Saturday 25 August 2012

FROM RAGS TO RICHES







Some Players who made it big from rags to riches with hard work and determination.

Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yousuf's story of struggle is the most fascinating one. It's a testamant to the fact that it doesn't matter where you have come from, what matters is where you are going. Yousuf was born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan to a poor Hindu Balmiki family which later converted to Christianity. His father Yousuf Maseeh worked at the railway station with family living in the railway colony. As a boy, he couldn't afford a cricket bat and so swatted the ball with a wooden bat on the roads. For a time he also tried his luck driving rickshaws. He made his debut in International cricket against South Africa in 1998. His well crafted shots attracted attention and he went on to become one of Pakistan's best batsman.


The Pathan Brother's
The rise of the pathan brother's and their struggle to the Indian team has been well documented in the Indian media. Their  father worked as a 'muezzin' in baroda and and the brother's spent most of their time in d backyard of the mosque. Their family was not well-off but the determination was there.  The brother's had only second-hand equipments to practice with. They had a rough time to begin with but slowly both the brother's made their way to the Indian team. Now both the brother's are stars at the Ipl and  well known at the International level. The brothers had a memorable partnership against Sri Lanka in a T20 match and led the team to victory which at one point  looked impossible, reliving their days in the backyard where both the brother's played together.


Makhaya Ntini
The South African pacer was the first black player to play for the nation. He was only the third South African to take 300 eickets in test matches after Donald and Pollock. Ntini hails from the hinterland of Mdingi in the Eastern Caper. He came a long way from working in the hayfields to the cricket field. He says the years of work in d fields and 15 kms of running in the fields has contributed to the stamina.




Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav grew up in small village,Valli a village of miners. His father was a coal miner. Umesh never had any intentions of becoming a cricketer till very late in his career. He had unsuccessfully applied to Army and Police. Yadav began bowling with a leather ball and joined an unfashionable team Vidarbha. Coming from a family of coalminers, it was not an easy job for Umesh. A well built cricketer who can clock above 140's consistently  and has a bright future ahead.






Ravindra Jadeja
His father was a watchman for a private security agency and sister is a nurse in a local hospital in Jamnanagar. But Ravindra Jadeja, IPL's new million-dollar baby has ensured his families passage out of lower-middle class deprivation. The All Rounder was snapped up by Chennai Super Kings for a whopping  $2 million(Rs. 9.72 crore), making it the highest player bid by a franchise. He also got an oppertunity in the International Cricket and fits into the role of an all-rounder which the team has been looking for.



Sir Geoffrey Boycott
He was born in the mining villages Fitzwilliam in Yorkshire. He was the eldest of the three son's. His father had a serious accident while working in the coal fields. His spine was severely damaged and could never really recover and died. When Boycott was 8, he had an accident and almost died when he was imapled through chest by the handle of the mangle after having a from from the iron railing. In an attempt to save him, his spleen was fully removed. Despite these challenges in his life, Boycott made a name for himself as an opening batsman and later as a commentator. He is still the leading test scorer for england with more than 8000 runs.



Kieron Pollard
'It was pretty tough, it wasn't ideal getting up and and your mum say We have only X amount of money. In one of the statements's, Pollard summed up his difficult childhood. Pollard was raised by a single mother and who always ran short of money while taking care of her three kids. Cricket changed Pollard and his family's life. He now earns millions plying his all-round cricket skills for West Indies and a clutch of league based teams.

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