Father’s beating and mother’s death couldn’t stop Naseem Shah from fulfilling his childhood dream

From young to experienced, many are set to play their first T20 World Cup when action gets underway Down Under. Before the first ball is bowled,  Firstpost.com  brings to you FirstCup – a special series where we chart journeys of T20 World Cup debutants. Imagine losing your loved one a day before you finally fulfil a promise made years ago. Naseem Shah was only 16 and all geared up to make his international debut against Australia. But, just a day before he got his maiden international cap, Naseem’s excitement turned to agony when he was informed that his mother had passed away after a cardiac arrest. He had to make a difficult decision. Fulfill his childhood dream of playing for Pakistan or travel home to bid farewell to his mother. Naseem, after consulting family, chose to attend Ammi’s funeral via video call while staying back in Brisbane to answer the call of duty - play two-match Test series against the Aussies. “He spoke to his family and they said ‘this is where your mother would have wanted you to be’,” Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim Khan had told the Sydney Morning Herald on why Naseem opted to remain in Australia.

But for Naseem, it was one of the toughest decisions to make. “When I went for my international debut, the night before, the team management came to me and told me that my mother had passed away,” Naseem told a local news channel while sharing his heartbreaking story. “I fainted at that moment and I was unable to understand what actually happened. I tried my best to attend my mother’s funeral but unfortunately I could not as I was far away.” “My mother always prayed for my success and dreamt of seeing me play for Pakistan, but she never saw that happen which was tragic and heart-breaking. I think of her every time I take a wicket and thank her for her prayers and blessings." Father was against playing cricket Achieving a goal or fulfilling a dream becomes easier when one has support from friends and family. But this was not the case in Naseem’s life as his father was against the idea of him making a career out of cricket. Instead, he compelled the youngster to focus on his studies, get a good job and help them financially as poverty was knocking on their door. And when Naseem failed to comply and chose cricket above everything, his father would beat him. “I beat Naseem many times for playing cricket, asking him to focus on his studies instead. None of us supported Naseem, only his brother would secretly give him money,” Naseem’s father Abbas Shah had revealed while speaking to a Pakistani TV channel.

Abbas Shah also recalled how the pacer used to tell his mother that he will play for Pakistan one day. “When his mother was alive, he used to say that one day I will play for Pakistan. We used to laugh saying how will a man from Dir join the Pakistan team. He thinks of her and cries a lot. He says if mother was here, she would have been very happy to see me in the Pakistan kit,” he added. Sky is the limit Naseem’s talent was so blindingly obvious it was only a matter of time before he fulfilled the promise made to his family. Having started with gully cricket, the youngster set the regional scene on fire with 32 wickets in eight matches, making space for himself in the national U-16 team. He also played for the U-19 team in the Asia Cup before debuting in first-class cricket at 15. Having been impressed with his pace and control, it was a no-brainer for Pakistan selectors to pick him for the tour of Australia. It thus put his lack of exposure and experience in the international arena on the back burner.

On international debut, records started tumbling. At 16, he became the youngest Test cricketer to debut in Australia. He then became the youngest fast bowler in Test history to take a five-wicket haul, a feat he achieved against Sri Lanka in his second match. Later, Shah became the youngest bowler to claim a Test hat-trick when he dismissed Najmul Hossain in the Bangladesh series. Having shown his abilities in the longest format of the game, Naseem got the chance to demonstrate his dexterity in the shortest format at the international level when he got the opportunity to play in the Asia Cup 2022 in absence of Shaheen Afridi. And boy oh boy, Naseem made it count! In his first T20I over, he dismissed KL Rahul, while Virat Kohli was left stupefied by Naseem’s ferocious lifters. He then took out Suryakumar Yadav’s off stump. This was enough for the Peshawar-born pacer to announce his arrival in T20Is. It seemed like there was no looking back from there for Shah, but destiny had different plans for him as he picked up cramps in his left leg and slumped to the ground holding his leg in agony. Even in pain, he continued to bowl and finished his over before hobbling off. Such was his passion for the game that despite giving a top show, the pacer, who returned with impressive figures of 4-0-27-2, walked off the field in tears only because he had to leave abruptly with job not yet finished.

Having endured so much in his personal life, it didn’t come as a surprise when Naseem Shah returned for the clash against Afghanistan. In it, he showed his prowess, this time with the bat. Naseem held his nerves in the final over when Pakistan needed 11 runs with just a wicket in hand. What happened next was something that even Pakistani fans would not have imagined in their wildest dreams. Shah clobbered consecutive sixes off fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi’s low full tosses to help Pakistan seal their berth in the final while knocking India out of the tournament - thus finishing the job. What’s worth noting is that Naseem had only faced one ball in T20Is before his twin sixes, which reminded some of Javed Miandad hitting a famous last-ball six off Chetan Sharma to beat India in Sharjah. It was a belief that helped him hit the maximums against Afghanistan, as revealed by Naseem himself, after the match. And it is the same belief that has been Naseem’s primary weapon in the battle called life. Lack of family support, mother’s sudden demise, poverty, and injuries didn’t stop Naseem from believing in himself and spreading his wings. He emerged from a catastrophe stronger, smarter, and more powerful. To summarise, he rose like a phoenix from the ashes. Naseem’s life has been inspiring already and he has come very far for someone who didn’t have a pair of spikes till four years ago and wasn’t even aware of the term ‘seam position.’ With the kind of talent and attitude that he possesses, it would be interesting to see how much farther he can go. Naseem Shah is certainly one to watch out for!