Know About Pakistan’s Iconic ‘Chacha Cricket’

Producer: Peuli Bakshi

Pakistan’s 73-year-old Chaudhry Abdul Jalil has gotten the title of ‘Chacha Cricket’, due to being an exceptional cricket enthusiast. 

He has travelled every corner of the globe to support the Pakistan cricket team, and witnessed three generations of players play.

He attended a massive number of over 500 international matches at numerous stadiums in several parts of the world.

His first witnessed international match was a Pak vs Eng bout at Lahore Stadium in 1969. He was 19 then.

However, from 1973 to 1993, he got detached from cricket, as he worked as an assistant foreman at an Abu Dhabi water-pumping station.

In 1994, the avid cricket fan was back. His hype and enthusiasm in the Austral-Asia Cup at Sharjah won hearts.

In 1996, Pakistani cricket fans’ love for ‘Chacha Cricket’ made the the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) offer him to become the official cheerleader for the team.

However, after changes in PCB members took place, the traveling cheerleader concept no longer received their support. But Chacha kept going.

In 1986, in an Ind vs Pak match at Sharjah Stadium, Javed Miandad’s match-winning six landed where Abdul was sitting. His reaction got televised and he got popular. After that, he never missed any match held in that stadium.

In 1999, Chacha sold his Sialkot house for 15 lakh Pak ruppees, to travel to England for the World Cup when the PCB and everybody else refused to sponsor him.

He said it was a sacrifice he was willing to make to support his country on international grounds. His unparallel devotion towards cricket is iconic.

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