Sports News
Copyright © 2010 Queensland Muslim Times. All Rights Reserved.
BEING AT THE RIGHT PLACE at the right
time proved to be the key to securing the
interview with Pakistani Cricket team captain Mohammad Yousuf – not to mention the many hours of
Urdu lessons in early childhood.
In Pursuit of the
“Maulana”
When I heard that I might have the opportunity to interview the Pakistani cricket team while they were in Brisbane, I didn’t give it a second
thought. I jumped on the phone and, after a few calls, managed to get the number of the Pakistani cricket team manager Mr Abdul Raqeeb. He
was not very interested in talking to the press.He told me he had advised the team players against talking to any journalist.
“If they do talk to them, there is nothing I can do about it,” he said to me. I assured him that I just wanted to do a story about being a successful Muslim sports person for the Muslim community of Brisbane, hoping that I would gain some trust. It seemed as if it softened him as he gave me the details of where and when the
team would be training, once in Brisbane.
Excited about getting the interview I now had to quickly organize a babysitter for my two sons. The process of dropping and picking up and organising myself made me stop and wonder; what was I thinking? Mother of two, trying to get an interview with the Pakistani cricket team?! It had been a while since I had chased a
story for a newspaper. My husband stopped my outburst and reminded me that I was doing this for the paper, the readers: bringing a different story to them.
Next challenge was getting directions to the Gabba. It should have been least of
my worries as it was more important that I at least made myself familiar with the
sport that was the center of the story; cricket. Although I am a second generation
Pakistani, raised abroad, I had no understanding of cricket. As a matter of fact
until the phone call earlier in the week, I wasn’t even interested in cricket. So
I jumped online and typed “cricket for dummies” and sure enough, several web sites
with detailed explanations popped up. I skimmed through piles of information, everything
from biographies of players to reports on test matches dating back to 2004. The coach
had told me that I was able to speak to two of them: not everyone. Which ones did
I want to speak to? My photographer had done some homework and made a list of possible
candidates. Definitely; the Captain, and then Shahid Afridi; who seemed to be quite
popular. Next morning, as I dropped the kids at my in-
I am not sure why I thought the team would be waiting for the interview. It must have been my naïve nature that had the better of me, and not my experience as a freelance journalist. There was no sign of the manager at the entrance despite my several attempts to get him on the phone. The ABC journalist was there along with
reporters from the Pakistani news channel Geo TV. We all compared numbers, and while the others were complaining about not getting hold of Mr Raqeeb, I decided to send a text message
stating my plans. Two minutes later, Mr Raqeeb came, though; it wasn’t my text message that brought him out: it was the Geo TV reporters. Mr Raqeeb seemed
delighted to see the reporters from back homeand invited them to join him at the grounds, as he glanced at me, I quickly said in Urdu, “Aur me? What about me?”
He smiled and replied, “Oh, you are the one whose been hassling me!” Did I mention that I had phoned twice to confirm the time of the training? He escorted us to the grounds and we had permission to take pictures from the bench.
I realised that a step into the grounds didn’t necessarily guarantee any interviews so I decided to befriend Mr Abdul Raqeeb. I noticed that he did soften up as I conversed with him in Urdu about the team and their tour so far:
Do the players get to see much of Australia while they are here?
There is little time for touring: the players are busy training during the day and once finished, return to their hotel and relax. The Pakistani team has been touring for the past three months. “It is a long time away from home and the players miss their families, ” Mr Raqeeb said. He then asked me, “So, who did you want to speak to?” “Captain Yousuf,” I replied. “No, not the Captain,” he said, “Not the
Captain,” he reinforced. I explained why I was keen on the interview.
As a Muslim, how can we balance our Islamic way of life with a successful sporting career?
Mr. Raqeeb changed the tone of his voice. “First the youth need to get good education,”
he began. “I am talking about the youth in Australia,” I said carefully as I realised
that I had cut him off mid-
The Captain, busy training, didn’t see it, but as he ran closer I heard the manager call him again, this time by a different name: “ Maulana.”
The Interview
Mohammad Yousuf was previously known as Yousuf Yohanna, born a Catholic Christian from Lahore. Yousuf was very fond of cricket, like every Pakistani youth, and played street cricket till 1990. His fate changed when he played crafted shots in local matches and attracted attention of cricketers. Yousuf was selected for the Pakistan National Cricket Team in 1998.
In 2004 he officially announced his conversion to Islam, but not without causing controversy among the Christian Pakistanis who, up until now, had viewed him as their role model. Yousuf denied allegations that he converted because of
pressure from his fellow Muslim team players.Captain Yousuf has a very humble and calm personality. Although I was taking time away from his training he waited patiently as I formulated the question in Urdu, instead of English, as I had prepared. Mr Raqeeb had asked me to speak in Urdu. I would later discover that it didn’t matter whether you spoke in Urdu or English, Captain Yousuf would answer the question the way he understood it.
Jee, I wanted to ask how you balance your career with the Islamic way of life.
“In the Name of Allah the most Gracious most Merciful: I think if you want something in this life and hereafter, you have to be focused in everything you do: you have to be disciplined. This discipline will come from following the Deen,” Yousuf started saying. “When you pray five times a day, it requires a certain level of discipline,” he explained. “Regardless of the field of work you are in, or even if you are a student, you will benefit from praying. Salah is the best way to reach Allah
swt,” he said. “I strongly believe that it has helped me improve in cricket; in terms of batting and other aspects of the game.”
“You cannot separate Deen from Dunya. If someone thinks that if they follow the Deen, they have to separate themselves from this world, they are mistaken, because the two go together.”
You stand out from the team, where most of the players are clean shaved. Have you ever felt any peer pressure for having a long beard?
It is true that some of them don’t have a beard, but there is no pressure on me. They know they should be keeping a beard because it is mandatory for men in Islam to keep a beard. Maybe they are trying, but if they are not that is up to them. We are all trying our best to be good Muslims. As a team we often pray together on the cricket ground or at the hotel.
How do you feel about being separated from your family for long periods of time, and especially in these times, when there is turmoil in Pakistan?
There are no concerns. My family is in Lahore at the moment and they are doing well. I am here for work: if I do my work sincerely, Allah swt will aid me. I am going back to Pakistan in couple of weeks and then I will have lots of time with my family.
There wasn’t time for any more questions as Captain Yousuf had to leave for practice. He said he would return later to finish the interview. Later never came. At least not while I was there. I went on to discover that he had returned after
training and spoken to the Pakistani reporters, as had Younus Khan. However, the following day I had a chance to be at the press conference first with theAustralian and later the Pakistani media. Captain Yousuf was more relaxed talking to the
Pakistani reporters. The Pakistani journalists, although friendly with
the Captain, didn’t hold back their questions regarding team performance. They conveyed the message of disappointment from the Pakistani
viewers. I merely recorded the conversation.
What are your thoughts on the game so far?
“We are all disappointed about losing, but that was in the past. Most of the boys on our team areyoung and inexperienced, but I am very happy with the way they have performed ‘til now. We have had big names on the team previously but the results were same as you have seen till now: at least in these matches we fought a lot. We were in winning in Sydney at one stage, but the young side couldn’t cope with the pressure and so we lost. Overall our team’s performance has been good, but we will perform our best on the one day matches. Now that Younus Khan
and Shahid Afridi have returned, the team is more toughened.”
How will you motivate the team?
“There is no doubt that we have to motivate the team, and even I have to be motivated. We cannot give up or else we will definitely lose. We have to try from our side to perform at our best; the rest is in Allah’s (swt) hands. If we bowl well, then the results will be good too. We have won over Australia before – the record is not so bad.”
The reporter then went on to ask what message the captain had for the Pakistani viewers. Captain Yousuf urged the Pakistani media to handle the Pakistani public. He said, “I know that the situation in Pakistan is bad at the moment, but
please don’t relate this to the cricket.”
The Pakistani media has to encourage our young players instead of constantly putting them down. Tell us where we failing so that we can learn, instead of getting upset with us,” he said. “If you have a child and he makes a mistake you will tell him how to act in the right way: you wouldn’t nag him the whole day about the mistake he made in the morning. If you do, you will spoil him. The same applies for our young players. Each of them wants to play their best, but need the extra support.” “If we lose, support us, if we win then support us too, but it is at a time of loss you need your own to guide to you and carry you forward, and that is how a nation can stand strong.” The Pakistani reporter jumped up and defended the media by saying that they are only reporting what is happening on the ground. Yousuf responded that, of course, he was not saying otherwise, but the angle in which the story is presented, the tone of voice, that is what makes
the difference. “We urge any senior players, those who are here
or those in Pakistan to definitely tell us if we are making mistakes. Please tell us. The team isPakistan’s team, not mine.”
Can you give us some inside gossip? Some masala to add to our story?
“I won’t say anything untrue. I am saying whatever is there. There is no inside stories. No spice.” There must be something, the Pakistani reporter insisted?
“There is no spice; it is the spice that has ruined Pakistan,” Captain Yousuf said getting ready to walk away. As he was walking off the reporter jokingly asked him about the cartoon that had been drawn of him in which his captaincy was
criticized. To this he responded with a big smile “They can make whatever cartoons they want about me, I don’t mind.”