A humble truck driver from Pakistan’s most dangerous al-Qaeda lair is dreaming of the big time after bowling out the national cricket team’s batsmen on the sidelines of their lackluster Gulf tour.
The 25-year-old Abdul Haq thought things were looking up when he swapped the wilds of North Waziristan on the lawless Afghan border to work as a driver-cum-supervisor at a construction company in the United Arab Emirates.
Little did he know how much.
When the Pakistan cricket team came to Abu Dhabi to play South Africa — shifted from home partly because of the militants based in Haq’s home district — several local players were invited to bowl at the team in the nets.
Haq strode out and bowled out some of Pakistan’s top batsmen.
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis and manager Intikhab Alam snapped him up for Pakistan’s national cricket academy and now he is dreaming of a career in the limelight — provided he can convince his employment sponsors to release him.
“I’m thrilled,” Haq said. “I’m lucky that Waqar liked me in the nets as I dismissed the top Pakistani batsmen, and now I feel my dreams of playing for the country and then building an academy in Waziristan can soon be fulfilled.”
Not bad for a young man who moved to Abu Dhabi in 2008, looking to build a life away from the fear of Islamist militants and a US drone campaign targeting Taliban and al-Qaeda commanders in North Waziristan.
North Waziristan has been the focus of a dramatic increase in US drone strikes since early September. It is part of Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt that Washington considers a global headquarters of al-Qaeda and the most dangerous place on Earth.
Haq says a US missile killed his cousin, Tariq Aziz, who was a student, in 2008.
Pakistan team manager Alam said he was full of hope for Haq.
“He impressed everyone, including coach Waqar, himself a great fast bowler in his day. So we have invited him to come to the Lahore academy and, who knows, he may become a good prospect for Pakistan,” said Alam, a former captain and director at the academy.
Waqar said Haq had the talent to become a good bowler.
“Haq impressed me with his speed and dismissed some of our top batsmen in the nets, so in consultation with Alam we have invited him to Lahore so that we can groom his talent further,” Waqar said.
Haq hoped to become the first international cricketer from Waziristan, where miserable facilities forced him to travel to the northwestern city of Peshawar to play at a regional level.
“I used to play alongside Umar Gul,” said Haq of Pakistan paceman Gul, who also watched him in the nets and praised his talent.
In the Gulf, Haq started playing for Abu Dhabi Gymkhana — a top club that wins events throughout the year, run by Pakistani doctor Mohammad Islam.
Islam said he knew Haq’s passion for the game would take him places.
“Even if he was the 12th man, Haq would be on his toes. He always wanted to bowl and play for Pakistan, and wants to do something for the players in his village, who get very few opportunities to play,” Islam said.
Haq hoped Alam and Waqar would not forget him.
“I was lucky that I took off and went to Pakistan’s nets. If I hadn’t come here, I would never have got this chance, which may open some doors for me to pursue my cricketing career,” Haq said.
“Right now, we work hard and just get Fridays to play matches,” said Haq, who will now have to convince his sponsors to release him to fulfill his dreams.
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