It is actually a curse to play for a side that already possesses world-class cricketers like Rashid Khan. One has to go the extra yard to get noticed and receive due credit. Nevertheless, it is awe-inspiring and great for the cricketing world that a team once considered underdogs is now unearthing classical and exceptional cricketers. Noor Ahmad is probably the next big thing for Afghanistan and world cricket, and his recent performances surely prove what has been said above.
Cricket is Noor’s ishq (intense devotion). And it is evident from the fact that his parents moved to Kabul from their hometown Khost in order to adapt to their superstar son’s hectic schedule.
“A few years ago, who could have thought I would be here? With talent, hard work and family support, I’m here today,” Noor tells ESPNcricinfo. And “here” for him is everywhere. From Chennai (IPL) to Dallas (MLC) to Manchester (Hundred) to Gqeberha (SA20), Noor has been living out of a suitcase.
And until now Noor has kept cricket his first love, his first priority, as he can count those days on fingers which actually he has not spent playing cricket. The 20-year-old is upbeat for the Asia Cup. The last few weeks have been tiring for him as regular practice sessions and then he played the tri-series too but Noor doesn’t complain when it comes to playing cricket.
“I’m still young, the body can take it, no problems for me,” he says with a smile.
“Cricket is what I love. I can’t stay without playing cricket. Yes, travel-wise, it’s been a tough few months. I haven’t got enough rest, but I’m still enjoying it. The body is feeling good.”
“Actually, one week off after the IPL at home, no nets, no cricket. After the IPL, I got that time at home. But you see, I can’t stay without cricket for more than one week. I started bowling again.”
The journey of Noor wasn’t a smoother one. According to him, when he was younger, in his teens, he had to wait in lines to bowl just one ball in the academy.
“When my brother first took me to an academy, when I was 12, I remember standing in long lines, getting to bowl just one ball every ten minutes. Because there were so many bowlers. Most of them spinners.”
But then there came one special moment that kept noor going. Afghanistan batter Noor Ali Zadran faced him during one of the sessions and ended up saying “You are very good, keep going.”
“That was the indicator for me, maybe I have something,” Noor says. Slowly, more and more national players came to the camp, and Noor bowled to them all. “Some I even got them out,” he says. “Then they all told me, ‘Don’t leave cricket, you have a bright future’. That motivated me so much.”
Noor had to skip schools to be good at cricket, while his father did not find this idea captivating, his brother helped him through and through.
“First in my class till I was there,” he says. “Then I started to go to the academy, thanks to my brother who also loved cricket but couldn’t take it up professionally.
“When I missed class for a few days, the teachers and the principal came to my dad and asked what had happened. They told him I had started playing cricket and should come back to the school as I had a good future. My dad agreed with them. It was hard for my brother to convince my father but he asked him for some time.”
Noor seeks inspiration and advice from his captain Rashid as he is his go-to-person whenever he wants to ask or learn.
“Whenever I have questions, or want to chat, or need to share with someone, Rashid is the first person for me to go to,” Noor says. “I try not to think too much about bowling, but whenever I have something that I must share, I share with him.”
Noor finished this IPL season as the second-highest wicket-taker, and he was equally impressive in the recently concluded tri-series. He stood out particularly against Pakistan, where he did not concede a single boundary. If Noor manages to maintain this level of consistency and brilliance in the Asia Cup, it could mark the beginning of a new era for this young man in the world of cricket.
