Pakistani Pacer Naseem Shah’s father has revealed that he used to beat the 19-year-old up for neglecting his studies. Naseem had led the Pakistan team to victory against Afghanistan with two consecutive sixes and propelled the team into the final.
In an interview with a private news channel, Naseem’s father said that “I beat Naseem many times for playing cricket, asking him to focus on his studies instead.” Until his matriculation Naseem’s father wanted him to go abroad for work.
“Naseem always had a lot of talent and when Naseem joined the national team, everyone was proud of him.” None of them were supportive of his cricketing career, only his brother would secretly give him money, he added.
The pacer’s father added that when his mother was alive, Naseem used to say that one day I will play for Pakistan. They used to laugh saying how will a man from Dir join the Pakistan team, Naseem’s father revealed.
He added that Naseem misses his mother a lot, who he said was his ‘biggest fan’. “He thinks of her and cries a lot. He says if mother was here, she would have been very happy to see me in the Pakistan kit.”
Talking about Pakistan’s victory against Afghanistan a couple of nights back, the pacer’s father said that “I prayed a lot for him in the match against Afghanistan. I felt like I was dreaming [when we won].”
He added that earlier he didn’t know what cricket was, what bowling and batting was. He found out when his son went [to play for Pakistan].
