bangladesh in 2015.
Umaiz-ur-Rehman
Ahmed’s bowling partner, Umaiz-ur-Rehman, is another key player. He is a right-arm leg spinner, inspired by Shahid Khan Afridi. He has been with the team since 2008.
Listening to all these tales one wonders why the government or the board doesn’t cash in on this platform and take the form of cricket to a new level while opening a window for this neglected group of our society.