Bowling in the arid plains of a scatter of ill developed, ill thought out and unknown yet bustling villages of Chaskwari, Panyam, Arno, Arnyal Mora, Chapra, Pabbi amongst others, with specific focus on Kalyal, another vital village in this cluster.
An unknown yet local superstar, Zaman Khan was bowling at the local batsmen, hitting their feet, legs and the base of the wicket with alarming regularity. As one of my village friends put it to me, "Bhai pat ni si jisla Zaman bowling karna si" (Bro, we would literally tremble when Zaman would come on to bowl). So you can imagine the fear he instilled in locals.
Pictures from the famous Panyam Dyke where local sportsmen play cricket and netball regularly
But don't be alarmed, off the field, he was your typical humble villager just looking for ways to earn him and his people a meal for the night, with not many work opportunities in the bustling hustling life of Chakswari Bazaar.
Little did Zaman and the locals know that there was a national tournament being concieved and the brickwork being laid out by national politicians, stars and local businessmen, now known as the KPL, Kashmir Premier League.
Of course there were trials held as you would expect, Zaman was encouraged to go the local trial held at Mirpur, another city infamously known as "Mini London”, due to its vast residents residing between both Pakistan and England and it solely relying on expats for its financial survival. Zaman impressed many a scouts, coaches and locals with his Malinga-like action, pace and general attitude. Mirpur would be close to Zaman's heart as he was born there confirmed via the PCB's website.
Zaman was picked by the eventual winners Rawalkot Hawks, finishing 4th in the overall bowling charts, bearing in mind, he played one game less than the 3 above him. In his own team, he came behind only Asif Afridi in terms of bowling statistics.
The boy became hot property in his village after this, with locals raving and him developing a cult like personality, of course, when as a village there is not much to celebrate, the joys of a local kid doing well is always extremely well celebrated.
Then came the real shock, one that Zaman, the locals, the elders, and the pundits did not envisage, Lahore Qalandars with a dabangg entry, picking Zaman in their emerging category at the Pakistan Super League Season 7 player drafts. Now this is where the hype really started developing, the local Whatsapp groups, you know where the uncles message you "Good morning Beta" at 3am with a random picture of some Hollywood star doing something Islamic (Yeah I know)... or when you get constant reminders to ensure you are praying Namaz or being sent cringe TikTok videos which often make no sense yet have your uncle in stitches or in such a serious mood, and there are also times when you get a random lecture on a topic you have no clue about? Yeah, those Whatsapp groups suddenly were abuzz with talks of a local star, Zaman Khan, but then came the real hype where one was claiming, "uski Wasim Akram pick kitha si, o akna si ey mere tu vi bara star hosi" (Wasim Akram picked him and declared he will be a better player than me)... ignoring that Wasim himself has nothing to do with Lahore Qalandars... And then there is my favourite one, "Imran Khan personally uski develop karsi or us promise kitha ke me iski fund karsa" (Imran Khan has promised to fund Zaman and personally develop him). I mean I don't even know where to start with this one. But it was all harmless in the large scheme of things. You know Pakistani's are an emotional bunch with no stop button and in our emotion utter ridiculous statements.
Some more days later, we saw our boy Zaman posting pictures with the likes of Pakistan’s biggest superstar Shaheen Shah Afridi, and it did really sink in then, wait hang on, it just clicked, that is a local AJK boy playing in one of Pakistan's most central and prized tournaments, the PSL! Is this really happening? Surely, no? Actually ... It is, Oh my, I believe at this point, we were in such a trance that nothing really made sense, it was difficult to believe that an often ignored region had some repersentation at the national level, it was a dream come true, not just for Zaman but the residents of AJK, it was as if we finally felt accepted by Pakistan, an emotion we have been longing for, it is as if your father has embraced you after you have been distant for some time, that embrace where your 'dil ki taar' breathes a new lease of life into you.
Only, it did not stop there, LQ has had more plans for Zaman and AJK, the tournament finally started and after an average couple of showings leading to some to question his ability, rightly so, oh man.... did Zaman bounce back with a 3-wicket haul, a Player of the Match award and I'll be honest, we were satisfied now, there was regular comments in the Whatsapp group, "Sada dil khus hogya", "Un Zaman kara ya na kara, miki koi farq ni pena”, you get the image again.
Now imagine the scenario, you're feeling exhubirant, the locals are praying and celebrating, you feel connected to Pakistan in ways unimaginable to before, you feel you are contributing to the national cause and being accepted but then you remember it is the 05th February, Solidarity Day with our lost families, 'us border par' and the heart is sinking after such elation, you begin to do shukar you ended up this side, you are praying for your people on that side and then you switch on the TV ...
To see Zaman being comforted by Shaheen, you then see Asif, a globally renonwed finisher, Azam, a brutal hitter, 12 runs and 6 deliveries ... The heart is already feeling down, but Zaman with the typical Kashmiri/Pakistani resiliance, bowls delievery after delivery, unblocking the nerves leading to a rush of blood to the heart and then ... COMMOTION!
HE DID IT, OH MY HE DID IT, NO WAY, HE DID IT, HOW?! WHY? WHAT? WHO? WHERE? WHEN!
There was a collective jump for joy, what a gift Pakistan, Qalandars and Zaman delivered to AJK on such a momentus day, even now the tears of the real signifigance of this moment have not abated, many might read this and think, 'over reaction much', my advise would be, visit AJK and you'll know this came from the bottom of our hearts when we collectively say ...
Thank you Lahore Qalandars, thank you Shaheen Shah Afridi...... but most importantly Pakistan Zindabad!
Pictures from the famous Panyam Dyke where local sportsmen play cricket and netball regularly
But don't be alarmed, off the field, he was your typical humble villager just looking for ways to earn him and his people a meal for the night, with not many work opportunities in the bustling hustling life of Chakswari Bazaar.
Little did Zaman and the locals know that there was a national tournament being concieved and the brickwork being laid out by national politicians, stars and local businessmen, now known as the KPL, Kashmir Premier League.
Of course there were trials held as you would expect, Zaman was encouraged to go the local trial held at Mirpur, another city infamously known as "Mini London”, due to its vast residents residing between both Pakistan and England and it solely relying on expats for its financial survival. Zaman impressed many a scouts, coaches and locals with his Malinga-like action, pace and general attitude. Mirpur would be close to Zaman's heart as he was born there confirmed via the PCB's website.
Zaman was picked by the eventual winners Rawalkot Hawks, finishing 4th in the overall bowling charts, bearing in mind, he played one game less than the 3 above him. In his own team, he came behind only Asif Afridi in terms of bowling statistics.
The boy became hot property in his village after this, with locals raving and him developing a cult like personality, of course, when as a village there is not much to celebrate, the joys of a local kid doing well is always extremely well celebrated.
Then came the real shock, one that Zaman, the locals, the elders, and the pundits did not envisage, Lahore Qalandars with a dabangg entry, picking Zaman in their emerging category at the Pakistan Super League Season 7 player drafts. Now this is where the hype really started developing, the local Whatsapp groups, you know where the uncles message you "Good morning Beta" at 3am with a random picture of some Hollywood star doing something Islamic (Yeah I know)... or when you get constant reminders to ensure you are praying Namaz or being sent cringe TikTok videos which often make no sense yet have your uncle in stitches or in such a serious mood, and there are also times when you get a random lecture on a topic you have no clue about? Yeah, those Whatsapp groups suddenly were abuzz with talks of a local star, Zaman Khan, but then came the real hype where one was claiming, "uski Wasim Akram pick kitha si, o akna si ey mere tu vi bara star hosi" (Wasim Akram picked him and declared he will be a better player than me)... ignoring that Wasim himself has nothing to do with Lahore Qalandars... And then there is my favourite one, "Imran Khan personally uski develop karsi or us promise kitha ke me iski fund karsa" (Imran Khan has promised to fund Zaman and personally develop him). I mean I don't even know where to start with this one. But it was all harmless in the large scheme of things. You know Pakistani's are an emotional bunch with no stop button and in our emotion utter ridiculous statements.
Some more days later, we saw our boy Zaman posting pictures with the likes of Pakistan’s biggest superstar Shaheen Shah Afridi, and it did really sink in then, wait hang on, it just clicked, that is a local AJK boy playing in one of Pakistan's most central and prized tournaments, the PSL! Is this really happening? Surely, no? Actually ... It is, Oh my, I believe at this point, we were in such a trance that nothing really made sense, it was difficult to believe that an often ignored region had some repersentation at the national level, it was a dream come true, not just for Zaman but the residents of AJK, it was as if we finally felt accepted by Pakistan, an emotion we have been longing for, it is as if your father has embraced you after you have been distant for some time, that embrace where your 'dil ki taar' breathes a new lease of life into you.
Only, it did not stop there, LQ has had more plans for Zaman and AJK, the tournament finally started and after an average couple of showings leading to some to question his ability, rightly so, oh man.... did Zaman bounce back with a 3-wicket haul, a Player of the Match award and I'll be honest, we were satisfied now, there was regular comments in the Whatsapp group, "Sada dil khus hogya", "Un Zaman kara ya na kara, miki koi farq ni pena”, you get the image again.
Now imagine the scenario, you're feeling exhubirant, the locals are praying and celebrating, you feel connected to Pakistan in ways unimaginable to before, you feel you are contributing to the national cause and being accepted but then you remember it is the 05th February, Solidarity Day with our lost families, 'us border par' and the heart is sinking after such elation, you begin to do shukar you ended up this side, you are praying for your people on that side and then you switch on the TV ...
To see Zaman being comforted by Shaheen, you then see Asif, a globally renonwed finisher, Azam, a brutal hitter, 12 runs and 6 deliveries ... The heart is already feeling down, but Zaman with the typical Kashmiri/Pakistani resiliance, bowls delievery after delivery, unblocking the nerves leading to a rush of blood to the heart and then ... COMMOTION!
HE DID IT, OH MY HE DID IT, NO WAY, HE DID IT, HOW?! WHY? WHAT? WHO? WHERE? WHEN!
There was a collective jump for joy, what a gift Pakistan, Qalandars and Zaman delivered to AJK on such a momentus day, even now the tears of the real signifigance of this moment have not abated, many might read this and think, 'over reaction much', my advise would be, visit AJK and you'll know this came from the bottom of our hearts when we collectively say ...
Thank you Lahore Qalandars, thank you Shaheen Shah Afridi...... but most importantly Pakistan Zindabad!
