When Adil Khan gazes over the cricket pitch at Lambert Park, he sees a vision of a place that he hopes will one day host dozens of teams and spectators, all enjoying the game of cricket.
His dream is that cricket in Estcourt will continue to grow, being all-inclusive and luring in the younger generation. Adil (42) has been playing cricket for as long as he can remember.
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Whether it was as a little boy in the Pakistani village of Jhang or his backyard at home in Estcourt, the game has always held a special place in his heart. Adil relocated to South Africa in 2002 and moved to Estcourt a year later.
While working at his cellphone business, he met a coach from Aster who told him about the thriving cricket association in Estcourt.
“I was always interested in playing cricket in Estcourt. I used to come to the ground and watch the games with my brother. After I spoke to Ravi from Aster, he invited me to the games and soon I was part of the team,” explained Adil.
He joined Aster Cricket Club where he played for two seasons. He then joined the FoodZone team where he introduced other cricket lovers to the team. After a few seasons of playing for several teams, Adil and some of his friends decided to start their own team and are now playing for United Cricket Club.
Adil’s speciality is spin bowling, specifically off spin and leg spin, and he has become famed for his wicket taking, being recognised as the top wicket taken during the Round Robin Tournaments that are hosted by Umtshezi Cricket Association.
When asked what his secret is, he says: “A good bowler must know the batsman. Just by the way he stands; a bowler can decided where the ball must go, so that the batsman is unaware.”
His idol is former Australian cricket player Shane Warne.
“He is my favourite bowler. I watch his videos so that I can get tips to improve my own bowling,” says Adil.
Locally, he says that he admires the bowling and attitude of Colita Cricket Club player Amith Mangaroo.
“The entire team has a good spirit and I like that,” he adds.
One of the most memorable moments in his 18 years of playing cricket in Estcourt was during a Round Robin Tournament final.
“We were playing against Colita and we did not have any crowd support and it seemed like the crowd was against us. At that point I really wished that we would win and we did. That was a really good feeling,” Adil explained.
The seasoned cricket player hopes to see cricket blossom in Estcourt and says he is willing to put in the hard work to see this dream become a reality.
“We have such a lovely ground at Lambert Park, we don’t realise the value of it. It would be great if we could cut and paint the field and boundaries and put up benches for the spectators. Cricket is dying and we have to do something,” he concluded.
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