Mohsin Kamal, the Cricket Romeo

“Who would you seek motivation from?” “What would keep you up all the time? “Where would you get that energy from? “Why wouldn’t you feel exhausted?” “How would you manage it all?” These are the five Ws and 1H of my life. Every day I wake up, I ask myself these questions. Obviously, not all days are same; days are like the 11 players of a local cricket team– some good, some bad and some just to fill spaces! But no matter how my days unfold, my answers to all these questions remain the same. I might need to pinch myself quite a few times to get up but I make sure once I’m up, I’m ready to roar– just like how James Anderson roars as soon as the new cherry is handed to him. Again, not all pitches are helpful nor are all the batters easy to deal with! Even the roar I make comes back to haunt me! It terrifies me! I feel numb! I feel lost! I feel nothing! But then when I’m about to lose hope, I recall what Ben Stokes did at Headingly and Kusal Parera did at Dublin! “Can my day be tougher th...

England and West Indies clashed in the first post-covid cricket series. Pic: ICC "Main nazar se pee raha huu, ye samaa badal na jaye. Tera aane kii khushi mein, mera dam nikal na jaye." I was singing this Hindi song on the evening of July 8. I am neither a music fan nor romantic; I do not listen to or read poetry, if that is what you got from the couplet.  My happiness owed to Kemar Roach, a West-Indies cricketer, running in to bowl for the first time after the longest break in the international cricket in recent history.  Wreaking havoc across the globe, the novel Coronavirus forced sports enthusiasts to contend with watching highlights. If you wonder why am I talking about a game while the world has bigger problems, let me ask you this: What matters to you the most? I am sure common answers will be parents or friends, or anything you love. And that is it: Love is love, and love is what matters the most. A pandemic, no doubt, offers complications. For me, too, several other ...

MOHSIN KAMAL 'Will work hard to make India comeback' SRINAGAR — The only international cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir , Parvez Rasool received the Lala Amarnath award for the best all-rounder in Ranji Trophy in the BCCI annual awards which were held today at Bengaluru. Following his trememdous performance in the 2016-17 Ranji season, Parvez Rasool clinched this award for the second time. Previously he was fecilitated with the same award in 2013-14 season. He finished the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 season with 629 runs and 38 wickets, making him a contender for the best all-rounder's award. Parvez Rasool expressed his joy over getting this award,"Firstly, all thanks to Almighty. It's really overwhelming to receive this award for the second time," Parvez Rasool told Kashmir Observer "Awards like these are surely morale boosting and helps you grow as a player," he added Parvez is looking to make a comeback in national side by doing we...

MOHSIN KAMAL T-20 tourney makes return after two-year hiatus SRINAGAR  — When Downtown Champions League- a franchise based T-20 tournament- started its journey in 2012, it had a fruitful inception. Its first three seasons brought to the table what T-20 tourney normally does. Top notch cricket , see-saw battles, close finishes, passionate crowds, and, more importantly, unearthing new talents. Players like Manzoor Pandav featured in the DCL to get themselves into reckoning. A sample of first three seasons suggested the tournament was here to stay and set to become vital cog of Srinagar ’s cricketing calendar. However, the tournament’s surge was halted due to horde of reasons. The tournament couldn’t be organised two years on the bounce much to the disappointment of players and fans alike. However, the organisers have decided to hold the tournament this season claiming that the upcoming edition will be ‘bigger and better’. “We had many issues to deal with and si...

MOHSIN KAMAL The duo had been making mark in various age-group tournaments and the latest selection comes after impressing selectors in the recently concluded camp held at Gurgaon Delhi. Five Jammu and Kashmir players were part of the camp, out of which Qamraan and Mujtaba got nod of the selectors to represent North Zone in the upcoming inter-zone U-19 tournament. Srinagar —The talented duo of Qamraan Iqbal and Mujtaba Yousuf has been picked for North Zone team that will take part in the BCCI’s U-19 Zonal Tourney. The duo had been making mark in various age-group tournaments and the latest selection comes after impressing selectors in the recently concluded camp held at Gurgaon Delhi. Five Jammu and Kashmir players were part of the camp, out of which Qamraan and Mujtaba got nod of the selectors to represent North Zone in the upcoming inter-zone U-19 tournament. Both the players have been on the selectors’ radar after impressing one and all in last couple of seaso...

MOHSIN KAMAL Sopore Super League Srinagar —At a time when T-20 cricket is ruling the roost, Cricket fraternity in North Kashmir ’s Sopore has decided to hold a tourney of relatively longer format. Kashmir is abuzz with T-20 tournaments with huge attraction, but Cricket lovers in Sopore have come up with something different to make cricketers have a feel of matches with longer durations. Doing away with the most popular format of the sport , Cricket fraternity will organise a tournament which will league matches spanning 35 overs per innings while knockout stages will have 40-over-a-side matches. One of its kind, the organisers say Sopore Super League will be “one of the massive tournaments North Kashmir has ever witness.” They say it will feature as many as 45 teams across the valley with Cricket fans getting a chance to see some of Kashmir’s biggest stars in action. It will be played at four different venues comprising Sopore, Baramulla, Bandipora and Handwara. ...

Interview • Dec 05, 2017 • Ahmad Omar Banday has emerged as the shining light to be earmarked as one for the future. Jammu and Kashmir’s run in Ranji Trophy 2017-18 was trademark J&K. Fractured with off-field controversies, selection dramas, demoralizing defeats, occasional victory and couple of players exhibiting, every now and then, they belonged to the league. Just one victory, one draw and four massive defeats is J&K’s report card for the summer. As has been case in the past, amidst this no show Ahmad Omar Banday has emerged as the shining light to be earmarked as one for the future. With senior batsmen failing to give respectable performances, Banday-22-just in his second season of senior cricket showed guts and skill to emerge as the highest scorer for J&K. The Srinagar born right-hander notched up 414 punctuated with a hundred and two fifties in six matches with a decent average of 37 to give some comfort to beleaguered fans. Coming into l...

  Parvez Rasool in Bangladesh:J&K skipper makes mark with his all-round brilliance Mohsin Kamal • Apr 27, 2017 SRINAGAR : Jammu and Kashmir star all-rounder and state’s lone international cricketer Parvez Rasool didn’t have an auspicious couple of months after making T-20 debut for India. He didn’t set world on fire in his maiden T-20 appearance for India against England. It went from bad to worse when his Indian Premier franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore decided to release him which meant the J&K skipper had to go under the hammer in the IPL auction. February auction didn’t have any good news in store for Parvez with none of the franchise showing any interest to buy him despite having a stellar Ranji trophy season. He had trials with Rising Supergiant Pune before the start of the tenth edition, but think tank preferred offie Washington Sunder over him. His IPL snub surprised one and all, but it didn’t mean Parvez was out of action. He was o...

Wanted: Cricket Academies In Kashmir (Representational Pic) Mohsin Kamal • Apr 18, 2017 Cricket might be the richest sport in the valley, but there is lot left to be desired to improve the sport at the grassroot level. Valley is in need of academies to nurture the aspiring cricketers at a young age. Srinagar: There is no denying the fact that cricket is not only the most followed sport in Kashmir, but richest one as well. There is a lot of money in the sport with Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association-the custodians of the sport-having massive funds thanks to being affiliated with the BCCI. With a fat purse at the disposal one would have thought of big stadiums and cricket academies in this part of the world. But, that isn’t the case. Not only is Kashmir bereft of quality cricket grounds, there are no cricket academies to cater to the needs of aspiring cricketers. Academies have become a fulcrum of any cricket culture but there is none in Jamm...

MOHSIN KAMAL KNOW YOUR CRICKETERS Aqib Nazir Mir- a 21 year old all-rounder from the town of cricketers- Bijbehara is one of the exciting talents going around in the state. A talented middle order batter and handy offie, Aqib plies his trade for South Kashmir’s premier Bijbehara Sports Club. He has also represented Amateur Cricket Club and Baba Reshi Lions in the Downtown Champions League. His CV includes representing J&K U-19 and U-23 teams with distinction. His coaches say Aqib is a safe pair of hands with a bullet arm and can field anywhere in the park. Physically very fit and quick Aqib started playing cricket by watching local cricket. Aqib first represented J&K at U-14 level when he was 12 years of age. After that he was selected for U-16 too. Good all-round show meant he was picked for U-19 side. In 2012-13 season, Aqib amassed 280 runs to go with his 21 wickets for J&K U-19 side. On back of his all-round heroics, he was called for Special N...

 MOHSIN KAMAL Mohsin Mufti Hussain is one of those cricketers who have abundant talent but yet to make most of it. Dasher at the top, Mufti is known for possessing a wide range of strokes and hitting them a decent strike rate. Mufti, 26, is considered to be fit for limited overs’ cricket. A good fielder anywhere in the park, the right hander is a part-timer offie. Hailing from South Kashmir’s cricket rich Bijbehara, Mufti comes from a family that has been attached with the sport since ages. His uncle is a former first class cricketer. There was never any doubt about his talent with the Bijbehara lad pocketing contract with a premier Srinagar based Amar Singh Cricket Club when he was just studying in the 9th class. Within no time Mohsin was picked for J&K U-17 side followed with him finding place in the U-19 and U-25 sides in the coming years. But his best moment came last season when he debuted for J&K senior side in 50-over cricket. Although his chanc...

MOHSIN KAMAL Amir Sofi-a 23-year old all-rounder-is another of those cricketers that cricket pundits have earmarked to do big things for Jammu and Kashmir cricket in the future. Sofi has shown all tools and skills in early age to make his presence felt. Hailing from Srinagar city’s Rainawari, Sofi has already found a place in J&K senior team. Sofi bats right handed and is inspired by Indian skipper Virat Kohli. He likes to be aggressive on the field and doesn’t mind exchanging word or two with the opponent players. Sofi is a multi-dimensional player who bowls tight off-spin. He can beat batsmen in the flight and keeps it simple and tight. Fielding is something that makes Sofi a complete package. He is athletic as anybody and has proven to be an asset to any side. Sofi’s has performed brilliantly in various age-group tournaments over the years. He first represented J&K in 2007 when he was selected for U-15 side. There was no looking back, becoming a regular fixture i...

MOHSIN KAMAL Jammu and Kashmir is loaded with a horde of spin-bowling all-rounders who have excelled well at various age-groups to make a name for themselves. The prominent one being the J&K’s only international cricketer Parvaiz Rasool. Parvaiz Rasool unsurprisingly has grabbed all the headlines, but there is another spin-bowling all-rounder who hasn’t done any harm to his reputation of being one of the most talented players in J&K’s senior team. Wasim Raza has gone quietly about his business over last couple of seasons to emerge as the reliable spinner who knows his trade well. Not only he can pick wickets, the left arm spinner can tie the batsmen down to force the false shots. He can tonk it big lower down the order that makes him almost a certainty in the playing XI. Raza hails from cricket loving locality of Zadibal. He picked up the trade from his brother who The twenty three year old Raza started playing cricket by watching his brother who was also a local...

MOHSIN KAMAL (mohsinkamal286@gmail.com) Golden city of Srinagar famous for many things like beauty, crafts, flowers, lakes etc has generated many sports stars in past and we hope will develop many more in future too. The example of current most talented sports star is the glamorous cricketer IMRAN HAROON. A name which you may have heard many times in past and will be continuously hearing in future. Imran Haroon born on 25th December 1988 is the current key player of J&K Ranji team. He is a right handed opening batsman who is currently one of the best batsmen available in State. Loaded with talent and ability Imran is a two dimensional player who can play both defensively and aggressively according to situation. The multi talented right hander started playing cricket at school level and there after represented J&K at almost all age-groups. His performance gained flies and soon he received a club contract. Imran came into limelight when he played a match winning kno...

MOHSIN KAMAL (mohsinkamal286@gmail.com) Srinagar: Zahoor Sofi commonly known as Zahya Sofi is well known in whole J&K for his heroic cricketing skills. Zahoor is a right arm fast medium bowler who is also handy lower order batsman. He is currently part of the J&K Ranji team. The 29 year old made his debut for J&K in 2009 Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Debut in 2013 against Himachal. In 2014 Zahoor was the highest wicket taker from North Zone and 5th best throughout the India in Domestic one day tournament. This year in two test matches, he picked seven wickets and also helped the team with his batting lower down the order. Zahoor started playing cricket when he was studying in 6th standard at school level. He used to bowl a lot and slowly he earned name in cricket and in 2003 he got a Club contract from a famous club from Srinagar UCC (United Cricket Club). After that he played for few clubs like ACC and now playing for Kashmir Gymkhana. Though Zahoor lacked ...

MOHSIN KAMAL (MohsinKamal286@gmail.com) The example of talent, hard work and hunger for success is what describes Mohammad Haziq Bhat. He is one of best young cricketer Kashmir has ever produced. Haziq who is presently the captain of Jammu Kashmir under 19 Team is well known in north Kashmir for his heroic cricketing skills. He is a God-gifted left handed middle order batsman, who also bowls right arm off-break. He is one of the best fielders in current JK under 19 Team. He is a complete package with sharp skill of an all-rounder and who knows he might be the next hero of Jammu Kashmir. Haziq was born on December 9, 1998 in the volatile Apple Town (Sopore) of Kashmir. He started his cricketing career by watching is father Bashir Ahmad Bhat who was one of the most prominent and talented cricketer of north Kashmir during his times. Haziq learned the game from his father and slowly started to believe that he can have a bright future in cricket. He used to spend hours w...

MOHSIN KAMAL (Mohsinkamal286@gmail.com) Well, almost every one of us may have heard his name but only few among us know him completely; the superstar of J&K Parveez Rasool. On 13th April 1989 a star was born in the family of cricketers at Bijbehara town which lies in the south Kashmir’s Anatnag district. Parveez started playing cricket by watching his father Ghulam Rasool Zargar who was a famous cricketer of his time and brother Asif Rasool who has represented J&K at higher levels. Apart from his father and brother Parveez learned game from his coach Abdul Qayoom who has played first-class cricket for J&K. Parveez started his cricket career at the age of 14 when he first time represented J&K at under 14 level. After that he represented J&K in several age-groups. His father saw a great talent in him and allowed him to play cricket professionally which most parents in J&K never allow their kids to. Due to unavailability of turf wicket in his district, Parv...