Hat-trick man Jalaluddin gets glowing tributes

KARACHI: A galaxy of former and current cricketers gathered at a local hotel on Sunday evening to pay tribute to Pakistan’s former Test fast bowler Jalaluddin for his services to the game.
The ceremony, organised by Customs, was the first of a series of events to be held this year in the honour of Jalal.
This will be a benefit year for Jalal, who played domestic cricket for Customs and then coached at the department’s academy which produced many cricketers.
Guest of honour Younis Khan paid a glowing tribute to Jalaluddin, the man who recorded a stunning hat-trick in a One-day International against Australia on September 20, 1982.
He added that Customs rendered great services for the promotion of sports, produced a number of great sportsmen and organised a number of domestic events in various disciplines.
He said the standard of cricket in Karachi was very high when Allied Bank, MCB and Customs ran their cricket teams.
The patronage of departments provided jobs to local cricketers due to which their employment issue was resolved, he said.
Younis appealed to the senior officials of Customs present on the occasion to strengthen their team and offered his services in this regard.
Recalling his old days, the master batsman said that former first class cricketer Anwarul Haq was his first coach.
He thanked all those who helped him in those days when he was dejected and under pressure.
Younis said that he wanted to do something extraordinary in his cricket career so that fans remembered him for a long period. He hoped that the World Cup would be an occasion when the entire team would make all efforts to bring the trophy home.
Jalal, who was the first bowler to claim a hat-trick in ODIs, said that he was very thankful to Customs for observing his benefit year.
He said that other departments and PCB should organise events for the welfare of former players. He said it was unfortunate that the administrative officials associated with the game got more financial benefits than the players.
Jalal, who played six Tests and eight ODIs, advised Pakistan cricketers selected for the World Cup to focus on the event and prove their selection right.
He said those not selected for the World Cup should not be dejected. He said there would be a lot cricket opportunities for Anwar Ali, Rahat Ali and Azhar Ali in the years to come.
Former Test cricketer Salahuddin Ahmed said that Pakistan cricketers should not be afraid of pitches in Australia and New Zealand.
He said there would be batting-friendly wickets because the organisers wanted big-scoring matches. He said people could see how many runs were scored in the tri-series these days.
Javed Raza, chairman Customs cricket academy, also addressed the gathering and confirmed that their cricket academy would continue its journey and produce more talented cricketers.
Omar Associates CEO Nadeem Omar stressed the need for an association to look after the deserving former players.
Pakistan Customs high officials, including Nasir Masroor, chief collector appraisement, Nazim Saleem, chief collector enforcement, Najeeb Abbas, collector customs, former member Customs Khalil Masood also spoke on the occasion and vowed that Customs would continue to promote sports.
Assistant collector Waqar Hasan, the director of all events planned for Jalal’s benefit year, also spoke on the occasion.
The cricketers present on the occasion included Sadiq Muhammad, Azhar Ali, Anwar Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed, Rahat Ali, Ijaz Faqih, Anwar-ul-Haq, Akbar Alam, Haris Khan and Ghulam Ali.