Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
SRINAGAR: Mateen Teli, 28, went blank for a few seconds when he received a call from England Cricket Board (ECB) official. The caller on the other side greeted him warmly and broke the good news: “Pack your bags and come to Trent Bridge. You will be our net bowler for the New Zealand series.”
His heart raced and eyes welled up with tears. It was a dream come true for Sopore lad who had been rejected by Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association umpteen times. Heartbroken, he left the cricket for three years only to realize that accepting defeat is not an option. A fighter, he traveled to England and joined a cricket club to hone his skills.
For four years, he bowled his heart out in the club. His pace, swing and line, and length came in handy when he bowled in the nets. The first ball and Jonny Bairstow’s stumps were smashed. “He said, `it was different bowling. You must be taking a lot of wickets’. I told him that I am a club player. It was a big achievement for me personally,” Mateen told The Kashmir Monitor.
Mateen was impressive n the nets and he got two wickets including Bairstow. “So many players and coaches were watching when I was bowling. It was a great feeling to bowl against international players. And getting wickets is a dream come true,” he said.
Coming from a middle-class family, Mateen is third of the four brothers. He and his brother are staying in England for the last few years. Two brothers are having a small business at Sopore.
A brilliant student, he had his entire education in Delhi. He completed his Master’s in Mass Communication and win a scholarship to study in England. “He came for trials from Delhi but was never selected. He was living in Delhi but his heart always beat for Kashmir. Once he came from Delhi for U 19 trials. First, they said, you are late. He did not know that it was Ranji trial. But he was not selected,” said Bilal Teli, his brother.
Since the news about Mateen broke, phones have never stopped ringing at the Teli household in Sopore. “He has been a gem of a player. He used to come to Kashmir to play tournaments. He was not selected. Such was the frustration that he decided to quit cricket. I encouraged him and gave him a pep talk. When he went to London, he joined a club and pursued his passion,” said Bilal.
For Mateen, life has been full of struggles. “I used to get good news about my selection in the evening and by morning, my name was not on the list. My friends always told me to play for other states like Himachal. But I am a Kashmiri and wanted to play for J&K. I was in the prime of my youth when I tried for J&K. Now I am 28. I was so disheartened that I quit cricket for three years. And even when people say you are from Kashmir, I feel proud. I tell them that there is a hell of a talent in Kashmir,” he said.
