Matloob — winning laurels despite childhood trauma

Multan-born cricketer is now an indispensable part of the national disabled cricket team

KARACHI: A little more than two decades ago, five-year-old Matloob Qureshi was on his way to play cricket at a ground near him home in Ghalla Mandi, Multan. His head teeming with endless possibilities and his right hand clutching a bat, the aspiring cricketer was rushing to join his friends for their routine game when disaster struck — a speeding truck hit Matloob, maiming him for life by taking away his playing arm.

In a society where physical handicap is met with uncertainty, fear, pity and sometimes downright scorn, it would have been no surprise if the child had sunk into oblivion, trading his dreams for the grim onslaught of difficulties threatening to snuff out his goals and passion.

Instead, with a determination far beyond his tender years, the precocious Matloob chose to stand firm and continue living his dreams, refusing to let the loss of a limb stand in his path to a budding cricket career.

For the next three years, a solitary Matloob practiced and perfected the use of his left hand. Four years later, he joined his local team.

“I just wasn’t mature enough to understand the impact of my accident at the time, so in a way it was a blessing that it happened too early for me to comprehend its full meaning,” Matloob told The Express Tribune.

“My mother used to take care of me and asked me not to play with other boys near my home, but I love cricket and watching all other kids playing fed fuel to my burning ambition.”

He recalled that despite being left behind when other children played cricket, he practiced on his own with dogged perseverance. “I went up to my local team and convinced them to give me a chance in tape-ball cricket, where I scored some runs,” said Matloob. “After that, I used to practice a lot along with my studies and started scoring centuries.”

The 27-year-old remained a dominant figure in tape-ball club cricket for nine years before he was selected for the first ever trials of disabled club cricket teams in July 2008.

“In the beginning, I broke many bats as I was not able to time the professional cricket ball. But then I practiced for four hours daily and formed a rhythm, which helps me to this day.”

Matloob was a part of the Multan side when they finished as runners-up in the first ever National Disabled Championship held in August 2008. He is also a regular member of Balochistan for the annual Pentangular Cup tournament, which the team has won three times so far.

The major breakthrough

Trials for the selection of Pakistan’s first national disabled team were held in February 2009, wherein Matloob was called up on the basis of his performance in national championships. The talented one-handed cricketer scored an unbeaten 57 and was directly selected for the team to become the first and only one-handed cricketer at the international level.

The team practiced for three years before playing its first international series against England in Dubai in 2012, where Matloob scored a memorable century and helped Pakistan win the series 2-1.

“It was my first match in the first ever ODI disability series between Pakistan and England and I made 113 not out in that game,” reminisced Matloob. “Even our opponents appreciated that innings and lauded my efforts.”

Matloob played a perfect cover drive — his favourite shot — and also struck powerful one-bounce fours in the recently concluded series against Afghanistan in Karachi on his way to score two half-centuries (51 and 58).

The gifted batsman, who possesses a BA degree, says that cricket is hardly enough to make ends meet. “I need to supplement my cricket career with something else to feed my family. I have a small job in the provincial Auqaf Department [Religious Affairs], whose income helps me take care of my diet and fitness,” said Matloob.

The star of Pakistan’s disabled team has urged physically-challenged individuals to realise their dreams even in the face of adversity, saying that “I request everyone to discover the hidden talent in them and start working on it, and the government should also join hands with the Pakistan Disabled Cricket Association to improve the standard of the game.”

 

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.