UAE's big hitter keen to push the boundaries

Shaiman Anwar uses the examples set by his idols Shahid Afridi, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq by aiming for the fence every time he is on strike. That will be his approach as he leads the UAE national team in the World Cricket Division Two tournament.

Shaiman Anwar uses the examples set by his idols Shahid Afridi, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq by aiming for the fence every time he is on strike, writes Ahmed Rizvi

Many around the world are amazed at Shahid Afridi's allure and the frenzy he creates among the fans every time he steps out to bat. The obvious reason is his "Boom Boom" style of play.

There is a very primeval appeal to it - the batsman, a gladiator surrounded by 11 menacing foes, bludgeoning his way to victory, using his willow in the manner of a club. MS Dhoni epitomised it with that massive hit to seal India's World Cup win. Virender Sehwag symbolised it with a six to reach a triple century.

Shaiman Anwar creates a similar feeling among cricket fans in the UAE as the flag-bearer of the brash new brand of cricket. Among his legend is hitting seven sixes in an over (one off a no-ball) during a 37-ball century. He smashed 16 of them in another knock.

Those blitzes have created a fearsome reputation for the 32-year-old from Sialkot, Pakistan, and he has always batted like this, thrilled by the sight of a scoreboard changing at dizzying speeds.

"When I was in the eighth standard, I first started playing cricket," he said. "At that age you don't know much. Cricket was a passion and I wanted to play. As I started playing, gradually the interest grew.

"Some things are natural and then you develop watching the top cricketers. We used to watch Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar. Then Shahid Afridi arrived on the scene.

"So just watching these guys, and seeing the kind of interest their batting generates, I sort of wanted to follow in their footsteps. Allah has given me this talent and opportunity, and I wanted to avail of it.

"It would not take me much time to score 70 or 80 runs - hit a boundary and you get four runs, hit it over the ropes and you get six. So it all seemed easy and I was getting greedy for more.

"The more fours and sixes I hit, the more I wanted to hit them. Gradually, that became my routine, the nature of my batting and cricket.

"These days, hard-hitting batsmen, those who can hit the big sixes, get famous really quickly. Cricket has changed over the years, become faster. So that has benefitted me, I believe. We can play our big hits without any fear."

His belligerent cricket did not go unnoticed back home. Anwar made his first-class debut for Sialkot in the 2002/03 season. One of his teammates was Shoaib Malik, who would later go on to lead the national team.

Destiny took a different course for Anwar and brought him to the UAE. He would come here regularly to play cricket and soon he started getting job offers.

"I used to come here to play cricket and return home," he said. "During my visits here, I made some friends and they suggested I take up employment here.

"I said OK and I took up a job here, first with CSS [Consolidated Shipping Services] before moving to Yogi Group."

Anwar made an immediate impact, smashing an unbeaten 166 on debut for Young & Rubicam in December 2006. It was the first century scored on the new Al Dhaid ground.

Such innings became routine thereafter and officials of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) waited excitedly for Anwar to complete his four-year residency in the UAE, which would make him eligible for selection. He completed that last year and was promptly selected for the Intercontinental Shield final against Namibia in December.

His debut did not go well, with scores of 13 and two as UAE lost by six wickets, but Anwar has an opportunity to make amends in the International Cricket Council's World Cricket League Division Two, which starts today.

The UAE will be competing against Namibia, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong and Bermuda in the six-nation tournament. Teams finishing in the top four will receive ICC High Performance Grants, but the bigger prize will be a ticket for two sides to the eight-team Intercontinental Cup.

The team, with their new coach Kabir Khan, began preparations for this tournament in January and have just finished a four-day camp.

"During the last four days, our focus has been on getting the players match-ready," said C Sudhakar, the team physio. "So we have been starting at 10 in the morning and playing till 4pm - matches with powerplays and simulating match situations."

The UAE have also played two practise matches - against Bermuda and Uganda - and won both handsomely, with Anwar scoring 47 and 83.

As Anwar prepared for the tournament with his UAE teammates, his country of birth lost in the semi-finals of the World Cup to traditional rivals and eventual winners India.

Anwar, however, did not get much time to follow Pakistan's journey into the last four, balancing his job and training with the UAE team.

"You know how difficult it is - you have to work and come for the team nets, as well. So it's pretty busy … not much time for anything else during the day," he said. "I have been here for more than four years now and you gradually lose contact with people back home. There is not enough time for it, between your work and cricket."

Having a good, and cricket-crazy, boss has helped.

"Our boss, Shiva Pagrani, is really supportive of our cricket," Anwar said. "He is our director and also captain of the Yogi Group team. We are probably the best team in the UAE and credit for that really goes to him - the way he supports and encourages us always, and the opportunities he provides us.

"He has given us leave from April 1, even though the tournament starts from April 8. He has always made the players available for the ECB. Even if the Yogi team is scheduled to play a match, he has postponed that and allowed us to join the ECB squad."

Anwar accepts that he could have stayed on in Pakistan and perhaps got an opportunity to play for the national team, but insists the UAE are his team now and he is ready to repay the trust they have shown in him.

"I am a UAE cricketer now and I my only focus is doing something for this team," he said. "I am here now, my well-wishers are here, not in Pakistan, and I am proud to be playing for the UAE."