Ibtisam Sheikh- Journey of Belief which led him play for Peshawar Zalmi

We witnessed another crackerjack of an encounter between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, and one will have to say Peshawar Zalmi had too much firepower and managed to upstage the opposition comprehensively. The star performer for the yellow jersey has been the 19-year-old spinner Ibtisam Sheikh, who bowled in the right areas which eventually helped him to send some of the greats of modern day cricket back to the pavilion.

The first of his three dismissals came with a spectacular caught and bowled which gave him much needed confidence. The next wicket seems to be all the more special for the young lad as he sent the explosive all-rounder Andre Russell back to the hut. He then cleaned up Samit Patel, bringing about a spectacular collapse of Islamabad United’s batting helped along with pacer Umaid Asif’s brilliance. In lieu of that, he took three wickets in exchange for just 20 runs.

Ibtisam Sheikh has worked regressively with the full fortitude which has helped him not only pick wickets at regular intervals but also to grow in stature. Ibtisam hails from City College Road, a densely populated area of Hyderabad’s Fakir Ka Pir. With his brother opting to become a doctor, Ibtisam was very clear with his thoughts and always wanted to become a cricketer.

With a thought to Never Give Up

In 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) held Under-16 trials at Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium. Determined to get noticed, Ibtisam reached there to demonstrate his game to the selectors, but he was not selected. Interestingly, he didn’t lose hope and went home and asked his elder brother, a doctor by profession, to lend him Rs 500.

Ibtisam’s brother Dr. Zohaib Sheikh told Geo News,”I was surprised, why was he asking me for Rs 500?” I gave him the money and he went to the market and printed two banners, He hung one inside our house and the other in the street outside. The banners read: ‘Next year, my name will be in the top 10 of the Under-16 tournament'”.

“In 2016, he was the number one bowler with 48 wickets at the PCB’s U-16 tournament,” Zohaib added.

Later, Ibtisam then played for Hyderabad Region at the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he impressed with his bowling against Faisalabad. Based on this performance, former spin legend Saeed Ajmal selected him for Peshawar Zalmi.