Pakistan-born leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed, 31, was this week granted Australian citizenship and could now feature in their effort to reclaim the Ashes, starting with the first Test in Nottingham on July 11. (AFP)
AFP/Sydney
Pakistan-born leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed has spoken of the death threats and intimidation he received before fleeing to Australia and getting a fairytale chance to play in the Ashes series in England starting later this month.
Ahmed, 31, was this week granted citizenship and could now feature in Australia’s effort to reclaim the Ashes, starting in Nottingham on Thursday.
The cricketer opened up about his experiences in an interview published yesterday about how he was forced to flee in 2009 after receiving death threats from extremists in his native Pakistan for his perceived promotion of Western values, and for helping an NGO that championed women’s education, health and vaccinations.
“I got seriously threatened by those people,” Ahmed, who sought asylum in Australia, said in an interview with the Herald Sun newspaper. “They terrorised me, they made death threats to me. They don’t like to educate women. They want the people in the dark so that they can dominate them easily.”
He decided to flee Pakistan and a friend suggested he could organise a short-stay visa to play club cricket in Australia. There, Ahmed’s cricketing skills were recognised and he got the opportunity to train with the Victorian state side, impressing with his spin-bowling in the nets.
He faced deportation from Australia last September after his claim for asylum was rejected for a third time, but received support from officials and teammates at the Melbourne University club. They helped him appeal directly to the federal immigration minister to continue to stay in Australia.
After several days of having his face and story plastered across the nation’s media, Ahmed was informed that his application for permanent residency status had been granted.
Last season Ahmed played in Victoria’s final three Shield matches, taking 16 wickets and was selected in two Australia A matches in Belfast and Bristol last month.
Even if he does not get to bowl in the Ashes series in England, Ahmed said he will be satisfied. “I came here for a safe life, not for the cricket,” he said. “To play for Victoria or Australia was far away from the dream. I just came here to just live as a normal human being, as a safe human being.”