Karim Jamal

CONTRIBUTED BY: Alnoor Mawji to http://www.dewani.ca/af/guestbook/

Toronto, Canada(November 3rd 2012)

"Thank you for the memories.... I was an avid cricket fan, alongside my dad, Fateh Mawji (deceased 1991), who, for the longest time, was the manager for AgaKhan Club 'B' (formerly Dar Cricketers). I was pleasantly surprised to see your reference to him in your article on Naaz Bandali. I was not aware of any acknowledgement to his efforts before reading your article online. It brought tears to my eyes to see the flashbacks to the good old cricketeering days. The community back then, while being fiercely competitive on the field, was also a brotherhood off field. Shakir Sherali was my neighbour down the road, and I will always respect the finer points of being a gentleman displayed by Bashir Tejani and Mohamed Nathoo. I also had the good fortune of tagging my father and being around a lot of wonderful people in the cricket community. The experience taught me a lot of values, which carry on in life. Their names be too inumerable to mention here, however, their input during my formative years lives on. I would not trade my childhood in the cricketeering community for anything! I would heckle Union during the matches on the weekends, as I was an avid AK Club supporter. However, come weekdays, when us kids used to play cricket in the alleys behind Upanga Jamaatkhana, Shakir, on his return from work, would sometimes stop by, and talk to us about cricket. His advice was always looked forward to, as he was a true sportsman, beyond his team colours. I would love to see an update on the current cricket community in Daressalaam, as it is sorely missed by all of us here in Canada. Here's an update on former players that I know of: Alnasir Hasham (Ilala): Lives in Toronto. He is still a great proponent of fitness, and works part time as a fitness coach at a local gym in the area. His son, Imran, whom you made reference to in your profile on Ilala, is a prolific soccer player on the local scene. Zul Hasham (Ilala's brother): lives in the Thorncliffe area of Toronto. His son, Samir, has carried forward the family tradition of cricket, and, last I heard, was selected to represent the province of Ontario at the high school level. Bashir Ramzan: Is also in Toronto, and we reminisce about cricket's glory days whenever we run into each other. Mansour Ashadali: passed away in Toronto (May God rest his soul in peace). He will always be remembered for pushing every ball, no matter what the location of the delivery, to the LEG side. Shiraz Summar: Is in New York. Last time I saw him, was a few years back. He has shifted his focus to volleyball, and is every bit as agile as back in his heydays. Bashir Hasham: lives in Toronto as well. Sadly, after a brief tenure with the Agakhan Cricket team in toronto, he has retired his bat, in favour of other endeavours. Amir Badr (PINTO): The colourful manager of AK Club, is now in Toronto, after a short spell in Montreal. Both his sons have developed into exciting soccer players, and are a joy to watch on the field. I also saw Sajjad Lakha and Shabir Kaderbhai around Toronto a few years ago. Not sure of their present whereabouts. I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the impartial portrayal in your articles, as well as for preserving the memories for all of us. I have been trying, albeit with no results, to find a site devoted to daressalaam cricket news. Would love to find out where the former cricketers are too. If anyone knows the contact information or whereabouts for Karim Jamaal (Bree), or Amirali Fidahusain (he was the wicketkeeper for AK Club back in 1990. One of the "imports" from pakistan), or Ayzaz Jessani,I would much appreciate if you could drop me an email. Is Mithu Thawer still around? What about Chacha that changed the scoreboards? Naaz Bandali? Ganesh Nanji (G9) and the other fans? Sanju Pandya? Shakir Sherali? amin kara? Bashir Tejani? Mohamed Nathoo? Amir Nathoo? Onali Chandoo? Ranjit Bhatia? Rohit Vaja? Rashmi Raichuda? suru patel? Hitesh Patadia? the Kamania brothers? Is the fierce rivalry between Union and AK club still existing? My first coherent memory of cricket, dates back to 1979, at the kinondoni grounds, when, with the sun setting, Union's great batsman Sikander was at bat. Sumar, having replaced Ilala on the boundary, caught Sikander's effort at yet another towering Six, thereby gaining victory for Dar Cricketers. It forever left an impression in this then nine year old boy's mind. Thank you all for the memories, and thank you for what you brought to the game of cricket, as players, management, commentators, fans, and cricket lovers. It will forever be cherished in the hearts and minds of all those you touched. The precious treasure of brotherhood and values will never be forgotten."