Sharjah curator makes world record with 250 ODIs

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

Cricket Stadium chief curator Jamil Khan created a rare world record of making pitches in 250 one-day internationals at the same venue. Jamil has been rendering his services to the stadium for 47 years, since the first ODI was played at the venue between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 1984.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, which already holds the record of hosting the most number of ODIs, became the first stadium to touch the magical figure of 250, and so did Jamil.

Jamil has been associated with the stadium since it was built by Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, who is known as the pioneer of cricket in the Middle East.

Jamil has witnessed the rise and fall of many great teams and individual players. He can relate an anecdote with all the memorable matches and nail-biting finishes throughout the long history of the venue.

He was there when Javed Miandad hit the famous six off Chetan Sharma on the last ball of the match in the final of the Asia Cup.

He was there when Sachin played Desert Storm Knock—one of the most memorable innings in the history of ODIs. He scored two back-to-back centuries against Australia to help India qualify and then win the Coca-Cola Cup single-handedly.

He was also there when Aqib Javed took the infamous hat-trick against India. He was also there when Imran Khan claimed his best bowling figures of 6/14 against India, but Pakistan lost the match.

“It has been an honour to have been associated with such an iconic venue for so long. When I started my career here, never did I imagine that it was the beginning of such a long journey,” said Jamil.

“I am indebted to Abdul Rehman Bukhatir for giving me this opportunity and showing his trust in me. Pitches play a very important role, and it has to be made by someone who is trustworthy,” he informed.

“I have worked with honesty and dedication all these years. I also earned a lot of respect because of this work. I also became famous because of my work. Jamil hails from Lahore, but he has lived a major chunk of his life in the UAE. The veteran curator is on the verge of retirement after completing 250 ODIs.

“I was waiting to reach the magical figure of 250 ODIs. Now I think the time has come to call it quits and make way for the others. After my retirement, I will go back to Pakistan and enjoy life.”

When asked did he get any offer from any other ground or cricket board, his reply was in the affirmative.

“I got a lot of offers from many stadiums, even the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also wanted to hire me. But, I refused to switch my allegiance to anyone else because loyalty is a rare commodity, and I take pride in being loyal to my work and my employers,” he stressed.

He also revealed how he learned the art of making different kinds of turfs.

“I learned it from my seniors and with experience. When I came here, I was not the chief curator, but ever since the ODIs began in this stadium, I am making the turfs,” he added.

Jamil also revealed that he has taken the pictures with almost all the big stars.

“It was not easy to get a selfie with the stars in those days, as there were no mobile phones with cameras. Sometimes when we used to get a chance, there was no photographer.

“Imran Khan never used to give selfies. One day during a practice session, he came to me, asking for a stump. Luckily a photographer was standing there, so I requested Imran for a picture, and he agreed to honour it.”

He also said there is no pressure from the stadium or any host country to make tailor-made pitches.

“No. I have never been asked to make pitches that suit one team. There was always instruction to make sporting turfs that help bowlers and batsmen alike,” he concluded.