I started cricket at the age of twelve and was first time selected for School Cricket Team at the age of thirteen as a left-arm orthodox spin bolwer. My first coach was a school teacher who was also the president of forty clubs and an old friend of former cricketer of Pakistan Cricket team, Sir Hanif Muhammad . My coach asked me to play for his club named PIB (Pir Ilahi Bukhsh) sport and PIB Talent. I played a dozen of time against other clubs, but it was first time I was playing agaisnt any departmental club cricket team. When I came into ground for fielding, the players of PIA club began laughing at my being youngest team player. They said, “ Sir, don’t you have any younger player than him?” Joking tone . “I will let you know his age after this match” said my coach.
It was 35 over match and 7 over limited for each blowler. We won the toss and elected to field first. We all players were deployed on the ground at different field. The fast bowlers started their first spells, the openers of opposition played so aggrasively and kept the batting average high i.e 8 run per over. After eight over, we got first wicket. We gathered at one place for awhile cheering up fall of first wicket and got bit relief, but the one-down batsman was very matured and well-experienced. He, after playing two and three defensive shots, began hitting sixes and fours. The captain brought all the bowlers except me to restirct him, but they seemed helpless. The captain was hesitent to call me for bowling at this situation as it was the first time I was playing for this club. My coach, who was watching that match, asked the captain to call me for bowling. Finally I was called to bowl to the batsman who then had been well-set.
While fielding at fine leg position, I was trying to notice his weak points and preparing my self where to bowl and how to set my fielding. What I noticed that he was not good at his foot work. He was front foot batsman. So, I delivered flight balls on his leg side away from range of his leg which he missed. My first two balls were dots. So, I guessed what he was going to do. As expected, he took two steps to hit me boundzry, but before releasing the ball from my grap, I at once changed my graps and bowled top spin. He missed the ball and the ball hit the wicket. He was clean bolwed. I felt confident. I continued my spell and took five wickets in the match in just six overs. I was coming to do my last over. The scoring team of opposition began shouting and reminding the neutral umpair nominated by KCCA (Karachi City Cricket Association) that I had completed my seven overs. My coach who was sitting beside them said with a smile on his face, “let him bowl as he is a child”. Even in my last over I took another wicket. Thus, I took six wickets in that match. We resticted them to 140 runs all out.
Then we started batting. Our team chased the scores so easily after losing three wickets. We gracefully won the match. I was receiving pats from my team-mates and rival team members on my back while rolling back my kit-bag. My coach adivsed the rival team, “don’t judge the talent and skill of anyone by height and age. In cricket, anyone, who can bowl and bat, can do anything.”
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