Pakistan stars bring cheer for labourers

Dubai: It was a huge boost for a group of labourers from Pakistan in the UAE. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), as part of their corporate social responsibility, reached out to these unsung heroes of the society by not only organising a tournament for them but also presenting the trophies and individual awards through members of the squad like Younis Khan, Wahab Riaz, Sarfraz Ahmad and Azhar Ali.

The cricketers on Friday noon turned up to watch labourers play at the Dulsco ground in Al Quoz. Though these cricketers came to cheer them on, the labourers instead cheered them all the way to the ground. The foursome, who played a stellar role in their country’s win over England, watched the action while some of the labourers emulated their styles while playing in a final between PCB Sharjah and PCB Abu Dhabi.

The PCB had organised the first two phases of the Labour Camp Cricket Match series across the UAE. The first phase was held on October 9-10 in Abu Dhabi, followed by second phase on October 15-16 in Sharjah at UNEC Sajja Labor camp. Teams from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah played each other in the final face-off and PCB Abu Dhabi emerged the winners.

The labourers were thrilled when Younis, their hero, interacted with them. He even borrowed a bat from them and batted against their bowling. For many, it was the joy of their lifetime to bowl to Pakistan’s highest scorer in Test cricket.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, who was keen to have such a programme to reach out to their huge cross-section of supporters, said: “There are plenty of labour camps across the the country, each housing thousands of workers. Many of the workers in these camps work for industrial companies, constructions sites and in contract jobs.

“Understanding the rigours and demands of hard labour, the PCB has aimed to recognise their dreams and aspirations by allowing them the opportunity to indulge in some entertainment, good sportsmanship and friendly competition. The PCB nurtures a very important dimension as part of its CSR program.”

Haier Mobile gave the finalists mobile phones as gifts while Al Fardan Exchange presented them Dh100 vouchers each.