Amjad Javed - When Cricket is much more than sport
Sport is all about aspiration. About the will to succeed, to do better in life and make a mark. To push the bar, strive for excellence and leave an imprint. It is all about raising the bar and reaching new frontiers.
When a certain MS Dhoni rises from being a ticket collector in Kharagpur to India's national captain and most loved icon, he serves as an inspiration for generations of Indians going forward. If he can, so can we is the mantra. When a Mary Kom emerges from a remote village in Manipur and wins five world championships and an Olympic medal, she turns into the new role model for scores of Indian women. She is evidence that there's more to life in rural India than simply being a mother and servicing the household.
On a similar vein when an Amjad Javed makes it to the UAE national team while continuing in his regular job as a baggage handler/cargo handler for Emirates airlines, it gives cricket a new meaning. His is a larger than life story, one which gives sport a new connotation.
I first came across Amjad Javed at the MCG media box on the day of the Australia-UAE warm up match on 11 February 2015. There were only a handful of us watching the game and Brian Murgatroyd, once head of ICC media and now a consultant with Cricket Australia media, mentioned him to me. Seeing Amjad Javed bowl to Michael Clarke in his comeback match, Brian remarked, "This man is a great story. He is a baggage handler in Dubai and I am delighted at his success. I first got to know of him during my time with the ICC."
When Amjad Javed bowled a maiden over to Aaron Finch, all of the journalists present started asking Brian more about him. Gideon Haigh, friend and one of my favourite cricket writers, was all praise for the young man. Javed may not have express pace and may not win UAE games singlehandedly but what he has done is less to none. He has survived against all odds and in doing so has given a lot of impetus to cricket in the Emirates. By just making it to the World Cup he has added character to the tournament, making it much more than cricket's greatest showpiece, which comes every four years.
And in the match against Ireland he may just have won UAE the close contest. Dismissing the dangerous Kevin O'Brien for 50 with still 40 or so runs for Ireland to score, Javed had opened the doors for a UAE win. That Ireland scraped home by 2 wickets is a testimony to their determination and temperament.
Unlike some other teams participating in the competition, who have all opted to stay away from the media (India is clearly the leader in this regard), the UAE management has ensured that the media gets every opportunity to interact with the players. There are no restrictions on players from speaking to journalists and this has indeed helped in knowing them better. The team management knows that they need the media more than the media needs them and it is important to disseminate the stories of these players to the biggest constituency of fans worldwide.
This open media policy has also helped players in their dealings with journalists. They seem to have done a good job. They are gradually becoming accomplished in their dealings with the media, something that is bound to happen over time.
Names that were unheard of in the lead-up to the tournament have started to ring bells and, with more opportunities coming their way, UAE cricket will sure move forward in the remaining few weeks of the world cup.
With backing from the ICC, which should result in more games scheduled with the best teams in the coming months and years, chances are that UAE and players like Amjad Javed will become far better known come the next World T20 in India in March 2016.
For only then can Javed and his ilk breathe easy. For them, the determination to make the grade is fundamentally different from any other team playing in the competition. For them, cricket is, literally, life.
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