Such are the wonders of modern in-flight technology, Matiullah Khan might not have had too much thinking time on the exhausting journey from Dubai to Guyana this week.
If he did have pause for thought, he might have considered just how far he has come in life. The 24-hour trip to the other side of the world is far from the longest journey he has made.
The seam bowler is part of the three-player UAE contingent in the Desert Vipers squad for the Global Super League (GSL) in Providence.
The tournament is a prototype T20 champions league, involving sides from the Caribbean, USA, Australia, Pakistan and – in the case of the Vipers – the UAE.
Star players abound. The Vipers are captained by Shadab Khan. Elsewhere, there are IPL stalwarts like Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd and Mohammed Nabi, plus internationals of the ilk of Imran Tahir and Michael Bracewell, too.
Matiullah’s celebrity is somewhat less starry. Now into his 30s, he has so far played a lone one-day international for the UAE, plus five T20Is, all spread across three years.
He appeared in just a couple of games for the Vipers as they won the ILT20 for the first time last season, but established himself as a well-liked squad mate in the process. And now he is part of their tour party in Guyana.
Competing for leg-room on a long-haul flight with such celebrated teammates is a world away from where it all started out for him.
Matiullah first moved to the UAE in 2011 with a view to providing for his family back home in a tiny village in Pakistan near the Afghanistan border.
He lived with his sister and brother-in-law, and found work driving trucks from near the Saudi Arabian border to the northern Emirates and back again.
“When I debuted [for the national team] in 2023 in Namibia, I had had 15 years of struggle in the UAE,” Matiullah said.
“I was driving trucks for 14 or 15 years, and I didn’t know that it would be possible to do something like this (play cricket for a living).
“That is hard work. I came here to work, and my family was waiting for my salary. I was earning Dh1,700 per month, and Dh1,600 of that I would send to my family.
“I had Dh100 in my pocket. Three or four times a week I was driving from Fujairah to the Saudi border and back again.
“All the time I was thinking, ‘How can I play cricket? How will I be able to achieve anything in cricket?’ It was a real struggle.”
Most people back at home suggested he was mad to even think about trying. Truck driving provided a steady income, which they were all dependent on, so why bother with cricket?
“When I came for the job here, some people in my family stood in front of me and said, ‘You cannot do this’,” he said.
“My relatives were telling me I had to focus on my job, so I could send money to them. They were telling me cricket was not good for me, and I would not be able to achieve anything.
“My thinking was that I will do something, and I will show them that I can do anything.”
Matiullah’s 13-hour shifts in the cabs of big delivery trucks did not allow much spare time for cricket. He managed to stay fit, played tape-ball cricket when time permitted, and caught the eye.
He graduated to the UAE national team in 2023 for a tour to Namibia. On the back of his involvement in that, he has played franchise cricket, too, even travelling as far afield as the United States for Major League Cricket.
It has earned him a more substantial income than previously. Rather than living hand to mouth as before, he is planning for the future.
Matiullah’s ILT20 wages have now helped him become a co-owner in two restaurants in Fujairah, and they have plans to open two more, too.
“I am a big fan of cricket and have a lot of love for it,” Matiullah said.
“If you are playing cricket and it is going well, then good. But if you suffer injury, then you cannot play any more. In my mind, I needed to do something in case I could not play any more.”
While his brother-in-law, Tahseen, who put him up when he first arrived in the UAE, is looking after the restaurant business, Matiullah can focus on his cricket.
For now, that is the GSL with the Vipers. They are a new-look squad. Matiullah is one of only four players who were involved in winning the ILT20 earlier this year, the others being his UAE colleagues Vriitya Aravind and Sanjay Pahal, plus Andries Gous of the United States.
There have even been a variety of changes in the planning for a tournament which fits awkwardly into the packed cricket calendar. There have been five changes to the 14-man squad that was initially announced.
Although there is speculation regarding the future participation of the Vipers in the ILT20, Matiullah says it feels like family to him.
“When I was travelling to the USA [to play for Houston Riders in MLC], it was 24 or 25 hours,” he said.
“I was thinking to myself about how much my life has changed. It has been about working hard and believing in myself, and thinking I can do it. It has been like a dream.
“Now we are playing in Guyana. Desert Vipers is like a family. I have played 13 or 14 franchises, but this is my favourite.
“I have been lucky to play for them. When I got my chance, I took Kieron Pollard’s wicket [for the Vipers against MI Emirates]. I am so excited, and so thankful.”
