Ibrar Ahmad realising his dreams on and off the field after breakthrough Abu Dhabi T10 season

Fast bowler, who did odd jobs to sustain himself, made his mark for Deccan Gladiators and has now signed up for next month’s ILT20

Fast bowler Ibrar Ahmad impressed in the Abu Dhabi T10 and will now compete in the DP World ILT20 next month. Photo: Abu Dhabi T10

From playing tape-ball cricket in the streets of North Waziristan to bowling at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Ibrar Ahmad has come a long way in a short space of time.

The Pakistani quick was picked up by Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10, where he got to play alongside players like West Indies international Nicholas Pooran and England’s Jos Buttler. To top it all, his team went on to win the title last week. It is a memory that will remain with him for the rest of his life.

Making his debut for the franchise, Ibrar, 21, played a key role for the Gladiators by taking five wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 9.27 per over, which is very good in T10 cricket.

He also bowled a match-winning final over against Team Abu Dhabi, conceding just seven runs from two scoring shots to clinch a six-run win in the league phase of the competition.

That over was highlighted in the team meeting at the end of the game. Ibrar’s effort was praised by none other than Buttler, who said that he hadn’t seen anyone bowling six yorkers in the final over of a match.

“To hear that from an international cricketer like Jos Buttler was so encouraging and inspiring. It meant a lot to me and raised my confidence for the remainder of the tournament,” Ibrar told The National.

His performance in the T10 tournament didn’t go unnoticed as Abu Dhabi Knight Riders took him on board for the DP World International League T20 tournament in the UAE, which runs from January 11 to February 9.

“The ILT20 is a bigger tournament. Now that I have got the opportunity to play at this level, I want to make my presence felt with some good performances for my team,” he said.

Ibrar has had to work really hard to reach where he is today. When he arrived in the UAE, Ibrar had to work for a daily wage. But having grown up in the volatile Fata region in Waziristan, a territory bordering Afghanistan to the west, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to the north and east, and Baluchistan to the south, these were comparatively minor challenges.

Ibrar’s older brother, who worked as a labourer in the UAE for 14 years, arranged for him to relocate to the country and do odd jobs to earn a living until he landed on his feet.

“I never thought I’ll play cricket again because of the financial difficulties and hardships that I had to go through back home in Pakistan and the early days in the UAE. But all praise to Allah for changing my life,” Ibrar said.

Fortunately for him, his cricket resumed when he came in contact with UAE seamer Matiullah Khan, who lived in Bannu, a 40-minute drive from where Ibrar lived back in Pakistan.

“If it wasn’t for him, I would have ended up with a blue collar job in the UAE for the rest of my life,” Ibrar said.

He was introduced to the Abu Dhabi Cricket Council technical staff and here he got the opportunity to play for the state team in the Emirates Cricket Board conducted Emirates D series competitions.

“Since then, I have represented Abu Dhabi and won both the Emirates D10 and D20 titles. Then one thing led to another and I ended up playing full time in the domestic tournaments,” he said.

Ibrar was contracted by Seven Districts and played cricket for them full-time for six months before moving to his current job at Gems Education, where he is employed as a security guard.

Matiullah was impressed by Ibrar’s bowling from the outset. “I saw the potential he had when he bowled in the nets and asked the coaches in Abu Dhabi to have a look at him,” he said. “The rest is now history but I’m so glad he’s got this opportunity to play at a good level and lead a better life.”

Being in the UAE has allowed Ibrar to pursue his dream of playing cricket, while also supporting his family who have struggled for a long time. He hopes his UAE journey continues for as long as possible.

“All praise to Allah for changing my life and realising my childhood dream of playing cricket on the big stage,” he said. “I have struggled all my life and I came to the UAE not to play cricket but work and earn to support my family back home.

“Cricket is a favourite pastime of most youngsters in my village. Then came a time when if I had decided to continue with my cricket, I would have had to leave my village to join clubs in the bigger cities.

“My family couldn’t afford that and I gave up cricket and started working to support the family. My father encouraged and supported me to play cricket, but he didn’t have the means to send me outside our village to continue playing.”

But now, things are looking up. After working hard for a couple of years in the UAE, Ibrar can finally afford to enjoy a short vacation and spend time with his family.

“I haven’t been home since I arrived in the UAE two years ago. I have some money that I earned from cricket and my workplace and can afford to spend some quality time with my wife, two kids and the rest of the family,” he said.

“My older brother toiled in the UAE to support the family. He wasn’t in good health so I asked him to return home and be with the family and told him that it was my responsibility to carry on what he did, which I’m very glad to shoulder for as long as possible.”