Dubai: Umaid Asif, who stunned Islamabad United with a lethal four-wicket spell in his Pakistan Super League debut match for Peshawar Zalmi, has made his elder brother and UAE batsman Faizan Asif very proud. Interestingly, Umaid had often flown in to play alongside his brother in the UAE’s domestic cricket for Ibsons Cricket Club and he had even bagged the best bowler award in the third edition of the SuperStars T20 tournament in Dubai.
A consistent performer on Pakistan’s domestic cricket circuit, the 33-year-old Umaid has been playing without a break for a while now. He finished as the highest wicket-taker in Pakistan’s national T20 tournament in November last year. Then came the call from the Peshawar franchise as they sought an able replacement for Hasan Ali, who suffered an ankle injury. Umaid grabbed his first chance with both hands and has already proved that he has all the makings of a matchwinner.
Speaking to Gulf News, Faizan said: “I am so proud of my brother. He has shown that working hard is the best way to achieve one’s goals and he is an example of not giving up despite the toughest of circumstances.”
Faizan, a left-handed top order batsman, is one who never gave up his dreams of playing international cricket despite having to leave Pakistan to earn a living. He is employed with Emirates Islamic Bank in Dubai. “Being a fulltime banker, it was not easy to play like a professional cricketer while managing a full-time job but my passion towards the game gave me the chance to represent UAE in Twenty20 2015 World Cup squad.”
Umaid too never gave up his studies despite his passion for cricket and is employed with State Bank of Pakistan as a chartered accountant.
When Umaid was sought out by journalists on Saturday, he said: “I came to Lahore [from Sialkot, where he was born] and, while pursuing my studies for chartered accountancy, I played club cricket too. I feel my performance against Islamabad is the result of working hard and performing well on the ground.”
Faisan described his brother’s winning attitude. “Umaid has been always been very determined and focused from a very early age. He has grown up seeing cricket within our family and started his club cricket in Lahore. He is labelled as a genius in cricket circles due to his intelligence, strong determination and hard work, something I believe can work towards achieving goals. For me, my brother has been a source of motivation and whenever we meet, we motivate each other as it has never been as easy journey for us and we had to face lot of hardships.”
When asked whether he hopes to play for Pakistan one day, Umaid said: “I will take one game at a time and give my best. I will stick to my natural variations in bowling, like I did in the Pakistan national T20 tournament, to pick up wickets.”
