Exclusive: It's the result of my late mother's prayers, says UAE T20 World Cup star

Every time Zahoor Khan took a wicket for the UAE at the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, he pointed to the sky and opened his palms for a prayer — an emotional tribute to Farhad Bibi, his late mother.

Farhad Bibi's biggest wish in her life was to see her son, who had been deprived of recognition in Pakistan, play in a World Cup.

The Faisalabad-born Zahoor once excelled alongside Test stalwarts Misbah ul Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, the Akmal brothers (Kamran, Umar and Adnan), Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam in Pakistan's first-class cricket.

"You can check my records, I played well in domestic cricket. But I became a victim of politics. Once I was dropped from my team even after taking six wickets in the previous match," Zahoor recalled, while talking to the Khaleej Times.

But Zahoor found solace in the constant messages of support from his mother who became the biggest source of strength in his life

Armed with the power of his mother's prayers, Zahoor left Pakistan for the UAE to chase his dream in 2012 .

"My biggest dream in my life was to play in a World Cup. This is what my mother always wanted," he said.

Zahoor is not only a World Cup player now, he has also left an indelible mark in Australia.

For the record, Zahoor took five wickets from three matches with an economy rate of 4.75.

But it was his exquisite reverse swinging skills, highlighted by his two dream yorkers that rattled the stumps of Namibia's Jan Frylinck and Zane Green, that earned him a lot of admirers.

Zahoor also delivered a stifling 19th over to help the UAE overcome a stirring Namibian fightback for the country's first-ever win in a T20 World Cup match

But an inspired David Wiese (55 off 36 balls) and Ruben Trumpelmann (25 not out) were not the only obstacles in front of him.

Zahoor was also hampered by a calf injury as he came on to bowl the make-or-break 19th over with Namibia needing 20 off 12 balls.

"If I had given away 10 runs in that over, it would have been much easier for Namibia. So I decided to bowl the cross-seam yorkers. But I was in pain due to the calf injury. There was a lot of pain and stress on my legs," he said.

"But I just wanted to bowl and help my team. And thanks to the Almighty, I gave away just six runs. (Muhammad) Waseem had 14 runs to defend in the final over and we won the match."

Zahoor forgot the pain when he saw the wild celebrations and ecstatic faces of his teammates.

"It was the first-ever win for the UAE in a T20 World Cup match. It was such a proud moment for the whole team," he said.

In the previous game against Sri Lanka, the 33-year-old pacer produced a staggering 14 yorkers out of his 24 deliveries.

Just moments after Karthik Meiyappan, his young teammate, took a stunning hat trick, Zahoor got two wickets in the last over of the Sri Lankan innings while giving away only three runs.

But it was what happened after the match that would remain etched on Zahoor's memory.

"I was surprised when Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Mahela Jayawardene came up to me after that match" he said.

"They said they really enjoyed seeing me bowl those yorkers. Hearing those words from them made me very emotional as the memory of my mother kept flooding back. I really missed her in that moment."

Zahoor's mother passed away in early 2020 while he was in Oman on a cricket tour.

"It was my mother's dream to see me in a World Cup. If she was alive today, she would have been so proud to see her son play and perform at the World Cup," he said.

Zahoor says he has a lot of people to thank for where he has reached today.

"My father and my wife have always backed me. I will always be indebted to them for their support. And I can never forget the people who supported me after my friend (Mohammad) Hafeez asked me to move to the UAE and play for Mr Anis Sajan's Danube Cricket Club", he said.

"But whatever I am today, it's because of my mother's prayers. She was my biggest supporter since the day I started playing cricket And that is why I say a prayer after I take a wicket. It's for her eternal peace"

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