Chacha Cricket
Encyclopedia
Chaudhry Abdul Jalil aka Chacha Cricket is one of Pakistan
's most ardent and famous cricket
mascots and fans. Translated from Urdu
, "Chacha Cricket" literally means "Uncle Cricket". He was born in Sialkot
, Punjab
on October 8, 1949.
Jalil is regularly seen as a spectator at cricket matches involving Pakistan
. He is easily recognized by his white beard, his full green shalwar kameez
dress and his white cap decorated with a sequined star and crescent moon. He is always armed with a Pakistani flag
and initiates many crowd chants.
His second name is Chacha Zaheer, In the 1980s, Jalil used to work in Abu Dhabi
, United Arab Emirates
. He gained popularity by regularly attending cricket matches held in Sharjah
wearing a green dress with a white star and crescent on it. He later resigned from his job and began to follow the Pakistan national team around the world on a full-time basis. Fellow Pakistan fans began to recognise him and he came to be known as Chacha Cricket. As his fame increased, the Pakistan Cricket Board
hired him and currently sponsor him to travel around the world following the Pakistan team.
While his support for Pakistan is very strong, he remains good-natured and is also a popular figure amongst opposition fans such as England's Barmy Army
.
In March 2009 he was on this way to Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium
to watch the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, however the Sri Lankans along cricketing officials were attacked by the terrorists
and the match abandoned.
Having watched the first two days' play, Jalil was on his way back from his home town of Sialkot
to bring cakes and sweets for Sri Lankan opener Malinda Warnapura
's father, Upali. The two had been watching the cricket in the stands together, following the attacks Jalil said he was praying for the future of the game in the country.He is a great man of cricket
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's most ardent and famous cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
mascots and fans. Translated from Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, "Chacha Cricket" literally means "Uncle Cricket". He was born in Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
on October 8, 1949.
Jalil is regularly seen as a spectator at cricket matches involving Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
. He is easily recognized by his white beard, his full green shalwar kameez
Shalwar kameez
Shalwar kameez — or salwar kameez or shalwar qameez — is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in South Asia and Central Asia. Shalwar or salwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic...
dress and his white cap decorated with a sequined star and crescent moon. He is always armed with a Pakistani flag
Flag of Pakistan
The national flag of Pakistan was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, just three days before the country's independence, when it became the official flag of the Dominion of Pakistan. It was afterwards retained by the current-day Islamic...
and initiates many crowd chants.
His second name is Chacha Zaheer, In the 1980s, Jalil used to work in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. He gained popularity by regularly attending cricket matches held in Sharjah
Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium
The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium is in the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It was originally constructed in the early 1980s and has been much improved over the years...
wearing a green dress with a white star and crescent on it. He later resigned from his job and began to follow the Pakistan national team around the world on a full-time basis. Fellow Pakistan fans began to recognise him and he came to be known as Chacha Cricket. As his fame increased, the Pakistan Cricket Board
Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board is a sporting organization that is responsible for governing all professional cricket including Test cricket and One Day International matches played in Pakistan...
hired him and currently sponsor him to travel around the world following the Pakistan team.
While his support for Pakistan is very strong, he remains good-natured and is also a popular figure amongst opposition fans such as England's Barmy Army
Barmy Army
The Barmy Army is a semi-organised group of English cricket fans which arranges touring parties for some of its members to follow the English cricket team on overseas tours...
.
In March 2009 he was on this way to Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium
Gaddafi Stadium
Gaddafi Stadium is a cricket ground in Lahore, Pakistan. It was designed by Daghestani-born architect and engineer Nasreddin Murat-Khan who also designed Lahore's Minar-e-Pakistan and constructed by Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company in 1959. Following the ground's renovation for the 1996 Cricket World...
to watch the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, however the Sri Lankans along cricketing officials were attacked by the terrorists
2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team attack occurred on March 3, 2009, when a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers, part of a larger convoy, was fired upon by 12 gunmen, near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. The cricketers were on their way to play the third day of the second Test against the...
and the match abandoned.
Having watched the first two days' play, Jalil was on his way back from his home town of Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
to bring cakes and sweets for Sri Lankan opener Malinda Warnapura
Malinda Warnapura
Basnayake Shalith Malinda Warnapura is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. Making his first class debut in 1998/99, Warnapura did not play international cricket for Sri Lanka until 2007. He had however previously represented them in the cricket...
's father, Upali. The two had been watching the cricket in the stands together, following the attacks Jalil said he was praying for the future of the game in the country.He is a great man of cricket
