Fawad Ahmed rejected as refugee, accepted as spinner

[webmack]

Found this quite interesting:

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cric...gee-accepted-as-a-spinner-20121101-28mxq.html

Rejected as a refugee, accepted as a spinner

Chloe Saltau
Published: November 2, 2012 - 3:00AM

AS HE awaits word from Immigration Minister Chris Bowen about his claim for refugee protection, Pakistani asylum seeker Fawad Ahmed has emerged as a surprise figure in Australia's preparation for the Test series against South Africa.

Ahmed - who fled Pakistan in 2010 and is living here on a bridging visa - has been plucked from Melbourne club cricket to help Australia's batsmen prepare for South Africa's formidable bowling attack because of his resemblance to Proteas leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

Ahmed says he was persecuted by religious extremists in his northern Pakistani province for playing and coaching the sport he loves - receiving death threats for ''promoting Western culture''.

He was initially sponsored here on a short stay visa by a New South Wales cricket association. Soon after his arrival, he applied for refugee status. But his claim was rejected by the Refugee Review Tribunal earlier this year.

In August, he exercised his right to request ministerial intervention to overturn the tribunal's decision. While he waits for an answer, he is living in Seddon, working casually in a warehouse and playing Premier Cricket at Melbourne University Cricket Club. He also works for Cricket Victoria as a mentor to new migrants through the Harmony in Cricket program.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide and former chairman of the International Cricket Council Malcolm Gray have all penned letters to Mr Bowen in support of Ahmed's appeal.

In his letter, Sutherland attests to the dangerous environment for cricketers in Pakistan, where international matches have not been played since the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore in 2009, and to the ''grave dangers faced by some local Pakistani cricketers once they have been targeted by forces who perceive the game of cricket to be an affront to their personal beliefs''.

Ahmed impressed the Australians when he bowled to them in the MCG nets before last summer's Boxing Day Test against India. In particular, he made a lasting impression on opening batsman Ed Cowan, who this week sought out Ahmed on behalf of Australian team management. It has arranged for him to fly to Brisbane as a net bowler ahead of the first Test, which starts next Friday at the 'Gabba.

Ahmed said the official invitation was a huge boost to his spirits as he awaits news of his asylum claim, and to his cricket career.

''I'm really excited and I think I can bowl well,'' he said on Thursday. ''It's good for them and it's good for me, that they have asked me to go there.''

''It has been stressful and scary not knowing what is going to happen,'' he said of his plight as an asylum seeker.

''I am a normal person, a sportsman and I love my country and my family … but I came here to be safe and play cricket.''

Cowan hasn't faced Tahir, but felt Ahmed's bowling style could be similar to that of the Pakistan-born South African.

''He [Ahmed] has fast and flexible wrists, and hard-to-pick variations,'' he said.

Though the pace-centric Proteas are not certain to employ their top spinner at the Gabba, Tahir is sure to play the second Test in Adelaide, a venue more conducive to spin.

By coincidence, Ahmed played against Tahir in Pakistan domestic cricket before he was sponsored by the Yoogali Cricket Association in NSW to come to Australia in 2010. Tahir became a naturalised South African in January 2011, and was picked to represent his adopted nation soon afterwards.

''We are the same height, with a high arm action, and we can both bowl a good wrong one,'' said Ahmed. ''His leg spin is bouncy, and I am like him, so it's good for the Australian batsmen to practise on my bowling.''

Ahmed aspires to rise from club ranks to state cricket or the Big Bash League. He is regularly invited to train with the Victorian squad, where coaches have indicated he stands a good chance of securing a contract from a Big Bash team if he can be selected as a local player.

 

[Mighty Khan]

Another Bowler Lost This Time To Australia!!!

Australia use Pakistani asylum-seaker in nets to help batsmen prepare for South Africa's Imran Tahir

Spin king: Australia are wary of the threat of Imran Tahir
Picture: GETTY IMAGES
By Telegraph SportLast Updated: 9:31AM GMT 02/11/2012
Australia have an unlikely weapon as they prepare to stave off South Africa's bowling attack - a Pakistani asylum-seeker who will be helping batsmen ready for the Proteas.

Fawad Ahmed, who left his home in the border region near Afghanistan to come to Australia on a short-stay visa to play cricket in 2010, is awaiting news on whether his claim for asylum has been accepted.

In the meantime, he will be used by the Australian team for batting practice during the South Africa series because of the similarities in his bowling to the Proteas' leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

"I'm really excited and I think I can bowl well. It's good for them and it's good for me, that they have asked me to go there," Ahmed told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Ahmed is familiar with naturalised South African Tahir, having played against him when they were both in Pakistan's domestic cricket.

"We are the same height, with a high arm action, and we can both bowl a good wrong 'un," he said.

"His leg spin is bouncy, and I am like him, so it's good for the Australian batsmen to practise on my bowling".

Ahmed will be in Brisbane as a net bowler ahead of the first Test starting on Nov 9, even though there is no guarantee South Africa - with their powerful pace line-up - will use Tahir at the Gabba.

But Australian opener Ed Cowan, who pushed for Ahmed to be a net bowler, said it made sense to practise against him ahead of the contest against the world's No 1 Test side.

"If you're looking to prepare for someone who would have been hard to replicate, you may as well get someone who, to the naked eye, seems pretty similar," Cowan told the Herald.

Ahmed has previously said he was targeted by Muslim extremists in Pakistan because of his involvement in cricket, even receiving death threats because of the perception that the sport promotes Western values.

 

[alberto]

One of the most important thing in life is being able to provide for your family. So Kudos to these boys who have to go miles away from their homeland in order to get a better life for themselves!!!

 

[dhump]

Rejected as a refugee, accepted as a spinner

​

AS HE awaits word from Immigration Minister Chris Bowen about his claim for refugee protection, Pakistani asylum seeker Fawad Ahmed has emerged as a surprise figure in Australia's preparation for the Test series against South Africa.

Ahmed - who fled Pakistan in 2010 and is living here on a bridging visa - has been plucked from Melbourne club cricket to help Australia's batsmen prepare for South Africa's formidable bowling attack because of his resemblance to Proteas leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

Ahmed says he was persecuted by religious extremists in his northern Pakistani province for playing and coaching the sport he loves - receiving death threats for ''promoting Western culture''.

He was initially sponsored here on a short stay visa by a New South Wales cricket association. Soon after his arrival, he applied for refugee status. But his claim was rejected by the Refugee Review Tribunal earlier this year.
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In August, he exercised his right to request ministerial intervention to overturn the tribunal's decision. While he waits for an answer, he is living in Seddon, working casually in a warehouse and playing Premier Cricket at Melbourne University Cricket Club. He also works for Cricket Victoria as a mentor to new migrants through the Harmony in Cricket program.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide and former chairman of the International Cricket Council Malcolm Gray have all penned letters to Mr Bowen in support of Ahmed's appeal.

In his letter, Sutherland attests to the dangerous environment for cricketers in Pakistan, where international matches have not been played since the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore in 2009, and to the ''grave dangers faced by some local Pakistani cricketers once they have been targeted by forces who perceive the game of cricket to be an affront to their personal beliefs''.

Ahmed impressed the Australians when he bowled to them in the MCG nets before last summer's Boxing Day Test against India. In particular, he made a lasting impression on opening batsman Ed Cowan, who this week sought out Ahmed on behalf of Australian team management. It has arranged for him to fly to Brisbane as a net bowler ahead of the first Test, which starts next Friday at the 'Gabba.

Ahmed said the official invitation was a huge boost to his spirits as he awaits news of his asylum claim, and to his cricket career.

''I'm really excited and I think I can bowl well,'' he said on Thursday.

''It's good for them and it's good for me, that they have asked me to go there.''

''It has been stressful and scary not knowing what is going to happen,'' he said of his plight as an asylum seeker.

''I am a normal person, a sportsman and I love my country and my family … but I came here to be safe and play cricket.''

Cowan hasn't faced Tahir, but felt Ahmed's bowling style could be similar to that of the Pakistan-born South African.

''He [Ahmed] has fast and flexible wrists, and hard-to-pick variations,'' he said.

Though the pace-centric Proteas are not certain to employ their top spinner at the Gabba, Tahir is sure to play the second Test in Adelaide, a venue more conducive to spin.

By coincidence, Ahmed played against Tahir in Pakistan domestic cricket before he was sponsored by the Yoogali Cricket Association in NSW to come to Australia in 2010. Tahir became a naturalised South African in January 2011, and was picked to represent his adopted nation soon afterwards.

''We are the same height, with a high arm action, and we can both bowl a good wrong one,'' said Ahmed. ''His leg spin is bouncy, and I am like him, so it's good for the Australian batsmen to practise on my bowling.''

Ahmed aspires to rise from club ranks to state cricket or the Big Bash League. He is regularly invited to train with the Victorian squad, where coaches have indicated he stands a good chance of securing a contract from a Big Bash team if he can be selected as a local player.

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cric...s-a-spinner-20121101-28mxq.html#ixzz2B3u2Xx2r

 

[Jo_Don]

Why the heck do they need to prepare for Tahir? It's not like they're about to face Warne.

 

[Gilly]

Why the heck do they need to prepare for Tahir? It's not like they're about to face Warne.

Probably because they are going to play some test natches against him. Seems like a good plan to prepare to play against the bowlers you will face in the series. Its not like they are only preparing to face Tahir, they will be preparing to face all the bowlers that are going to play for South Africa in the series.

 

[Saqs]

Why the heck do they need to prepare for Tahir? It's not like they're about to face Warne.

Yes but there are no quality spinners in domestic so their experience against any sort of quality spin would do them wonders,

 

[SL_Fan]

Why the heck do they need to prepare for Tahir? It's not like they're about to face Warne.

Lol my sentiments exactly.

 

[kungfu90]

Ahmed says he was persecuted by religious extremists in his northern Pakistani province for playing and coaching the sport he loves - receiving death threats for ''promoting Western culture''.

LOL , is this true. Aren't there some First Class Cricket teams from KPK.

 

[srh]

LOL , is this true. Aren't there some First Class Cricket teams from KPK.

probably not true and that may be reason why his case as a refugee was rejected. People from that area can better explain i think

 

[farazaidi]

This guy is not sending the right message !

 

[Justcrazy]

He might be lying , asylum should not given like this, it should be given when life is in danger.

 

[Legend Killer]

Aussies use leg-spinning Pakistan refugee

Australia have employed the services of a Pakistani asylum seeker in a bid to successfully combat South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir in this month's three-Test series.

Fawad Ahmed, awaiting a decision from the Australian government about his refugee protection claim, bowled leg-spin to the hosts' top-order batsmen on Tuesday.

Ahmed, who plays club cricket in Melbourne, sports a similar action to the Pakistan-born Tahir - and the duo played domestic cricket together in their country of birth.

Assistant coach Russell Domingo and vice-captain AB de Villiers recently all but confirmed Tahir will play in the series opener, which gets underway in Brisbane on Friday, while seamers Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis will make up the remainder of the attack.


http://www.cricket365.com/news/story/8228170/Aussies-use-leg-spinning-Pakistan-refugee

 

[pakistancricketfan80s]

Playing for national level is truly a dream come true for any cricket player. Inshallah he will get permission to play for Australia and will perform well on international circuit.

 

[Bullet Drive]

 

[Areesh]

Ahmed says he was persecuted by religious extremists in his northern Pakistani province for playing and coaching the sport he loves - receiving death threats for ''promoting Western culture''.

What a tool. A true liar. There are dozens of cricketers from KPK and FATA playing in domestic circuit of Pakistan. Dozens of tournaments are organized in KPK and FATA all year round. Half of the national team consists of players from KPK. Younis Khan, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Yasir Shah to name a few.

I hope he fails to get a place in Australian national team. Aussies are better without a liar and illegal immigrant in the team.

 

[Legend Killer]

I also find his statement pretty strange, like the others said we have numerous domestic and even international cricketers form KPK. Also there was a televised T20 tournament that was held in swat just a few weeks ago. http://tribune.com.pk/story/451625/cricket-for-peace-peshawar-win-swats-first-t20-tournament/

 

[farazaidi]

offlate, we have more talent coming through KP region then Sindh

I dont know what is the deal with this guy but the least I'm sure of is that cricket has NOT brought any harm/danger to the life of cricketers or coaches in this country, be it KP or any other province !

 

[srh]

people can lie big time to get refugee status in West; I was told about a Pakistani who was muslim but show himself as non-muslim (Qadiani) to get refugee status

 

[MattyB]

Playing for national level is truly a dream come true for any cricket player. Inshallah he will get permission to play for Australia and will perform well on international circuit.

What a tool. A true liar. There are dozens of cricketers from KPK and FATA playing in domestic circuit of Pakistan. Dozens of tournaments are organized in KPK and FATA all year round. Half of the national team consists of players from KPK. Younis Khan, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Yasir Shah to name a few.

I hope he fails to get a place in Australian national team. Aussies are better without a liar and illegal immigrant in the team.

Did either of you read the articles? He is not going to play for Australia, they have invited him to bowl in the nets to the Aussie batsmen due to the similarity between his bowling technique and Imran Tahir's..

 

[Canistani Hero]

Oh wow. Good for him

 

[Gotham Cronie]

Visa allows Fawad to dream of a baggy green

Cleared to stay ... now spinner Fawad Ahmed is keen to play at the highest level he can reach. Photo: Wayne Taylor​

FAWAD AHMED'S long and anxious wait is over. The Pakistani refugee and ambitious cricketer has been granted permission from federal Immigration Minister Chris Bowen to stay in Australia.

Bowen has written to Ahmed advising him that he will be granted permanent residency, subject to standard checks.

''The Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has personally considered Mr Ahmed's case and decided to grant a permanent visa for him to be able to stay, work and play cricket in Australia, subject to the normal health and security checks which he'll now undertake,'' a spokesman for Bowen told Fairfax Media.

The news comes a week after the Australian cricket team flew Ahmed, a talented leg-spinner, to Brisbane to help its batsmen prepare for the first Test against South Africa.

It also takes him a step closer to playing in Cricket Australia's Big Bash League, although there are administrative hurdles to be cleared before he can be declared eligible to join Australian teams as a local player.

''This is such a special moment in my life,'' Ahmed, fresh from a five-wicket haul for Melbourne University last weekend, said on Wednesday. ''I'm hopeful I can play the highest level cricket as well. I'm really grateful to the government and all the people in cricket who helped me, and thanks be to almighty God because I have waited for a long time.

''The last three years was a very hard time, I couldn't sleep at night times because it was very stressful. I was so anxious I couldn't perform well [at cricket]. I'm pretty happy because I can put all that behind me, and look forward to my future and start a new life here in Melbourne.''

It's understood at least two Big Bash teams have expressed interest in offering Ahmed a contract for this summer's Twenty20 tournament, and he has big aspirations.

''I'm looking forward to playing at the highest level I can. I'm in a part of the world where people really respect talent, and if I perform I am really hopeful I can play Test cricket.''

Ahmed fled persecution in northern Pakistan, where he said he received death threats from religious extremists who accused him of promoting Western values. He was targeted for pursuing the sport he loved, as a player and coach, and for supporting organisations that promoted the education of women and girls.

His case, initially rejected by the Refugee Review Tribunal, was backed by Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, Cricket Victoria boss Tony Dodemaide and former International Cricket Council chief Malcolm Gray.

''This is life-changing for Fawad, and we're delighted for him,'' Dodemaide said. ''He's proven himself not only as a very capable cricketer but also a good community citizen … He is certainly proving to be an outstanding bowler, and he took five-for last week. Any progression to higher levels relies on a few things falling into place.

''There is a dearth of spin bowling around at the moment so it's not a bad time to be showing your wares.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket...baggy-green-20121114-29cik.html#ixzz2CDB7HW5R

 

[Golden arm]

What a tool. A true liar. There are dozens of cricketers from KPK and FATA playing in domestic circuit of Pakistan. Dozens of tournaments are organized in KPK and FATA all year round. Half of the national team consists of players from KPK. Younis Khan, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Yasir Shah to name a few.

I hope he fails to get a place in Australian national team. Aussies are better without a liar and illegal immigrant in the team.

doubting the integrity of a person, without any proof, and only based on generalised perceptions.

I know, i was listening to few Fata players from RLCA, and they mentioned they continuously come under the wrath of Talibans.

if you go few months back, there was a player from Peshawar i am forgetting the name, he was kidnapped and killed for ransom.

so poor law and order situation, ruled by talibans is not the ideal situation for sports.

the people who are still playing in this environment absolutley dont have any choice, doesnot mean that they are safe.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Fawad Ahmed's Hard Road To Acceptance - Offers From The BBL.

When this month began, Fawad Ahmed did not know how much longer he would be able to reside in Australia. As an asylum-seeker, he was waiting for a verdict while he worked in a warehouse and tried to make his way playing cricket.

Now, 19 days into November, Ahmed is choosing between contracts from at least three different Big Bash League franchises, has been made a permanent resident and harbours hopes of representing Australia. If ever cricket has been the catalyst for changing for someone's life, that person is Ahmed, who played ten first-class matches in Pakistan.

Ironically, it could also have been responsible for causing him great harm too. When Ahmed lived in Pakistan's northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he was a supporter of an NGO who worked for women's rights, played cricket and coached children in the game, and admired the art of Shane Warne from afar. Those activities were considered dangerous enough to result in him being targeted and threatened by militants.

"My life was in danger because they thought I was promoting Western values and culture and they warned me that if I continued doing that, I would be in trouble," he told ESPNcricinfo.

Fearing for his safety, Ahmed decided he would have to leave his mother, two brothers and sister behind and search for a new life. Choice did not play much of a role when he fled. Australia, rather than a place like the United Kingdom, was his destination because he had friends in the country who could help him get set up. Before leaving, Ahmed had been sponsored a short-stay visa from the Yoogali Cricket Association in New South Wales.

Despite having a Masters degree in international relations and political science, he knew he would find it difficult to get a job with a temporary visa and concentrated on playing cricket and doing odd jobs while applying for asylum. He ended up in Melbourne because his initial documentation was delayed but it turned out to be a happy accident because he found it a "beautiful city" and was soon involved with a local club.

Hoppers Crossing, a club in Victoria's turf cricket association, was the first place his legspin was noticed in Australia. He dominated the league competition there before being sought by Melbourne University Cricket Club, a premier league club that has produced a number of Test cricketers in past years.

"He was taking so many wickets and was becoming quite well known on the club circuit," president Derek Bennett said. But there was much more to Ahmed than just his ability to be destructive with ball in hand and Bennett knew he would have tread delicately.

"When we were talking to him about playing for us, it was obvious that he had come from a horrendous situation," Bennett said. "I spoke to everyone at the club and told them that this guy had had a very complicated life. We knew if we wanted to get involved with him, we'd have to be in for everything that goes with it and we went in with our eyes wide open. But for a guy who turned up without much, he had a good network of friends and we knew he would make it."

Bennett was also confident that the University would be able to assist Ahmed because they had strictures in place for people seeking refugee status. While the administrative issues were taking their course, Ahmed made even more of a name for himself in Australian cricket circles.

He became involved with Victoria's Harmony in Cricket Programme, an initiative which saw him go out to "mostly Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan communities to promote cricket and help players register with clubs".

Having made a successful transition from outsider to accepted, Ahmed wants to be able to help others do the same. "I have been welcomed so well. Everyone respects me and I respect them," he said. "People have been really warm to me and have helped me wholeheartedly."

One of those people was Australia's Test opener Ed Cowan, who befriended Ahmed when he bowled to the team in the nets last year. Specifically, Cowan found that Ahmed had more in common with South Africa's Pakistani-born legspinner, Imran Tahir, than just nationality and kept the information in the memory bank as he hoped Australia could use Ahmed in the lead-up to the current series.


"My life was in danger because they thought I was promoting Western values and culture and they warned me that if I continued doing that, I would be in trouble."
Fawad Ahmed

But in August all those plans came close to unravelling. Ahmed's claim for asylum was rejected, which left ministerial intervention as his only recourse. Bennett helped him send documents directly to the federal immigration minister, which also contained supporting letters from some heavyweights in the game. Cricket Australia's chief executive James Sutherland was among them.

Sutherland has taken up the issue of diversity, or lack thereof, in Australian cricket seriously. At Cricket Australia's recent chief executives' conference, he spoke about the need to "be more inclusive". While Australian cricket has fielded players from eastern European backgrounds such as Simon Katich and Michael Kasprowicz, they have in recent years had only had one player who has sub-continental lineage, Usman Khawaja, play for them, despite waves of immigrants from that part of the world. Ahmed has given them a way to change that.

The news of his permanent residency status was received with much joy. Ahmed was called an "exceptionally talented cricketer with extraordinary resilience" by Bennett and a "skilful, compassionate young man" by Cowan. Sutherland said the Australian cricket community was "thrilled" by the decision. While touching, those words were not as significant as Cricket Australia's actions.

Immediately, CA waived the usual eligibility restrictions and announced that Ahmed would be able to play in the Big Bash this season. He was soon flooded with offers. One is understood to be from his local franchise the Melbourne Renegades, where he seems likely to end up.

It also means that Ahmed, despite being over 30, is able to think of bigger things. Although he does not know the requirement to make him available for Australian selection he hopes to play for them, the same way Tahir has qualified in South Africa. Unlike Ahmed, Tahir relocated for love, not safety, but has since become a regular fixture in the Test team.

Ahmed remembers playing against Tahir in Pakistan where "he played for Lahore and I played for Peshawar". Seeing him again in Brisbane, where Ahmed was bowling to the Australians in the nets again, showed him what was possible. "It was good to see Imran in Brisbane, he is a nice guy and a very good player and to see where he is now is great."

With a bright future ahead it would be easy for Ahmed to forget about his home country altogether but he has not done that. He is an ardent supporter of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who he believes should be the next leader of Pakistan. "All hope rests with him, hopefully he can become the prime minister and if he does, he will run the country well."

One of the things Ahmed would like to see change in Pakistan is the continued absence of international cricket and he thinks with Imran in charge that could happen. He may go back too, although not to play, just to see his homeland and his family again.

"I am really hopeful and think the day is not far when I will return home to see my family," he said. "So far, they have been safe and hopefully they will remain that way. It was me that was being warned, not them. I hope to see them again soon."

 

[sunnykhan]

What a fortune!!

 

[akamaka]

Australian spin resources are very thin. They need as many spin bowlers as possible in the domestic circuit. The lack of spin bowlers also causes the batsman to have a weakness against spin. Best of luck to him.

 

[Gunther]

lol hope he is not the next

 

[najam2007]

well deserve story...good to see people like him get recongnised and placed good for the future.

 

[khanz141]

Best of luck to him, but his story is a little too over played. In Pakistan, every single kid plays cricket and no one has ever been threatened for playing a sport by anyone. He was clearly trying to get himself to stay and i have seen many play this card before, be it US, AUS, EU, or UK.

 

[Waseem]

Best of luck to him, but his story is a little too over played. In Pakistan, every single kid plays cricket and no one has ever been threatened for playing a sport by anyone. He was clearly trying to get himself to stay and i have seen many play this card before, be it US, AUS, EU, or UK.

Ironically, it could also have been responsible for causing him great harm too. When Ahmed lived in Pakistan's northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he was a supporter of an NGO who worked for women's rights, played cricket and coached children in the game, and admired the art of Shane Warne from afar. Those activities were considered dangerous enough to result in him being targeted and threatened by militants.

If they can attack a little girl like Malala then Fawad's story is quite believable.

 

[Looney]

What a tool. A true liar. There are dozens of cricketers from KPK and FATA playing in domestic circuit of Pakistan. Dozens of tournaments are organized in KPK and FATA all year round. Half of the national team consists of players from KPK. Younis Khan, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Yasir Shah to name a few.

I hope he fails to get a place in Australian national team. Aussies are better without a liar and illegal immigrant in the team.

Cricket is the only halal sport according to even extremists .

I agree about the lying bit .

PS - I thought Fawad Alam had applied for political asylum )

 

[insaftak]

^^

I remember during 2010 World Cup in Caribbean, some extremist militant called Kashif Abbasi and told him he could play better cricket than the idiots that are playing for pakistan today. )

 

[insaftak]

With a bright future ahead it would be easy for Ahmed to forget about his home country altogether but he has not done that. He is an ardent supporter of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who he believes should be the next leader of Pakistan. "All hope rests with him, hopefully he can become the prime minister and if he does, he will run the country well."

One of the things Ahmed would like to see change in Pakistan is the continued absence of international cricket and he thinks with Imran in charge that could happen. He may go back too, although not to play, just to see his homeland and his family again.

 

[MenInG]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/c...ugee-fawad-ahmed/story-fn6w5lwh-1226520714759


Opportunity Knocks!

Big Bash News
Adelaide Strikers set to replace injured spinner Jon Holland with Pakistani refugee Fawad Ahmed by:
Richard Earle From:
The Advertiser November 21, 2012
12:00AM Increase Text SizeDecrease Text SizePrintEmail Share Add to DiggAdd to del.icio.usAdd to FacebookAdd to KwoffAdd to MyspaceAdd to NewsvineWhat are these?
Tweet Pakistan refugee Fawad Ahmed is set to join the Adelaide strikers as cover for Injured spinner Jon Holland (pictured). Source: Herald Sun
THE Adelaide Strikers will offer a Big Bash lifeline to Pakistani refugee and Melbourne grade spinner Fawad Ahmed.
Left-arm spinner Jon Holland's season-ending shoulder injury has opened a slot for talented leg-spinner Ahmed on the Strikers' roster. SACA's director of cricket Jamie Cox is firmly on the chase.

"I am heading to Melbourne and while there we are definitely interested to speak with Fawad Ahmed,'' said Cox.

"He would be an ideal player to cover the loss of Jon Holland, which continues our strong belief in spin bowling in T20.''

Ahmed fled Pakistan's Islamic-dominated northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Leg-spinner Ahmed has been playing for Melbourne University Cricket Club since arriving in Australia, catching the attention of several BBL franchises including the Strikers and Melbourne Renegades.
.....
Cricket Australia has waived eligibility criteria for Ahmed, 33, who was granted asylum this month.

"We agreed to move quickly and compassionately,'' said CA chief executive James Sutherland of Ahmed, who can now represent Australia and any state or BBL franchise.

"This is a demonstration of Australian cricket's desire to be more inclusive.''

Ahmed played 10 first-class matches in Pakistan - enough to cross swords with another leg-spin export - Imran Tahir who moved to South Africa to be with his wife.

 

[srh]

What a fortune!!

for Australia )

 

[Areesh]

doubting the integrity of a person, without any proof, and only based on generalised perceptions.

I know, i was listening to few Fata players from RLCA, and they mentioned they continuously come under the wrath of Talibans.

if you go few months back, there was a player from Peshawar i am forgetting the name, he was kidnapped and killed for ransom.

so poor law and order situation, ruled by talibans is not the ideal situation for sports.

the people who are still playing in this environment absolutley dont have any choice, doesnot mean that they are safe.

Since he wanted asylum I have every reason to have doubts about the integrity of this guy. I am not going to say much except go to KPK or Peshawar and you might find youth and children playing Cricket openly in grounds or roads etc.

This is the fact, not otherwise.

 

[W63L35]

Victoria includes Fawad in their Sheffield squad..... may be making his Sheffield Shield debut in Australia;

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/203918/
.

Fawad Ahmed given Sheffield Shield call-up
SYDNEY (Online): Fawad Ahmed could make his Sheffield Shield debut this week after being named in Victoria's squad for their match against South Australia at Adelaide Oval starting on Thursday.

Ahmed, the Pakistani legspinner who went from asylum seeker to BBL player with the Melbourne Renegades this summer, has been included alongside another uncapped legspinner, James Muirhead, in a 12-man squad that also includes the fast bowler James Pattinson, who is making his return from a rib injury.

Pattinson's comeback is a positive sign for Australia's selectors as they prepare to name a squad for the upcoming Test tour of India. Pattinson suffered the injury during the second Test against South Africa in Adelaide in November and missed the rest of the Test summer, but if he comes through the Shield match unscathed he is expected to be back in the squad for the Indian trip.

The inclusion of Ahmed continues his remarkable rise and is reward for a strong season with Melbourne University in the grade cricket competition. Ahmed has collected 26 wickets at 16.50 for his club this summer and is one of four legspinners in the top 11 wicket takers in the competition, along with Bryce McGain, Brenton McDonald and Muirhead. Muirhead, 19, has also played in the BBL, turning out for two matches for the Adelaide Strikers last season. Victoria's coach Greg Shipperd said it was yet to be decided which of the legspinners would play, or if both would be included.

 

[cricket_fan194]

Fearing for his safety, Ahmed decided he would have to leave his mother, two brothers and sister behind and search for a new life. Choice did not play much of a role when he fled

doubting the integrity of a person, without any proof, and only based on generalised perceptions.

I know, i was listening to few Fata players from RLCA, and they mentioned they continuously come under the wrath of Talibans.

if you go few months back, there was a player from Peshawar i am forgetting the name, he was kidnapped and killed for ransom.

so poor law and order situation, ruled by talibans is not the ideal situation for sports.

the people who are still playing in this environment absolutley dont have any choice, doesnot mean that they are safe.

Andrew Hall was shot several times at point blank range in South Africa, he didn't go for an asylum. Had the Taliban been truly after Fawad Ahmed, he wouldn't have left his family behind for them to be targeted.

Its a simple case of creating a story against a country whose reputation is already gone to the dogs. Since his story resonates well with the common perception it was readily accepted without much proof. Once he gets his Australian passport you will see how he visits his native place.

Countries around the world have put much stricter controls around immigration and naturalization so for most people from developing countries asking for an asylum or getting married to a national is the only choice.

There is no harm in hoping and trying for a better living but if your try is based upon lies and tarnishing the image of my country, I am sorry but I dont have anything positive words for you.

 

[hur rizvi]

Fawad Ahmed knows about adversity, but even he is inspired by the Afghanistan cricket team's qualification for next summer's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

But now the Pakistan-born refugee wants to use Mitchell Johnson's stunning comeback as inspiration for his own return to international cricket.

Ahmed made headlines last year when Cricket Australia pushed for him to get Australian citizenship after leaving Pakistan in 2010 due to alleged death threats from the Taliban.

The 32-year-old was born in the north of Pakistan, not far from the border with Afghanistan.

It's the region where a lot of the Afghan cricketers learnt the game.

Their families fled the war in their country of birth and settled just across the border in Pakistan.

Ahmed said he'd played club cricket against several of them ''a long time ago''.

He said it was fantastic what they'd been able to achieve by qualifying for both the 50-over and Twenty20 World Cups.
The Afghanis will play one of their games at Manuka Oval, against Bangladesh. Canberra will host two other World Cup games.

''It's a pretty good sign for a country like Afghanistan [to qualify for the World Cup],'' Ahmed said.

''It's pretty bad on the both sides [Pakistan and Afghanistan], especially on the border on both sides.

''We have the same language, same culture, same traditions, same tribes.''
Ahmed played three one-day internationals and two T20s last year after he was granted Australian citizenship.
The leg-spinner has since dropped off the international radar and was in Canberra this week playing for Victoria's Futures League side against the ACT Comets.

He took 4-89 in the second innings and was happy with the way he's bowling.
Johnson's return from obscurity to international stardom has inspired him to work hard and get back in the national selectors' thoughts.

The big fast bowler spent the summer terrorising England during the Ashes and has started his South Africa tour in similar fashion.
This time last year he appeared to be on the scrap heap after getting dropped in 2010.

Ahmed sees it as proof he too can return to the Australian side.

''Ups and downs always come in the cricket, look at Mitchell Johnson,'' he said. ''One year ago and where he is now - he is the best bowler in the world.

''I played well against ACT, I played well in domestic cricket, I bowled really well.
''[The World Cup] is going to be unbelievable and I'll work really, really hard to prove myself.''
Tickets for next summer's World Cup went on sale on Friday.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket...ns-comeback-20140214-32rj5.html#ixzz2tIy3PAtU

 

[Convict]

Probably won't play much for Victoria in the future. They will give James Muirhead an extended run now, especially since the Vics season is over.

 

[#GreenRoars]

Fawad Ahmed draws inspiration from family reunion ahead of likely Test debut:
It's the last week of April and most of Australia's top players are on the subcontinent for the Indian Premier League. A few others, including captain Michael Clarke and veteran wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, are dividing their time between their home cities and Brisbane's National Cricket Centre, preparing for the series ahead in the Caribbean and then the Ashes.

Fawad Ahmed, meanwhile, is on a plane to Dubai. Waiting for him inside a hotel at the desert metropolis are his mother, Rahat, and Ali, one of his two brothers. He has not seen them since he fled Pakistan fearing for his life. Not for five years.

Cricketers have to cope with the occupational realities of life on the international circuit. Living out of a suitcase for 10 months of the year. Not seeing your family for weeks or months on end. Watching your child born on Skype. It's not always all it's cracked up to be.
For Ahmed, though, whose life story has more twists and turns than any over of leg spin, that is nothing.


A Test debut for Australia is on the cards for the 33-year-old against the West Indies next week and as magical as that will be for him the elation and the emotion of seeing his mother and brother once again will take some beating. There were tears in that hotel room in Dubai, make no mistake of that.

"It wasn't good enough ... to meet especially my mother after that long and she was pretty upset when I was leaving," Ahmed says. "But it was really, really great to see her and my brother and share some good and bad times with them. There was a lot of emotion but they were really proud of me and what I'm achieving and they're really looking forward to watching me on those tours and hoping I do well.

"It had been five years and two months since I'd seen them which is a long time especially when you grow up in the joint family system and being the youngest in the family as well. My brothers are both married so I'm the only one single now, and (my mother) really misses me, yeah. It was amazing to see them and to have some blessings from her as well and prayers from her."

So what exactly do you do when you haven't seen your family in so long?

"Most of the time we just stayed in the hotel room and spent the time with mum," he says. "It was pretty good to have lunch, dinner and breakfast together."

The reunion occurred in Dubai for two reasons. It was easier for his mother and brother to secure visas to travel there and, as much as Ahmed's heart is still drawn to his native Pakistan, he can't go back yet.

His plight there is well documented - he was persecuted, he says, for "promoting Western values", because he was working with an NGO to help educate women, and because he was playing and coaching cricket. And vignettes from his remarkable journey has been told more and more as he stepped from club to state and international level in his adopted Australia.

Like the time, while still picking fruit in Bendigo and studying to get a forklift licence, he came across the Victorian team training while completing a coaching accreditation course. He asked to have a bowl and knocked over Rob Quiney - soon to be a Test opener no less - first ball.

There was the phone call out of the blue from Ed Cowan a few years back, asking him to bowl to the Australian team before a Test against South Africa in Brisbane, an invitation that catapulted his story into the national consciousness.

And then there was the citizenship saga, which went to the highest reaches of the federal Labor government around the time of the last Ashes series in England.

More recently, there was the eight-for in the Shield final that won him a spot in Clarke's Test squad.

For all the attention on what he's accomplished since turning up in Australia as a refugee in 2010, however, far less has been said about what he left behind.

He proudly calls Melbourne home but Ahmed would desperately love to return to visit Pakistan and his family in the troubled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

"My friends are there. I would love to go back and visit," he says. "I miss so many things. I lived there for 28 years, you know. My childhood, my school, my college, how I started cricket - I do remember everything. So I really miss everything about it, my childhood friends, my cousins, my brothers and sister, my home.

"I'm so happy in Australia, it's my country now and I chose this country. I'm so pleased and honoured to be living in this country and represent it but I miss a lot about (Pakistan) and hopefully one day in the future I will visit."

Ahmed happens to be speaking just as Pakistan has been opened up once again to the international cricket scene, albeit with Zimbabwe visiting but the ICC not inclined to send their own umpires due to security concerns.

In 2009 he was still living in Abbottabad when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked by gunmen on the way from their hotel to the ground in Lahore. Ahmed knows it will take some convincing to get major cricket nations back to Pakistan but believes the Zimbabwe tour is a good start.

"I think it's great news, especially for Pakistan and for the world of cricket," he says. "They need something fresh in the country, there is a lot of stress out there. There has been a lot of things happening there for many, many years so you need something recreational to happen in the country to attract people so they can forget for a while, they can engage in something to watch and it's good for the kids.

"It's good for the future of Pakistan cricket and it's good for the world of cricket. I'm so happy about it. Hopefully more teams can visit Pakistan in the future and they can produce a safe environment for the visitors."

Another mindless attack that gripped Australia more recently has also focused Ahmed's mind on what he can do with his profile in his new country - that is, once he's done taking wickets in the Caribbean and England this winter.

The Lindt cafe siege created more challenges for the relationship between Australian Muslims and the broader community and Ahmed, saddened by the events in Martin Place last December, wants to make a difference.

"I would like to engage more with the non-Muslim community to spread a message about being a Muslim, being an athlete and representing Australia, and how we can live together and how sports can bring us together," he says.

"I would say this is my duty to do that, to play that role especially when we see that stress in the community around the country like after the Sydney siege. There is a lot of misunderstanding in the community so I would love to play my role and be a part of that.

"We are representing 1.7 billion Muslims in the world rather than those few thousand people ... whatever they are called, terrorists or whatever. I would love to represent that 1.7 billion people and to be a role model for all Muslims, and to connect with the people about how we can live together in this beautiful country."

There have been more anticipated debuts than Ahmed's, and he won't be the first Muslim to play Test cricket for Australia. But for a nation grappling with its place in the world - and not simply for its cricket team - it's hard to think of any more significant.

Source:http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket...ead-of-likely-test-debut-20150529-ghafbz.html

 

[Yossarian]

If he's a refugee and asylum seeker fearing for his life due to some group wishing to do him harm, and not using that as an excuse to migrate to Australia, then presumably that threat will remain for the foreseeable future and he could never return to Pakistan.

Lets be honest about this - he was never a 'refugee' or 'asylum seeker', since he could have moved to a different city in Pakistan thereby removing, or at least vastly reducing, the causes of his fear. He used it as an excuse to migrate to Australia - and the Australian authorities recognising his cricketing abilities very conveniently obliged.

Would the Australians have done the same to another Pakistani 'refugee' / 'asylum seeker' with a very dubious story such as his if he/she didn't have some special skills to offer to the Australians?

In a country like Pakistan, if there were genuinely people after him intent on causing him harm due to his views, you can bet that if they could not get him, they would have turned these threats against his family and loved ones in order to shut him up. And yet here they are, his family members, apparently under no threat whatsoever and free to go and meet him in Dubai.

Individuals like him, claiming to be 'refugees' fearing for their lives, make it that much more difficult for those genuine refugees who have been tortured, raped, victimised, loved one murdered, and have a real founded fear and have no other choice but to flee.

Sorry to say, but someone like him to pretending to be a refugee makes me sick - and shame on the Australian authorities for allowing him to get away with it.

 

[Random Aussie]

Good on him if he is selected but I don't agree with how he got citizenship. Ah well.

Looking forward to Robert and James getting a few free hits back on us.

 

[Neferpitou]

[MENTION=104233]Random_aussie[/MENTION] [MENTION=132373]Convict[/MENTION] How do you guys rate him? How much has he improved from his first stint?

 

[Cricketrenew]

Wish him the best but not against England and Pakistan!

 

[wasimjunior]

If he's a refugee and asylum seeker fearing for his life due to some group wishing to do him harm, and not using that as an excuse to migrate to Australia, then presumably that threat will remain for the foreseeable future and he could never return to Pakistan.

Lets be honest about this - he was never a 'refugee' or 'asylum seeker', since he could have moved to a different city in Pakistan thereby removing, or at least vastly reducing, the causes of his fear. He used it as an excuse to migrate to Australia - and the Australian authorities recognising his cricketing abilities very conveniently obliged.

Would the Australians have done the same to another Pakistani 'refugee' / 'asylum seeker' with a very dubious story such as his if he/she didn't have some special skills to offer to the Australians?

In a country like Pakistan, if there were genuinely people after him intent on causing him harm due to his views, you can bet that if they could not get him, they would have turned these threats against his family and loved ones in order to shut him up. And yet here they are, his family members, apparently under no threat whatsoever and free to go and meet him in Dubai.

Individuals like him, claiming to be 'refugees' fearing for their lives, make it that much more difficult for those genuine refugees who have been tortured, raped, victimised, loved one murdered, and have a real founded fear and have no other choice but to flee.

Sorry to say, but someone like him to pretending to be a refugee makes me sick - and shame on the Australian authorities for allowing him to get away with it.

Basically he knew he couldnt make a living in Pakistan as a spinner and unfortunately his "game" wasnt as good as Imran Tahirs, so this was the only way out.

 

[Random Aussie]

[MENTION=104233]Random_aussie[/MENTION] [MENTION=132373]Convict[/MENTION] How do you guys rate him? How much has he improved from his first stint?

Don't rate him, sorry. First class standard not Test.

 

[Convict]

[MENTION=104233]Random_aussie[/MENTION] [MENTION=132373]Convict[/MENTION] How do you guys rate him? How much has he improved from his first stint?

I don't rate him as a test prospect.

Best spin bowler in shield cricket though.

See Bryce McGain for my opinion on how he'll go against good players

 

[Neferpitou]

I don't rate him as a test prospect.

Best spin bowler in shield cricket though.

See Bryce McGain for my opinion on how he'll go against good players

Boy, you guys are really short on options.

 

[AlooMan]

Best of luck to him but not Test Material will probably rule Shield Cricket for a few years

 

[Convict]

Boy, you guys are really short on options.

Fawad Ahmed is good for getting out inferior player of spin - which is much of the Australian domestic system.

At test level if he's got his head right he'd go through tails much better than Gazza Lyon.

But if a batsman gets hold of him, which good batsmen will they won't have any trouble hitting him out of his attack and he generally struggles to respond to that and loses his line. Though save for Agar the rest of the spinners are in the same boat and that's why Agar got rushed ahead by the selectors.

 

[Convict]

That said I hope Fawad Ahmed proves me wrong.

But like another recent debutant (Joe Burns) I don't really expect too much.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

That said I hope Fawad Ahmed proves me wrong.

But like another recent debutant (Joe Burns) I don't really expect too much.

But Joe Burns looked good against India.

 

[Convict]

But Joe Burns looked good against India.

Did he?

Looked good in one innings slogging for quick runs on a flat pitch.

He's had issues at the start of his innings for years and he still does. Very loose player and prone to rash shots and it really feels like we're scrapping the barrel for opener partners for Warner.

Burns is a good player when he gets set but test quicks will find it too easy to get him out early on, especially if he's against the new ball.

Though he does still have the time to correct that flaw in his the game.

 

[Slog]

this guy and a whole ton of people from Malakand who ended up in Australia really are con artists (in their manipulation of story. heard stories from a lot of these refugees)

but hopefully they make this chance count and their next generations are educated and bringgood name to the country

 

[Major]

If he's a refugee and asylum seeker fearing for his life due to some group wishing to do him harm, and not using that as an excuse to migrate to Australia, then presumably that threat will remain for the foreseeable future and he could never return to Pakistan.

Lets be honest about this - he was never a 'refugee' or 'asylum seeker', since he could have moved to a different city in Pakistan thereby removing, or at least vastly reducing, the causes of his fear. He used it as an excuse to migrate to Australia - and the Australian authorities recognising his cricketing abilities very conveniently obliged.

Would the Australians have done the same to another Pakistani 'refugee' / 'asylum seeker' with a very dubious story such as his if he/she didn't have some special skills to offer to the Australians?

In a country like Pakistan, if there were genuinely people after him intent on causing him harm due to his views, you can bet that if they could not get him, they would have turned these threats against his family and loved ones in order to shut him up. And yet here they are, his family members, apparently under no threat whatsoever and free to go and meet him in Dubai.

Individuals like him, claiming to be 'refugees' fearing for their lives, make it that much more difficult for those genuine refugees who have been tortured, raped, victimised, loved one murdered, and have a real founded fear and have no other choice but to flee.

Sorry to say, but someone like him to pretending to be a refugee makes me sick - and shame on the Australian authorities for allowing him to get away with it.

oh plz..

be thankful to Allah that you were born in a good and financially strong household. If a guy wants to earn a good living then there is nothing wrong.

What if you were in his place? Its easy to talk, but one needs to realize the ghorbaat these guys live in.

 

[Major]

this guy and a whole ton of people from Malakand who ended up in Australia really are con artists (in their manipulation of story. heard stories from a lot of these refugees)

but hopefully they make this chance count and their next generations are educated and bringgood name to the country

So what, when your state cant provide you security, justice and health, then what do you expect the poor to do?

Just because some of us were born in financially strong families, hence we should start judging others without knowing the stuff they go through.....................

 

[Yossarian]

oh plz..

be thankful to Allah that you were born in a good and financially strong household. If a guy wants to earn a good living then there is nothing wrong.

What if you were in his place? Its easy to talk, but one needs to realize the ghorbaat these guys live in.

Load of twaddle.
When you see genuine asylum seekers , who have suffered torture, rape, having loved ones killed, having their asylum applications delayed/refused due to the system being abused by bogus asylum seekers (like this cricketer has obviously done) then one should have no sympathy whatsoever for these individuals abusing the system.

 

[Major]

Load of twaddle.
When you see genuine asylum seekers , who have suffered torture, rape, having loved ones killed, having their asylum applications delayed/refused due to the system being abused by bogus asylum seekers (like this cricketer has obviously done) then one should have no sympathy whatsoever for these individuals abusing the system.

DO you have proof that he is bogus, then plz provide it here. Dont accuse him..............

Even if he abuses the system, nothign wrong...........

 

[Yossarian]

DO you have proof that he is bogus, then plz provide it here. Dont accuse him..............

Even if he abuses the system, nothign wrong...........

Of course it's wrong. Can't help but notice you are deliberately ignoring the point about genuine asylum seekers losing out due to bogus asylum seekers abusing the system.

 

[MenInG]

It was a really tough time when I came to Australia. I’m a pretty hard-working person. I never asked anyone for financial help or anything, you know? But no one accepted my Masters degree here so I went the hard way and said, ‘Let’s do a labouring job.’

I thought, ‘I’m physically fit, I’m young, I’m energetic, I’m strong, let’s work hard doing labour.’ This was seven-and-a-half years ago.

I got a job in Bendigo picking fruit for eight hours a day. Each day I would drive nearly two-and-a-half hours each way from Melbourne. I was literally leaving in the dark and coming back home in the dark, so it was tough. Eventually I had to find something else, and I found a labouring job at a fertiliser company loading and unloading the containers.

It was a tough job with the chemicals and stuff. It was harder than fruit picking, but it saved me the four or five hours drive and I tried to spend those hours training and playing cricket here and there. I was striving for better, so I started a Level 2 cricket coaching course, and while I was doing the course, one day we went to see a Victoria Bushrangers training session.

We went inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was the first time in my life I had been there, and the Bushrangers were having a full session with the ball. I asked them if I could bowl and their coach Greg Shipperd looked me up and down and said, ‘What do you do?’ I said ‘I’m a spinner,’ and he said, ‘What kind?’ and I said, ‘I’m a leg-spinner.’

I was just in casual clothes, sweatpants, a normal t-shirt, no training shoes or joggers or anything. Rob Quiney was batting – he played a Test match a few months after that against South Africa. I thought he was a fast bowler because he was tall, he was a big guy, and so I bowled my first ball to him.

BOWLED ‘IM!

That first ball was a leg-spinner that turned massively, and it went through the gate and bowled him. Then I bowled the second one, a wrong ‘un, and he went the other way and the ball went the other way too. It didn’t bowl him, but he missed it too.

When I looked back, everyone was watching me.

Then the coaching co-ordinator said, ‘He’s going to stay and train with us.’ Before this moment, I hadn’t bowled a single ball for four or five months. But I bowled to Glenn Maxwell, Quiney, Cameron White, Brad Hodge, and David Hussey was there too. I bowled to them for an hour and they all struggled.

I was excited, I was thrilled. I thought if I can do this at an indoor session where the ball doesn’t turn much, then I can do much better on a cricket field. That was the time when I started hoping. In that moment, my goals, everything, my whole mindset was changed.

I was just in casual clothes, sweatpants, a normal t-shirt, no training shoes or joggers or anything. Rob Quiney was batting – he played a Test match a few months after that against South Africa.

From there the coaches asked me, ‘Do you want to bowl to us from time to time because we don’t have any spinner?’ Jon Holland was injured at the time and I said, ‘Yeah, I did.’

I started taking time off from the job, played grade cricket and I was taking wickets everywhere. Meanwhile I was bowling to the Bushrangers non-stop, almost every second day, and then I trained with the Aussie team.

Soon people started saying I could play for the Bushrangers. When I did play for Victoria I took a lot of wickets and I said to myself, ‘Why not Australia?’

In 2013 I was lucky enough to play three One Day Internationals and two T20 Internationals for Australia.

MY LOVE FOR TWO COUNTRIES

I will be forever Pakistani Australian. Not many people are going to tell me I’m just an Australian cricketer. There will always be the words, Pakistan-born Australian cricketer before my name and I’m proud of that. I’m very happy to be part of these two beautiful countries.

I still love Pakistan, that’s my country as well. It’s where I was born, where I grew up, where I studied a Masters degree in political science and international relations, where my family and many of my friends are. I love both countries in every way, and there are a lot of similarities, maybe not in culture and tradition, but in sports culture and a lot of other things.

It doesn’t matter to me that Pakistan is a poor country, that in some places the streets are broken, the sewerage system is no good, that there is no electricity, that it’s not really clean and the facilities are not that good, that it’s too hot or too cold. There are 190 million people living in the country and if you go there, they’re all happy in some way.

There will always be the words, Pakistan-born Australian cricketer before my name and I’m proud of that. I’m very happy to be part of these two beautiful countries.

Here in Australia it’s so beautiful. It’s so nice and clean and the lifestyle is good here. But the first world problems are different. In Australia you pay a lot of tax and that really puts a lot of pressure on you.

I pay almost 60 percent tax in a true sense. I’m on the highest tax bracket of 47.5 percent, then I have to pay Islamic tax, which is only 2.5 percent, but it’s from my savings which I’ve already paid tax on from my pay. Then when I buy fuel or food or a house I’ve still got to pay more taxes.

So it’s kind of hard. At end of the day you think you’re earning a lot of money, but you almost pay 60 percent in taxes.

The monthly bills also drive me crazy here. In Pakistan there is only the electricity bill and almost everyone lives in their own home. The motorways are pretty good too. They built many of them in last ten years, they are brand new, and you can just drive as fast as you can and get anywhere really fast.

So there are different problems in different countries, you know?


A THUNDEROUS SUMMER AHEAD

I’m extremely excited about the Big Bash. It’s a good time of the year, a little bit more fun for families and the team and for ourselves as well. It’s a little bit different from traditional cricket.

To be honest I’ve been having really good season so far. I finished the JLT One-Day Cup as the third leading wicket taker and I’ve taken 15 wickets so far in the Sheffield Shield. I’m in really good shape, I’m happy with my bowling and I feel like I’ve got a really good rhythm so hopefully I can bowl well for the Sydney Thunder too. That’s my job: to bowl well. And hopefully to enjoy my cricket for next four or five years.

My hopes have never faded of playing Test cricket for Australia. You have to be realistic, but I’m 35 and being a spinner you have a long life. Look at Brad Hogg: he’s going to be 47 next year. So these things make you hopeful.

But at the end of the day, it does look hard to play Test cricket. I might play T20 cricket for Australia again if play really well and if someone gets injured or they pick two spinners.

If the opportunity comes, I’m ready to go and will take it with both hands.

PICKING UP AUSSIE HABITS

I love the tradition of celebrating with the team song. The other players drink beer and I drink soft drinks or water, which is all good. I understand the culture here and I don’t have a problem with it. It’s what people do, it’s how they live and how they like it.

We don’t celebrate Christmas because of our religious beliefs but we do get together for dinner or lunch like other people on Christmas Day, having a BBQ or going out somewhere. I’m a pretty good cook, but a lot of the best dishes from Pakistan take five or six hours to cook, so it’s easier to have a BBQ. We have sausages, lamb, chicken. We are meat lovers so we have plenty of meat at Christmas time.

I’ve picked up a lot of Australian sports lingo in eight years. Things like, ‘**** happens,’ and, ‘It is what it is.’ I’m well and truly into it, it’s great fun.


Read more at https://www.playersvoice.com.au/fawad-ahmed-ball-that-changed-everything/#61RCudqW16V0VcFR.99

 

[Gilly]

The highest income tax rate in Australia is 45% but you have to be earning over $180,000.

Tax rates for Australia are
first $18,200 earned no tax

$18,200 to $37,000 19% tax

$37,001 to $87,000 32.5% tax

$87,001 to $180,000 37% tax

$180,000+ 45% tax.


So on your first $180,000 you pay 30% tax and then 45% after that.

Sounds like he is enjoying living in Australia though.

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

As someone who was in Australia on refugee status, good to see him making an honest living and paying taxes.

He can maybe get a coaching diploma and get a leg spin bowling coaching job after he retires from cricket.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

He’s having an excellent Big Bash season - he doesn’t have age on his side (he’s 36 in a few weeks) however I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the Aussie T20 side for the next world T20 in 2020 which takes place in australia.

 

[MenInG]

Hard work helps Fawad beat hard luck

He's fled the Taliban, picked fruit, played in three Sheffield Shield titles and represented his adopted country - but the leg-spinner's journey isn't over yet

As setbacks go, Fawad Ahmed has fallen far harder.

When you’ve faced threats from the Taliban that compel you to flee your homeland and leave behind your family; when your country of refuge tells you they’ve rejected your application for asylum and deportation might come at 24 hours’ notice, then losing your contract to play professional cricket, while disappointing, is scarcely dire.

But Fawad Ahmed is a worldly, articulate and proud man.

So the sting of rejection he felt when he was delisted from Victoria’s men’s squad last month still smarts, especially when the 36-year-old leg-spinner reflects on the KPIs he met during his five years on the payroll with Victoria’s all-conquering Sheffield Shield outfit.

Among them:

Most successful spin bowler in the competition since his Shield debut in February, 2013 with 147 wickets – only South Australia seamers Chadd Sayers (177) and Joe Mennie (156) have claimed more over that periodSimilar Shield record from his 41 matches to fellow Victorian leggie Shane Warne (161 wickets from 46 matches) but with a superior average and strike rate to the bowler considered the art’s consummate exponentImpeccable white-ball credentials, having earned selection in teams of the year at JLT Cup domestic one-day and KFC Big Bash League (twice) level in the past two summers

Compelling reasons all of them, but insufficient in the log jam that saw Victoria’s brains trust have to squeeze senior players the likes of Test representatives James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Cameron White and a raft of rising talent into their finite salary cap.

But having known genuine hardship, Fawad understands the power of hope.

He therefore maintains belief, fortified by discussions with Cricket Victoria management, that he might still find a place in their domestic one-day and Shield teams should his form in Premier Cricket warrant consideration.

And if other factors come into play, namely the potential selection of the state’s preferred spinner Jon Holland for Australia’s Test series against Pakistan in the UAE next October, or if the Vics’ new home at Junction Oval offers more to tweakers than did the moribund MCG surface last season.

He even dares to dream of a return to the national limited-overs set-up that he was last part of during the 2013 campaign in the UK, citing selectors’ recall of Brad Hogg to their squad for the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh soon after the irrepressible wrist spinner had turned 43.

In his more reflective moments, however, Fawad concedes that path back to first-class cricket – a trek begun when he debuted for Abbottabad in Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy back in 2005 – appears even more fraught than the one that led him from the Swabi district in the north-west Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghanistan border, to suburban Melbourne.

“It was very sad that I couldn’t get a contract with the Vics, I know what they were thinking for their future but it feels to me it shouldn’t be like this,” Fawad told cricket.com.au this week.

“If someone is fit and performing well, they deserve a contract.

“It’s sad because I’m going to miss being part of that group, it’s a really good culture.

“But I’m not going to hold my head in my hands and cry.

“I’m going out to make my own path, as I did in the past.”

To blaze that new trail, one that Fawad envisages might take him into specialist coaching and perhaps even to the helm of his own academy, he will rely on the same magic measure he uses to tackle every challenge that manifests itself ahead – uncompromising hard work.

It served him well in completing a Masters degree in political science and international relations as a young man in Pakistan, and in supplementing his cricket there through employment with a non-government organisation that pursued better health outcomes and education for young girls.

A program that brought him to the sharp attention of the fundamentalist Taliban.

That ethos also drove his journey from seasonal fruit picker in Victoria’s Riverina soon after his arrival in Australia to within touching distance of his adoptive nation’s most cherished sporting keepsake, the Baggy Green Cap.

Fawad is also one of a select trio to have played a part in all three of Victoria’s undefeated Shield final appearances from 2015-17, with another of those (allrounder Dan Christian) also missing from the 29-man Victoria squad that features a heavy youth focus.

The third is former Test opener Rob Quiney who retired when he missed the contract list a year ago, and who had unknowingly penned the unlikely plot line to Fawad’s storybook cricket tale when he had his stumps pinned back by a huge-turning leg break at an MCG nets session in 2012.

At that stage Quiney was on the cusp of his own Test debut and Fawad had progressed from fruit packing to fertiliser stacking, but had also found time to complete a Level Two coaching course which included a maiden visit to the MCG.

An excursion that coincided with a training session for Victoria’s Shield squad.

Despite being dressed in casual attire and not knowing any of the players or support staff, Fawad convinced then coach Greg Shipperd he should be used as a net bowler and duly knocked over a non-plussed Quiney with his first delivery, and left the star batter more bamboozled with the googly that followed.

Barely two years later, Fawad was in Australia’s Test squad having secured citizenship and a bag of Shield wickets, and was expected to be handed a Baggy Green for the opening Test of the 2015 tour to the Caribbean on the spin-friendly pitch at Windsor Park in Dominica.

But Australia’s selectors instead chose conservatism and went with three quicks plus solitary specialist spinner (Nathan Lyon), and Fawad spent the rest of that series and the subsequent two-month Ashes sojourn to the UK on the outer, and increasingly dejected.

Fawad kicks an Australian rules football in Dominica in 2015 // Getty

“In Islam we have a saying ‘there was no destiny’, but it’s still sad if you look at the reality,” Fawad says of the Ashes experience that he feels ended rather than crowned his Test cricket aspirations.

“I knew I wouldn’t play a Test in England unless something did happen to Nathan Lyon, so they (selectors) should have sent me back home to go on (that winter’s) Australia A tour to India.

“And if I performed well there, I might have pushed my case for the next Test tour which was to Sri Lanka (in 2016).

“Then, if they had needed me in the Ashes, I was already playing cricket which would have been good preparation and it’s only a seven or eight-hour flight from India to England.

“But I missed out on that opportunity because I was carrying drinks in England.”

Instead, left-arm finger spinner Steve O’Keefe dominated for Australia A taking 14 wickets in two matches to become Lyon’s bowling partner in following Test visits to Sri Lanka and India, while Australia A seamer Gurinder Sandhu was reduced to bowling off-breaks so dry were the pitches in India for that campaign.

Just as tough to take for Fawad was the sudden halt to his limited-overs international career that began and ended on the white-ball component of Australia’s 2013 UK tour.

He muses that he was Australia’s best bowler with 3-25 in what proved to be his ultimate T20I appearance against England at Chester-le-Street, with selectors then preferring uncapped 20-year-old James Muirhead for the Australia summer and ICC World T20 that followed.

Fawad talks to national selector Mark Waugh in 2015 // Getty

“I just disappeared,” Fawad says of his exclusion from Australia’s limited-overs plans.

“And I didn’t have any conversations with anyone about why I missed out.

“I know that it’s just coincidence that just about every time I got picked for Australia it was to play in England where it’s never the best conditions for bowling spin.

“I guess I just feel that I never had a proper chance, honestly.

“But although I missed out on Test cricket having got so close, I was just so grateful to play for my country, for Victoria in such a great Sheffield Shield team and to get the chance to perform.

“I had some great moments, I’m really proud of what I achieved, and I had a good time.

“I never had any kind of problems with attitude, or with the players, never any kinds of arguments or fights.

“I got upset from time to time - I’m a human being you know, and you get really down when you are dropped or when you’re not performing the way you want.

“But now I want to give something back to my state, I want to give something back to my country if I can help produce good cricketers.

“I believe in hard work, and that’s what I’ll be focusing on now.”

Fawad bowls against England in a 2013 ODI // Getty

It’s a work ethic that is not confined to cricket.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis, has told Fawad that in addition to his ongoing on-field duties with the institution’s Premier Cricket club, he can also undertake further studies according to a timetable that suits him.

An offer that Fawad is keen to take up, in the hope that a few supplementary subjects might mean his Masters qualifications will finally be recognised in Australia.

“I just love the subject, I love the current affairs and the political science and the international relations,” he said.

“The Vice Chancellor said ‘you don’t need to come, you just study every month or every week, you can choose’, so maybe I just wait for the winter when it’s quieter and split it over two years.”

Before then, and while not abandoning hope to play again at interstate and possibly international level, Fawad’s vision is narrowed on the prospect of coaching.

He has already flagged his interest with Cricket Australia’s Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane where he says he would be thrilled to volunteer his services as a mentor to the many aspiring young leg spinners now in the state and national under-age system.

He will also make himself available to tutor young players at his Melbourne University Club, and dreams that one day he might operate his own academy that could attract small groups of young players looking to learn a craft that Fawad fears is under threat at cricket’s elite Test level.

And he has some unique training techniques, that he developed for himself before circumstances brought him to Australia and to the peak of cricket’s most demanding skills set, that he would implement ensure the art of high quality leg spin bowling remains alive in others.

Fawad meets Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2013 // Getty

“To teach myself consistency, I used to bowl 250 to 300 balls into an empty net every single day,” Fawad recalled.

“I would close my eyes and go in to bowl, and I was still pitching it into the same ‘box’ that was marked on the pitch.

“The hardest thing to do as a leg-spinner is get more revs on the ball, but I have a drill and you can really, really improve your revs because you need to do that if you want to get something happening in the air and off the wicket.

“I would often bowl while on my knees, for over after over, and I will give those tips to every single kid.

“When you bowl leg spin on your knees, you don’t have that momentum or energy you get from your legs normally so you’re using just shoulder and wrist and fingers.

“It’s really hard to land the ball at the right length on a proper pitch - it puts a lot of stress on your arm and shoulders and it really gets you to use your wrist and your shoulder, and you get to form the right habit.

“Everything is a habit.

“Leg spin is a habit.

“Hard work is a habit.

“And I love working hard.”

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/fea...istan-refugee-melbourne-university/2018-06-10

 

[Mainul]

Both Fawad Alam and Ahmed are unlucky players with so much potential.I feel sorry for both of them.