From the vault: Anwar Ali, from pressing socks to making it big

Anwar's success story has all the elements of a perfect fairy tale

Anwar Ali’s critics said he was too bad a bowler, lacking variation, to be included in the starting eleven but then he took some magnificent catches to make a point. The critics again pointed out his bowling feebleness and this time he gave Sri Lanka and his critics a real beating with a blistering knock of 46 runs off just 17 balls.

There was a time when Anwar’s heroics against India in the under-19 World Cup final was the only limelight of his cricketing career but with the knock he grinded out at the number nine spot against Sri Lanka, the young lad from the Orangi town of Karachi showed what will and determination can produce – miraculous wonders.

While his exploits in Colombo remained nothing short of exemplary, his rise to stardom – from being a socks presser in a factory to representing Pakistan – remains a fairytale journey. His father died when he was a child, forcing him to work for eight hours a day to fulfil the household needs.

Whatever time he got, he played tape-ball cricket to stay in touch with his love for the sport. This became Anwar’s routine, with frustration and desperation creeping in while he searched for a better life.

“I used to get Rs200 per day and that wasn’t enough for our family,” said Anwar while talking to The Express Tribune in 2012. “At times, my mother couldn’t even spare Rs50 for me given the tight budget she ran the house on.”

A lucky break

Anwar never put a limit to his dreams and let his life’s aim stretch far and beyond. His lucky break finally arrived when he was drafted into Zone VI’s under-19 side after impressing with the six deliveries he bowled at the trials.

“They asked me to come for regular practice but, given the situation at home, I had to do double shifts at times. On hearing this, the coaches Azam Khan and Zafar Ahmed agreed to hand me a contract worth Rs 4,600 per month. From that day, I never looked back.”

Within 15 months, consistent performances at zonal and regional levels earned him a call to the national U19 squad.

His five-wicket haul in the 2006 World Cup final landed him laurels aplenty, his bowling effort there still giving him the hope to add to his solitary international.

“I’ve saved that video on my phone. My bowling in the final has definitely been the best performance of my career. Whenever I’m down or not performing well, I watch that video to get inspiration.”



Abdul Razzaq’s successor

Anwar was never a full-time bowler as has been his role in the team lately. He always wanted to succeed, once Pakistan’s greatest ball-smasher, Abdul Razzaq.

“It’s not easy to emulate the performances of Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood but I’ve worked really hard in every aspect after Mudassar Nazar [former NCA director] told me that I have what it takes to become a top all-rounder. That, now, is my aim in life,” he said back in 2012.

As all the heroic stories start with the mentioning of naysayers, Anwar received a lot negative nods too and the most important one from his father.

“It’s a waste of time, he would tell me. If he was alive now, he’d be really proud of me.”