People believe that celebrities are born on cricket grounds. Well, it is true. The sport has introduced the world to numerous unknown faces that are considered the heart of Cricket. Cricketers are wholeheartedly thankful for the opportunity, for the facilities provided, and most importantly, for the hardships they faced before and they no longer have to face. Not all are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Some need to struggle every minute to earn respect. In this article, you will be amazed after reading the story behind the success of cricketers. Here I present a list of the Top 10 Pakistani Players before they were famous.
1. Rameez Raja
The former cricketer and commentator Rameez Raja graduated from Atchison College in Lahore and amended the MBA from Punjab University. After completing his MBA, he was offered his first job as a Banker in America Express Bank. While doing his job, Raja took a chance by participating in a selection tournament to express his dedication to the sport. Fortunately, the PCB included him in the National Team of Pakistan. His performance credited the Pakistan Cricket Team with a highly talented player for themselves. Further is history created by Rameez Raja on the grounds of Cricket.
2. Saeed Anwar
Saeed Anwar is one of the finest batsmen known globally who is addressed respectively in international cricket. Initially, Anwar was set to leave the country and settle in the USA after completing his graduation and opting for engineering as his career. But somehow, the dedication he had towards Cricket made him perform for the country and earn the record of the only cricketer to score the highest number of runs in ODI’S for 13 years. However, the record was broken by Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar later. He was also ranked number one as a Wisden Cricketer in 1997.
3. Imran Khan
Imran Khan, the current Prime Minister and the former cricketer of Pakistan, had always been in the spotlight from his young days. Imran Khan did his graduation in Politics and Economics, Philosophy from Keble College, Oxford . According to the PCB and International cricket players, Imran Khan is the most successful captain and an immense all-rounder. Besides, he is also an excellent politician according to them. He is famous for his significant captaincy in the year 1992 when Pakistan won the World Cup.
4. Mohammad Irfan
Mohammed Irfan, the tallest bowler (7’1) of Pakistan Cricket Team, was raised and brought up in a low-income family and, hence he was an employee at PVC as a laborer. Later, he had been promoted as the foreman in the industry. In an interview, the bowler opened up to the questions asked about his past life where he said that he earned enough to serve his family, and that made him quite happy. But somewhere, his love for cricket was quite immense that he wanted to play for the National Cricket. He also added that playing for the national team is undoubtedly a dream of every amateur cricketer.
5. Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram, the Sultan of Swing, was born in an upper-middle-class family, and his father was a successful businessman during his time. He completed his master’s in fine arts from Islamist College, Lahore. Akram was highly obsessed with the sport table tennis. He was part of a local sports club, and there, his attention was grabbed by the state and international cricket selectors. He decided to try his luck, and so he participated in trial matches and got selected. Thus, Akram played in all formats of the game and now he is a world-known former Pakistani cricketer and a coach.
6. Sarfaraz Ahmed
Sarfaraz Ahmed completed his graduation from Dawood University of Engineering and Technology and was majorly focused on planning his career in Electronics and Engineering. However, he was playing Cricket side by side for fun. He was selected in the National Team under 19 by ICC in the 2006 World Cup and entered the limelight after his astonishing debut performance in ODI as a wicket-keeper. Since then, the life of Sarfaraz Ahmed took a considerable turn and led him to the grounds of Cricket. The cricketer is proud that he decided to invest all his time and work hard for his talent.
7. Mohammad Yousaf
Mohammed Yousaf was born in Lahore, Punjab, in a lower-class family. Before converting to Islam, his official name was Youhanna. Professionally, Yousaf was a junior tailor. But, his deadly passion for Cricket led him to exceed his limit. He was selected in a local cricket club, where he scored a century in his debut match. Later, he was a part of the Pakistan National Cricket Team and is considered one of the crucial players.
8. Anwar Ali
Anwar Ali, who is a famous and successful all-rounder champ, had been through a lot of hardship. He was born in a destitute family who stayed in the terror-struck village, Zaka-Khel Swat. Later, he moved to Karachi with his family. Because he lost his father at a very young age, Anwar had to work as child labor to earn a living for his family. He worked in a sock manufacturing industry and earned PR 150 daily. Luckily, the Local coach Azam Khan saw him playing and brought him for his first trial matches. After consistent training, Anwar finally got a slot to play in the team.
9. Junaid Khan
The Young fast bowler of Pakistan has never been vocal enough about his past life. However, he was born in a respected family who runs a Tobacco business. Junaid completed F.sc in Swabi. Once, a picture of a boy selling rugs went viral on social media claiming that it was Junaid Khan. However, this news has never been confronted or clarified by Junaid Khan himself.
10. Wasim Raja
Wasim Raja was born with a silver spoon in his mouth because he was born in a wealthy family where his dad was associated with politics. His father worked as a high-level civil servant. The cricketer completed his masters in political science from the Government College in Lahore. Wasim Raja is the elder brother of the famous former cricketer, Rameez Raja. Wasim quickly got access, and was selected in the national cricket team of Pakistan and soon, he also entered the international cricket team and became an icon of Pakistan.
