Abdullah Sheikh(USF)-from Tennis to Cricket !A Player to watch at Nationals!
Abdullah Sheik (USF) bowling, taken off of TV Asia’s telecast. Umpire is Max Diah
“2012 American College Cricket National Championship was such an opener for my game in many ways. Starting of with all the great partnerships with Sai Ramesh up the order, and taking many wickets ! I missed winning the Championship MVP award but my partner earned it ! The Experience with all my team mates who are talented cricketers, is a great memory I’ll have for the rest of my life.” said Abdullah Ashgar Sheikh (University of South Florida)
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“Being selected as the 2012 American College Cricketer of the Year (now the Rohan Kanhai Award) is the highlight of my cricket career !”
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Sheikh had scores of 88,17, 50, 76, 22,15, and bowling : 9 wickets for 127at the 2012 American College Cricket National Championship – helping to take the University of South Florida Bulls to the Finals, where a strong York College won. Sheik played in 2 televised cricket games, the first in his life and the first for the other USF players as well.
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“American Collage Cricket has been a tremendous success for all players as the coverage with TV ASIA made it widely recognized and the Coca Cola sponsorship is really special and revolutionary for the game in this country ! People who I never met calling me, appreciating the way I performed on TV ASIA was really special for me ! Don’t ask how they got my number ? lol
A really big appreciation to LIoyd Jodah as all of these beautiful HD coverage’s of every ball were truly amazing..! With live scores going throughout the world with CricHQ ! Thanks for such an Opportunity.”
with the legendary Shiv Chanderpaul
At the 2012 Regionals the tall, wiry Sheikh again got the opportunity to play on TV, then came the 2013 Nationals :
” 2013 was yet another great run for USF reaching the Final.. Was Disappointing that we lost.. but no worries as this is a new year…. Excited for 2014 Nationals! Lets pray for the best 🙂 “
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Abdullah and the team have a renewed sense of purpose after the 2013 South East Championship last November, when Sai Ramesh led USF to their first title ! Sheik’s family and business commitments meant he didn’t play, but he followed avidly on CricHQ :
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“I was following the scores on CricHQ and saw when we Won ! The feeling was amazing and full of joy for my whole team, as we previously lost in many Finals. & Semis ! Its awesome to know that we have every individual as a match winner! So much talent ! I truly missed not attending the regional, especially when we won !”
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The 6′ 1″, 170 lbs Sheikh came to competitive cricket a bit late:
“I played Junior Tennis in parts of Asia ITF tournaments & participated in many USTA (US Tennis Association) tournaments throughout USA. Had a busy schedule….but still took time for a glimpse at Pakistan cricket matches on TV. I started playing Hard Ball Cricket in NY, played in the NYPD youth league, and went to play a few tape tennis ball matches. From then on i have loved the Sport and started working really hard to make my game better. My performances in American College Cricket helped me get selected in the top 28 list of players for USA for the ICC World Cup T20 Qualifiers which was held in Dubai last year.”
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Cricket includes elements of every game in the world (in fact England’s MCC ran tennis for the first 3 years of its invention from1874 to 1877). How did your tennis skills and training help you in cricket ?
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“Playing tennis was a great help for my game in cricket. The thousands of tennis balls that I had to hit made the cricket ball much better to notice and see. As I Bowl fast , the fitness and mental toughness for tennis helps me tremendously.
My Father came on a Tennis scholarship back in 1972 from Pakistan where he went to Central Florida Collage, then moved to Cumberland. In the early 80s he was a Head Tennis Coach with Nick Bollettari at his new academy. He had the privilege of feeding buckets of tennis balls to a junior tennis star Andre Agassi back in his young age. “
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Abdullah’s favorite cricketers are: Bowlers :(current) Dale Steyn (South Africa), (Past) Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
Batsmen – (current) Hashim Amla (South Africa), (past) Saeed Anwar (Pakistan)
All-rounder (entertainer) Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
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Sheikh graduated from USF in 2008 with his undergrad degree in Business, though he has plans to get his Master’s. He is a great example of the benefit of American College Cricket’s strategy of allowing 2 alumni in a college team (except where school rules do not permit). Not only has the talent of Abdullah Sheik been given a national platform, but he has been one of the strongest promoters of American College Cricket on Facebook – with members like Sheik, we can keep accomplishing even more !
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Sheikh is married, the couple have a 2 year old son, Sufyan. He currently owns a car dealership, and teaches tennis in the Orlando, Florida area.
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This TV Asia news piece highlights Abdullah Sheik, along with the 2012 Championship MVP, Sai Ramesh
