Speaking to PakPassion.net, Sadaf spoke of the pain of dealing with his mother’s death and the feelings of despair which lead him to contemplate the abandonment of his cricketing career

By Saj Sadiq

 

Twenty one year old pace bowler Sadaf Hussain’s cricketing career has so far been full of proud moments and happy times. The Chakwal born left armer who plays for Rawalpindi was selected for the limited overs part of Pakistan’s tour of the Caribbean earlier this year, despite only a handful of first class appearances.

Hussain, was originally one of the reserve players named by the selectors when they announced the team for the West Indies after a prolific Quaid-e-Azam season, capturing 64 wickets, with a then career-best haul of 6 for 40, but he was called up to the squad after Aizaz Cheema was declared unfit.

Whilst Hussain did not play any matches on the tour of the Caribbean, he mentioned in an earlier interview to PakPassion that he thoroughly enjoyed the experience of touring the West Indies and particularly savoured the opportunity to work with legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis who was the coach for that tour.

However with highs, come lows and unfortunately Sadaf’s world came crashing down recently when his mother passed away.

Speaking to PakPassion.net, Sadaf spoke of the pain of dealing with his mother’s death and the feelings of despair which led him to contemplate the abandonment of his cricketing career

“I cannot describe how painful and difficult the experience was. I miss my mother terribly, I miss her so much, I remember her all of the time, but it was the Almighty’s decision to take her away from us and there is nothing I or anyone else can do to change that. She was suffering from Hepatitis B.”

“After my mother passed away, I was so broken hearted and distraught that I wanted to give up cricket for good. I decided that I would not play cricket ever again. It was my mother’s wish that I should play first class cricket and also her wish that one day I would play for Pakistan, so after she passed, I thought she is no longer with me and I was so upset that I just wanted to give up cricket, as she was not there to support me.”

Sadaf explained how other family members then convinced him to recommence his training and start playing cricket once again.

“My father and other family members convinced me to start training again and reminded me that it was my late mother’s dream for me to become a first class cricketer. Even then I was unsure, However, my father spoke with me at length on this subject and convinced me, so I agreed to recommence playing cricket.”

“I believe that my late mother who always prayed for my success will be looking down upon me and will continue to pray for my success in future and God willing I will make her proud in years to come.”

Sadaf’s return to first class cricket could not have been any better. 4 wickets against National Bank in his first match back was followed by a superb performance in the recently concluded Quaid E Azam Trophy match against Habib Bank. In this game, Sadaf produced match figures of 15 for 154, including 9 for 37 in HBL’s first innings. Sadaf’s first class statistics make interesting reading, having taken 109 wickets in only 20 matches, at an extraordinary average of just over 16 apiece.

“The match against Habib Bank went well from a personal perspective but unfortunately the most important statistic is that we lost. Our batsmen struggled in both innings and none of the top order really got going. In the first innings we managed a lead, but in the second innings we fell well short of the target of 330 that we were chasing.”

Sadaf also spoke of his intentions to have a strong domestic season this time around and his hopes of playing for Pakistan in future.

“Last season was my first full season in domestic cricket and it was very beneficial for my development as a cricketer. In your first full season in domestic you learn so much, you play against opposition that has a wealth of talent and experience and it’s a fantastic experience. This time around I am a bit more comfortable with my surroundings and at ease."

"I also feel that whilst I am still learning the art of bowling, I am a lot more mature bowler than last season. I’m putting in the hard work, working with the coaches at Rawalpindi and it’s definitely paying off. My partnership with Nasir Malik at Rawalpindi is flourishing and it’s great to have such a wonderful bowler in the same team. We help each other on and off the field and are both developing our bowling and hope to continue to improve in the coming months and years.”