Pakistan’s Yasir Hameed still in trauma after quake
Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:08 AM GMT
ISLAMABAD, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Pakistani batsman Yasir Hameed admits he will find it hard to concentrate on his cricket when he walks out to face England in the tour’s opening match on Monday.
Cricket has been furthest from his mind in the three weeks since a devastating earthquake destroyed his village in northern Pakistan.
The quake killed more than 55,000 people in Pakistani Kashmir and Hameed’s neighbouring home province of North West Frontier.
“I have not been able to get the immense destruction caused by the earthquake out of my mind. My village Kok Mang has been destroyed, with casualties as well,” Hameed told Reuters on Sunday as he limbered up for the tour match.
To make matters worse, the 27-year-old opening batsman has been axed for the first two tests against England and faces a tough challenge to win back his place in the Pakistan team.
“Only the people whose houses, villages and shops have been destroyed or those who have lost their dear ones in the earthquake can really feel the pain and the trauma of the event,” he said.
“It is difficult to get back to normal life when you are directly affected.”
Hameed was in the North Western Frontier Province city of Peshawar playing a match on the day of the earthquake and said he had never felt so scared in his life.
“The whole pavilion building was shaking violently from side to side and it felt as if it was over for us as we rushed on to the ground,” he said adding that aftershocks were a worry.
“The aftershocks continue even now and it is difficult for us to get on with our lives. This morning I was terrified after another big aftershock came,” he said.
“These last few weeks I have played just one match. But tomorrow I must try to focus on the cricket against England,” he added.
Hameed, who has played 17 tests and 47 one-day internationals, is only the second batsman in test history after West Indian Lawrence Rowe to have scored two test centuries in his debut match – against Bangladesh in August 2003.
May Allah help him in getting over this trauma, he is one cricketer who has been directly affected i think! Inshallah he will be back with a bang!!