: With its mesmerizing mountain peaks and countless glaciers, the Gilgit-Baltistan region in northern Pakistan has gained a reputation for its natural beauty. However, the scenic beauty surrounding him failed to captivate Riazat Ali Shah’s attention, as he developed a powerful love for cricket. He admired Wasim Akram for his personality and left-arm fast-bowling skills for Pakistan.
He became a big fan of Kevin Pietersen’s fast and modern-day cricket during a time when T20 cricket wasn’t popular. Now, Riazat, 26, is ready to play in the men’s T20 World Cup. However, there’s a twist – Riazat will wear Uganda’s yellow jersey as they debut in the showpiece event, with the all-rounder, who also bowls right-arm medium pace, serving as their vice-captain.
Like many youngsters in Pakistan, Riazat started his cricket journey by playing tape-ball cricket, where he had to bowl fast and bat against a tennis ball covered in electrical tape. After his success in tape-ball cricket, especially in hitting big sixes, Riazat started playing club cricket with the hard ball for Khan Eleven Club at City Park, the only cricket ground in Gilgit at that time. When Riazat expressed to make a career out of playing cricket, there was a natural fear about it from his father Hidayat Shah, a pharmacy businessman doing wholesale distribution in the region, and mother Meher Nigar, a home-maker.
Cricket at the highest level had never seen a player from Gilgit-Baltistan until 2015, when fast-bow.
