Back to the pavilion: Old is gold...even in cricket

A group of men above the age of 60 have begun organising cricket matches in the district every Sunday evening.

RAHIM YAR KHAN:

A veteran’s cricket league in Adda Mohammad Pur held an auction for ‘runners’ on Saturday morning.

According to locals, a group of men above the ages of 60 have begun organising cricket matches in the district every Sunday evening. On Saturday, June 25, the league held try outs for runners and paid each runner Rs30 for a match.

“The whole thing started when one of the men, Rasheed Sultan, wanted to try his hand batting during a match between local boys but he was refused,” said a spectator, Saleem. “The young men didn’t want to give him their turn and began laughing at him. He later said that he would start his own league and that just made matters worse,” Saleem said.

Sultan told reporters that residents of Adda Muhammad Pur and Chak 34-JB kept taunting him about his ‘league’. “I felt humiliated that they were doing this simply because I wanted to have some enjoyment. A large group of us spend our mornings playing cards around the village and I asked my friends to join me in the game of cricket,” he said. Sultan said that initially his friends had laughed at the idea but eventually they agreed.

“We thought it was a ludicrous idea at first but we agreed eventually. Just because we’re old doesn’t mean we are dead and we still enjoy a good match. Of couse, it will be a very slow game of cricket,” Rahseed’s friend Asad Bhutta said.

A large crowd of children gathered in the main playground in the village on Saturday, where nine old men began holding try outs for runners for their team. “Naturally this is all just for fun but we wanted to payback the people who wouldn’t let me play so I got children who run much faster than any of them to play with us,” Rasheed said.

Locals in Adda Muhammadpur said that they were looking forward to see the veterans team actually play. “We have a public ground where several people play cricket.

It’s a large open field and usually one can see several teams set up a pitch and play. It will be odd watching 70-year-olds play alongside teenagers,” said Muhammad Nadeem.

“I like the idea. I ended up making Rs35 just to run for the team and it will be fun,” said Ameen Siddiqui, a newly recruited eight-year-old runner.

“People think that just because we are old we should be left at home or on the street side to smoke our pipes. Any enjoyment for old people here is considered silly and embarrassing. I don’t see what is wrong with us enjoying ourselves,” Bhutta said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2011.