The journey of UAE cricketer Junaid Siddique who surmounted unbelievable odds to win accolades from legends of the game

By K.R. Nayar 

Junaid Siddique worked in a grocery store and on a farm to earn a living in the UAE. Playing with shoes gifted by his friends, he performed consistently and went to play international cricket for the UAE. In the recent Alubond Abu Dhabi T10, he finished as the third-highest wicket-taker, which included the wickets of legendary Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard

Junaid Siddique

UAE’s medium pacer Junaid Siddique, who repeatedly won matches for Northern Warriors in the just concluded Alubond Abu Dhabi T10, is an example of how a cricketer despite facing the toughest of challenges can go on to win applause from legends of the game.

Junaid, as he is addressed by all, got some of the best batsmen in the world who played in the Abu Dhabi T10 to struggle through his accurate bowling that had a lot of variations. His dismissals included the finest limited over cricket legends like Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard.

Junaid's journey to such an honour is a soul-stirring tale. There was a time when he had no money on him and had to seek help to get a small amount of Dh 10 ($2.80). 
His dream of playing cricket at the international level began from Multan in Pakistan.  

Junaid Siddique strikes 

Speaking to krbuzz.blogspot.com, Junaid narrated his tale. “I played for Multan at the district level and their Under-19 team. My performance got me picked to train at the National Cricket Academy, but financial pressures from my family forced me to discontinue playing cricket. Though many believed I was a promising bowler, there was no guarantee that I would be able to earn a living out of cricket. And the pressure from home was to earn a living. So that's when I arranged for a loan and managed to get a visa to come to the UAE in 2014.”  In order to earn a living for his family and chase his dream of playing cricket, he started work at a grocery shop as a helper and also worked on a farm.  

Junaid is thankful to the many cricket-loving friends in the UAE who supported him during his tough times. Through a fine performance in a friendly match for Fanatics Cricket Club, Junaid impressed everyone. “Fanatics Cricket Club supported me and I became a regular member of their team for all their matches. In one of the finals for Fanatics, I bagged nine wickets. IGM Cricket Club too picked me to play for them. My performances won me invites from many other clubs to play in tournaments. If not for these clubs and friends I would not  have been able to stay on and play cricket,” he said.

Most of his friends do not want to be named for any help they've offered him. “When I didn't have proper bowling shoes, my friends got them for me. They gave me a cricket kit and after I started making money playing in tournaments here, I was able to send money home.  Then my friends suggested that I attend the open selection trials for the UAE team.  That was how I got picked for the UAE team and even earned a contract in 2019. My life changed with coach Robin Singh Sir guiding me at every stage and encouraging me. He instilled self-belief in me. There was a time I had back pain and Robin Sir guided me to recover from it.”

Junaid went on to become the third highest wicket-taker in the Alubond Abu Dhabi T10 while guiding Northern Warriors to become the first team to win this tournament for a second time. Tips from experienced teammates like Wahab Riaz and Wayne Parnell boosted Junaid’s confidence. “Both of them advised me to stick to my strengths. My strength was to bowl my yorkers, and I did that. I also added more variety to my bowling by mixing effective slower deliveries. Mohammad Azharuddin (mentor of the Northern Warriors) taught me how to focus on the weakness in a batsman and exploit it.”

Junaid Siddique on arriving in Multan for a hero's welcome

Twenty-eight-year-old Junaid has many more dreams that he hopes will be realized as well. “From nowhere, I have played international cricket and played in six One Day Internationals and 13 T20 International matches for the UAE. One day I hope to be considered to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Caribbean Premier League (CPL). It will be special to be playing in front of my parents and friends in Multan alongside great international players,” he said before boarding a flight to Pakistan on Tuesday to share the joy of his T10 success with his family and friends.

Junaid Siddique with his father on reaching home 

“Robin Sir was kind enough to let me go to Pakistan for a few days since a busy season awaits us. I want to keep working hard and not miss any chances of getting more tips that can help me further improve my game. I want to be back with the UAE players since we all want to play in the 2023 World Cup. We have very good players like Waseem Muhammad, Ahmed Raza, Chirag Suri, Rohan Mustafa, Zahoor Khan and many other young and promising players, and we are sure to qualify and play in the 2023 World Cup,” said Junaid who received a hero’s welcome on reaching Multan.