Riyadh: Mangalorean teen Hisham Shaik - an emerging cricket star

P A Hameed Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network- Riyadh

Riyadh, Apr 13: Success never comes as one desires, one needs to put in hard effort and exertion to achieve one's goals. Many think that success is beyond their reach and sometimes they kill success before they even begin. A popular dictum - “Success is coveted by many, but achieved by few” lays the emphasis on the this point.
 
A shining example of hard work and success is Hisham Shaikh, a promising Mangalorean cricket teen, who was selected in the Saudi Cricket team for the international level. If a person hits a jackpot at a place where there is less or no prospect to achieve his goals, then it gains much more significance and lustre. It makes him stand taller than the average and expected.

Hisham has become a champ by pocketing this credit for the first time in the history of Saudi Cricket Team. He has been selected for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under-19 cricket team that is scheduled to tour Malaysia for playing in ACC U19 Elite Cup Malaysia (2014 World Cup Qualifying Tournament), to be held from May 1 to May 12.

He is the first Mangalorean, that too a young emerging star, who got chosen for the playoffs to be held in Malaysia based on his past successful track records of the matches held in Saudi Arabia. The selection was done after a ten-day camp in Jeddah.

The selection, which was tough and difficult, was based on various criteria like ICC eligibility, fitness, cricket knowledge and acquaintance. The Saudi Cricket Centre, which is the authorized body of the sport of cricket in Saudi Arabia, has made this selection.
 
He scored classy 120 runs in the qualifying match held in Jeddah. He then scored three centuries in the 2013 season with a batting average of 89 runs. He has been selected in the Saudi Team as an unparalleled opening batsman.
 
Hisham has been provided with a lot of opportunities in various parts of the Kingdom to prove his mettle as a brilliant cricket player at his very young age. He adopted his own style in his cricket play, inspired by the professional cricket players of international teams including of the Indian cricketers. His remarkable batting and bowling fashion leaves the cricket audience mesmerized. He is applying himself entirely in the right manner in order to get to in the all-rounder position at a fast pace. His cricket journey continued to be in top form when he was chosen for U-19 cricket team for the Saudi Cricket Talent Hunt Programme. The event, which was colourfully witnessed with the presence of the cricket celebrity Shahid Afridi, was organized in January, 2013 by the Royal Academy of Cricket in Riyadh under the International Cricket Council and Asian Cricket Development Programme.
 
He brought his IISR team U-19 to win the Saudi Gazette Inter-School Cricket Tournament Trophy in the final playoff that was held in Riyadh on January 31. IISR trampled the Pakistani International School Riyadh (PISR) severely in the final tournament and clinched the prestigious trophy.

Hisham showed amazing guts in the match scoring a dashing 104 runs that consisted of 10 fours and 2 sixes including a wicket.

He was declared 'Man of the Match' for his 104 runs and 'Player of the Tournament' for scoring 373 runs in 4 innings and taking 6 wickets in the tournament. He was awarded and recognized by the former captain of Indian Cricket Team, Mohammed Azharuddin, who was the chief guest on the glittering occasion of prize awarding ceremony.
 
Hisham began his cricket career at the age of 10. Since then, he has never looked back from this continous journey. He was exhibiting the game skills in the beginning itself. He represented the Middle East International School Riyadh (MEISR) in the cricket tournaments under the U-14 and bagged the Arab News Inter-School Championship Cup in 2010-2011. A cricket coaching was taken by him at Harrow Cricket Academy in London during his UK trip in 2010. Apart from the cricket, he is also gifted with sportsmanship and athletic flair as he play soccer for the local sports club. He won the prize for scoring ten goals in a tourney, which was held recently.
 
Hisham is also good at sports and takes part in various sports competitions. Being the member of IISR Athletic Team, he had represented the 'Cluster Meet-Saudi Inter-School Athletic Championship' in Jubail in 2012 and had been conferred with medals for Discus and Javelin throw. He had also represented the Saudi School in the Indian National Athletic Meet held in 2011 in Meerut India.
 
Hisham hails from Attavar, Mangalore in Karnataka. He is the son of Shaikh Akhtar, who is the senior resident of Saudi Arabia working for Arabian Healthcare Supply Co.(Olayan) Riyadh and is the Amir of Jamiyyathul Falah (JF) in Saudi Arabia and ex-president of JF Riyadh.
 
Here's wishing him good luck and hoping that he soon makes an entry into the Indian Cricket Team.