Pakistani batsman Asif Ali proved his mettle once again by hitting four sixes in the 19th over in the 24th match of the tournament against Afghanistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Dubai on Friday.
Asif Ali, who has established his reputation as a power hitter in the last few matches, was declared Man of the Match in Friday’s game as he scored critical 25 runs in seven balls.
Asif Ali, who belongs to the Faisalabad District in Punjab, has a very humble family background. In a recent interview, he was seen talking about the early days of his struggle when he had to quit his blue-collar job to pursue his passion for the game of cricket.
During the interview, Asif Ali tells the interviewer that he was receiving a Rs5,000 per month salary when he was first picked to play at the national level a few years ago. He says though he was not part of the Playing XI, he was given a Rs55,000 cheque at the end of the tournament. He says he was so excited to see the cheque that he kept it in his pocket the whole night instead of keeping it at a safe place. He says he was not really sure what to with this “huge amount”.
Asif Ali says he was introduced to star Pakistani batsman, skipper and then coach Misbah-ul-Haq during a cricket tournament in Sargodha and this was the time when he got an opportunity to impress Misbah. He says that Misbah picked him from that point and gave him an opportunity to prove his batting skill in different cricket tournaments. He says Misbah has been taking care of his cricketing career since then.
During the interview, Asif Ali emotionally recalls how his brother sold his old motorcycle to a scrap dealer just for Rs5,000. He says he relied heavily on that old motorcycle for travelling during the early days of his struggle. He says one can image the condition of his motorcycle, which his brother sold to the scrap dealer just for Rs5,000 after he was able to buy a Honda 125 motorcycle.