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When not caught up in the continual treadmill around the world,
the mighty ‘Aza’ has starred for the Bunbury’s
on several memorable occasions.
We will never forget the game in which he batted against Imran Khan
at Alconbury. In typical understated fashion, Aza clipped 91 runs
around the field with those whippy wrists of steel, but one shot
will always be remembered. In ran Imran the warrior from Pakistan
battling against the star of India.
The ball reared up, fractionally short of a length, that’s
all it took. Like a tiger, Aza went on the back foot and ‘rapiered’
the ball back over Imran’s head for 6, narrowly missing the
Mister Softee ice cream van behind the bouncy castle. It was over
in a second. As usual, Aza’s blade had done the talking.
I actually batted with Aza in a 6-a-side at Finchley. at the end
of the over he ambled down the wicket to have a chat. Head bowed,
he murmured “how many do we need?”, “25 off this
over” I replied. “A tall order Aza”. the Indian
captain sighed, looked at me then returned to his crease. The next
4 balls were whipped to various parts of Finchley for 6. The last
one which cleared the pavilion has apparently just landed in Calcutta!
I want you in this Summer ‘Aza’ - we need the “Jewel
of India” back in our ranks. Always supports our game with
the minimum of fuss. Silent but deadly on the field, Deep and thoughtful
off it, Azha is a truly magical man.
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