From laying bricks to winning a Player of the Match award Down Under, it has been a beautiful journey for Mianwali's very own Aamer Jamal.

Having been obsessed with the game since his primary school days, Jamal has always been going out of the way to make time for the gentleman’s game; be it playing three times a day during school hours or grinding out after it.

Jamal has been a staunch believer in the fact that there are “no shortcuts in life” which is why his life is an epitome and an example of resilience, grit, relentless determination and the never give up attitude.

Jamal was recognized for his talent as he managed to break into the domestic circuit in 2013 and play three U19 matches for Pakistan on the back of 30 wickets at 16.96 in five matches in the 2014 inter-regional tournament. However, he failed to create a notable mark. He then continued to toil hard in the club circuit along with league cricket in England.

One fine day, while Jamal was playing his club cricket, an Australian noticed his talent and took notice of his work ethic. While praising Jamal for not wasting time and being focused on the ultimate goal, he invited Jamal to play some local cricket in Australia and promised to send an invitation letter once he went back.

Jamal was ecstatic when he got the letter and headed to Hawkesbury Cricket Club, Sydney where he met the two hospitable Lawrence brothers (Pat and Chris). One of them, Peter Lawrence, used to play cricket with him and soon, they gave Jamal space to live with them. Over there Jamal used to treat the Lawrence brothers with his traditional cooking skills while also joining them for a brick-laying gig to make ends meet.

Jamal played for Hawkesbury in the 2016-17 season and fared nicely for them with both bat and ball, also becoming a local favorite in the process due to his ability to play with a high strike rate.

In his heart, Jamal always knew that he wanted to represent Pakistan at the international level, therefore when he heard about an opportunity to play for Pakistan U23s, he rushed back to Pakistan. However, he was unable to break into the team. He also tried his luck to stream into the Grade II circuit but still couldn’t make it.

Despite all the setbacks, Jamal never gave up and continued toiling hard at the club level. This was also the time when he opted to lease a car from a bank to drive a taxi to support his family.

His relentless routine during these days was somewhat like this:

4:30-10:30: Waking Up, Prayers and Taxi Driving during rush hours
11:00-1:30: Cricket Practice - Bowling
2:00-3:00: Cricket Practice Pt.2 - Batting Fielding
3:00-7:00: Taxi again
7:00-8:00: Gym/ Strength Training
10:00 PM: Arrival at home after miscellaneous tasks

Jamal’s hard work soon paid off as he made his domestic debut in 2018-19 and started representing PTV in all three formats. Besides this, Jamal was also keen on playing foreign cricket and hence managed to secure multiple league cricket contracts in Yorkshire, England from 2019-22. 

For a long time, he continued working hard, while simultaneously also driving the cab, and soon got rewarded for his efforts as Peshawar Zalmi picked him up in PSL 2022. Alongside representing Zalmi, Jamal also managed to secure a couple of gigs in the BPL and LPL as B-Love Kandy and Comilla Victorians picked him up respectively.

The rise of Jamal continued as he made his debut against England in September 2022 and announced himself in the T20I format. However, it was around 15 months later when Jamal got the real limelight due to his terrific bowling on his Test debut at Adelaide.

Pakistan’s bowling reserves had once again been weakened due to the absence of Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. In times of dire need, Pakistan needed someone who could fill in these shoes Down Under. Aamer’s fellow debutant, Khurram Shahzad, stepped up getting important five wickets in the match which eventually motivated Jamal to get a five-wicket haul on debut too.

But there was more to come for the 27-year-old wonder boy from Mianwali. Pakistan were 2-0 down as they got ready to play the final test in Sydney. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain, as they looked to end their winless streak Down Under. While they were, unfortunately, unable to register a victory, the player of the match was Aamer Jamal.

Jamal not only got a six-fer but got Pakistan out of trouble in the first innings by scoring a magnificent, free-flowing 82 at a very healthy strike rate which eventually enabled Pakistan to have a 14-run lead over Australia.

Life had come full circle for Aamer Jamal, as seven years after he watched the Sydney Test between Pakistan and Australia with his mate, Peter Lawrence, he was playing on the same ground with the Lawrence brothers cheering on from the stands. The magnitude of Jamal’s heroics can be seen from the year-old records that he broke.

For instance, he has got the most wickets in a debut series (18) for any Pakistani, in a series of a maximum of 3 Test matches. Moreover, for Pakistanis with a minimum of 10 Test wickets in Australia, Jamal has the best Test average of 20.44.

The next two players behind Jamal in this list are the legends, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram. Not only this, he is also the third visiting player to accomplish the combination of 125+ runs and 15+ wickets. He joins the great Sir Ian Botham and Wasim Akram on this list.

The records that he has broken show that Jamal surely belongs to this level. Moreover, Pakistan have been searching for a dependable fast-bowling all-rounder ever since Azhar Mahmood and Abdul Razzaq departed, and it appears that Jamal is aiming to finally provide Pakistan some relief by making and securing that spot as his own. Let’s hope that he has a career to remember!