Imtiaz and Sultan get Gayle’s wicket as a reward for their hard work with determination

By K.R. Nayar 

The tale of Imtiaz Ahmed from Uttar Pradesh (India) and UAE's Sultan Ahmed, both of whom picked the wicket of the legendary Chris Gayle in the ongoing Alubond Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, is one of grit and resolve. It was an apt reward for these two bowlers who have consistently worked hard over the years facing many challenges

Imtiaz Ahmed

Hard work with determination is always rewarded. Two cricketers Imtiaz Ahmed and Sultan Ahmed playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 realised it when they picked the prize wicket of Chris Gayle in the ongoing Alubond Abu Dhabi T10 tournament. To dismiss Gayle, the greatest batsman in limited over cricket, is an honour they will cherish forever.

Imtiaz Ahmed hails from India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Opening the bowling for Deccan Gladiators against Team Abu Dhabi, he clean bowled Gayle with an accurate yorker. It was a reward for this thirty-five-year-old medium pacer’s years of hard work which often went unnoticed. So thrilled was he that in the same over he also clean bowled Paul Stirling, another star player.

The tale of these two cricketers is one of devotion and determination with a never-give-up-attitude.

As soon as Imtiaz produced those deliveries to remove Gayle and Stirling, many wondered who this bowler was since he had beaten two of the finest hard hitters in the game. Very few know that Imtiaz is not new to playing in the UAE. He had played in the 10PL tennis ball cricket tournament in Sharjah for SJA Shipping last season, and had produced a deadly spell in the semifinal to scalp four wickets from his two overs.

Imtiaz made his Ranji Trophy debut for Uttar Pradesh against Tamil Nadu under the captaincy of Piyush Chawla and had bowled along with Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Through consistent performances, he had once got picked into the India A team against West Indies and New Zealand.

Imtiaz’s hard work and consistency also resulted in him getting picked for the Indian Premier League by Pune Warriors in 2011. Later, he was also picked by Chennai Super Kings. Unfortunately, he did not get opportunities to display his skill. He made his T20 debut in 2009 playing under the captaincy of Mohammad Kaif. Imtiaz has bagged 138 wickets in first-class cricket and retired in 2019 after taking four wickets in a Ranji Trophy match against Assam.

Getting Gayle's wicket was something he never thought would be possible, but this is an example of cricket rewarding players who never stop playing and continue to give their best in any form of cricket.

Sultan Ahmed 

UAE’s left-arm spinner Sultan Ahmed, who plays for Qalandars, had Gayle caught by Sohail Tanvir at deep backward square leg. Thirty-one-year-old Sultan has been consistently performing in domestic cricket since moving from Pakistan to UAE in 2013. He went on to clinch a place in the UAE national team as well.

Sultan was playing departmental cricket in Pakistan and had dreamt of playing for his country, but never got the break. In 2017, he realised his dream of playing international cricket when he got picked into the UAE team to play in T20 international matches. His never-say-die attitude has helped him represent UAE in 22 T20 Internationals. Last year, he made his One Day International debut for the UAE against Zimbabwe. The confidence and honour of having taken the wicket of Gayle will surely boost his confidence and one can expect many more deadly spells from this spinner in the future.