Mohammad Nabi: Taking refuge in cricket
Born in a refugee camp in Peshawar, Nabi's first visit to Afghanistan, incidentally, was forced by cricket.
For most young Afghan immigrants residing in Peshawar, concentrating on studies and even gathering the willingness to open their books remained a difficult ask while the war raged on across the border.
Mohammad Nabi, whose two sixes against Pakistan on Friday complemented the aggression that the minnows had adopted, fared no better with his books. His heart was on the cricket field but his family, including nine chachas, remained adamant that there was no future in the sport, as bombs and bullets filled up the Kabul air.
Born in a refugee camp in Peshawar, Nabi's first visit to Afghanistan, incidentally, was forced by cricket. He had been sneaking out of the house to train at a local club – having had enough of the tennis-ball cricket at home – but the talent, his broad frame that oozed aggression and the urge to be different forced him to take up professional cricket, only to give in to his family's demands before taking up the sport once again.
"I wanted to play cricket but with the war and the atrocity, I couldn't have imagined playing in or for Afghanistan," said Nabi. "But two years after the war ended, the Afghanistan team became a reality and when I visited the country for the first time, I was left traumatised: 30 years of war had left Afghanistan in an appalling state, the bullet-riddled walls an apt illustration of that."
For all the excitement and promise that Nabi brought with him, his introduction to international cricket – and his dreams – faced another obstacle. He was unable to take part in the tournament he had gone to Kabul for due to illness and despite impressing in the trials for a grade II Afghanistan side, he faced the snub.
However, the omnipresent augur, and some sifarish, forced his inclusion – the moment when Nabi changed gears. He scored plenty, took wickets too, including the prized scalp of Mohammad Hafeez in his third match – only to realise who Hafeez was five years later – and swiftly wore the captain's arm-band at various levels.
"I've been quite lucky in my journey so far. I had some friends who helped me, especially when Peshawar clubs stopped recruiting Afghan players early in my career. I even scored a 39-ball century playing for the MCC XI in India. But I think self-learning and the will to improve has helped me the most."
Like Pakistan, Afghan players are nomads too. Lack of facilities and infrastructure at home resulted in them training in Dubai, Lahore and Sri Lanka. But that turned out to be beneficial for a blooming team, using world-class facilities to hone in on their skills and aim of being cricketing powers one day.
"We're great crowd pullers. Once, in a Ramazan event in Karachi, we had people hanging from tree branches along the boundary line, that's how badly they wanted to see us play."
With Nabi impressing against mightier opposition, lucrative calls for greener pastures are frequent.
"I get offers from all around the world but country takes preference. There a lot of work to be done with the Afghanistan team. We are not where we want to be but are on the way. I want to see my country in the big league before I consider anything else."
Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2012.
Mohammad Nabi, whose two sixes against Pakistan on Friday complemented the aggression that the minnows had adopted, fared no better with his books. His heart was on the cricket field but his family, including nine chachas, remained adamant that there was no future in the sport, as bombs and bullets filled up the Kabul air.
Born in a refugee camp in Peshawar, Nabi's first visit to Afghanistan, incidentally, was forced by cricket. He had been sneaking out of the house to train at a local club – having had enough of the tennis-ball cricket at home – but the talent, his broad frame that oozed aggression and the urge to be different forced him to take up professional cricket, only to give in to his family's demands before taking up the sport once again.
"I wanted to play cricket but with the war and the atrocity, I couldn't have imagined playing in or for Afghanistan," said Nabi. "But two years after the war ended, the Afghanistan team became a reality and when I visited the country for the first time, I was left traumatised: 30 years of war had left Afghanistan in an appalling state, the bullet-riddled walls an apt illustration of that."
For all the excitement and promise that Nabi brought with him, his introduction to international cricket – and his dreams – faced another obstacle. He was unable to take part in the tournament he had gone to Kabul for due to illness and despite impressing in the trials for a grade II Afghanistan side, he faced the snub.
However, the omnipresent augur, and some sifarish, forced his inclusion – the moment when Nabi changed gears. He scored plenty, took wickets too, including the prized scalp of Mohammad Hafeez in his third match – only to realise who Hafeez was five years later – and swiftly wore the captain's arm-band at various levels.
"I've been quite lucky in my journey so far. I had some friends who helped me, especially when Peshawar clubs stopped recruiting Afghan players early in my career. I even scored a 39-ball century playing for the MCC XI in India. But I think self-learning and the will to improve has helped me the most."
Like Pakistan, Afghan players are nomads too. Lack of facilities and infrastructure at home resulted in them training in Dubai, Lahore and Sri Lanka. But that turned out to be beneficial for a blooming team, using world-class facilities to hone in on their skills and aim of being cricketing powers one day.
"We're great crowd pullers. Once, in a Ramazan event in Karachi, we had people hanging from tree branches along the boundary line, that's how badly they wanted to see us play."
With Nabi impressing against mightier opposition, lucrative calls for greener pastures are frequent.
"I get offers from all around the world but country takes preference. There a lot of work to be done with the Afghanistan team. We are not where we want to be but are on the way. I want to see my country in the big league before I consider anything else."
Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2012.