First G-B teenager to participate in international cricket tourney

Nauman Mustafa was selected in a team representing Islamabad’s students in the WSSC

GILGIT: A teenager from Gilgit-Baltistan’s remote Hunza valley has been selected as part of a regional school team for an international under-16 cricket tournament in Australia.

This makes him the first player from the mountainous region to be picked for a major international cricket tournament.



The 14-year-old player, Nauman Mustafa, hails from Nasirabad Shinaki in Hunza. He was studying for his O’ levels from the Islamabad College of Arts and Sciences where he was selected for the Islamabad Private School Sports Association team to participate in the World Schools Sports Challenges (WSSC).

The WSSC is a multi-discipline inter-school sporting competition and includes sports such as golf, cricket, rugby and hockey, with the aim of providing opportunities for high school athletes to test and hone their skills and develop their game. It is being held in Australia from December 10-17.

Currently underway at the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the competition includes teams from New Zealand, Australia, India, South Africa and Bangladesh.



Nauman’s team was participating in the development category of the cricket tournament. They were tied at the top of the table with local team Haileybury with six points after having defeated St Andrews from New Zealand and Baba Isher Singh from India. They are due to take on Grootvlei Academy of South Africa.

“It is a moment of pride for me, our family and the whole of Gilgit-Baltistan,” said Ghulam Mustafa, Nauman’s father on Saturday.

“I’m happy he is doing well there,” Mustafa told The Express Tribune.

Unlike other youngsters in the area who play volleyball or football, Nauman preferred cricket in his village.

Mustafa, who is a conservationist by profession, said his son’s talent amazed his relatives and friends. “He was a good player, I knew that, but never thought he would go on to play at that level [internationally].”



He hoped that his son makes  it to the national team where G-B has never representation.

Nauman’s selection has sparked hope among other youth in the region that they can go on to represent G-B at the international level.

“We are proud of Nouman’s  [achievement] and it means we can also make it to that level,” said Shehzad, another young player from G-B who plays cricket at the regional level.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2016.