Chaudhry Abdul Jalil (, born 8 October 1949), famously known as Chacha Cricket () (meaning 'Uncle Cricket'), is a Pakistani

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

mascot. Abdul Jalil is regularly seen at cricket matches involving

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He is easily recognized by his white beard, his full green

kurta A ''kurta'' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, (subscription required) Quote: "A loose shirt or tunic worn by men and women." Quote: "Kurta: a loose shirt without a collar, worn by women and men from South ...

dress, and his white cap decorated with a

sequin A sequin ( ) is a small, typically shiny, generally disk-shaped ornament. Sequins are also referred to as paillettes, spangles, or ''diamanté'' (also spelled ''diamante''). Although the words sequins, paillettes, lentejuelas, and spangles can ...

ed star and crescent moon. He is usually armed with a

Pakistani flag The national flag of Pakistan, also known as the Flag of the Star and Crescent (), is made up of a green field with a stylized tilted white descending crescent moon and five-pointed star at its centre, and a vertical white stripe at its hoist- ...

and initiates many crowd chants. While his support for Pakistan is very strong, he remains good-natured and is also a popular figure amongst opposition fans such as

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Barmy Army The Barmy Army is a group of British cricket fans known for supporting the English cricket team in both domestic and international matches. The Barmy Army was at first an informal group but was later turned into a company limited by guarantee, ...

Career

Early years (1969–1996)

Abdul Jalil watched his first international match at Lahore Stadium at the age of 19, when the England team led by

Colin Cowdrey Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, (24 December 1932 – 4 December 2000) was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club from 1950 to 1976, and in 114 Test matches for England from 1954 to 1975. He was born i ...

visited Pakistan in 1969. From 1973 to 1996, he worked as an assistant foreman at a water-pumping station in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

. He first rose to prominence during the 1994 Austral-Asia Cup in

Sharjah Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...

, where he debuted his unique outfit and his ability to engage the crowd in passionate chants. By 1996, his face was recognizable to virtually every Pakistani cricket fan. It was then that the

Pakistan Cricket Board The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), formerly known as Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP), is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan ...

offered him to become their official cheerleader. PCB Chairman Syed Zulfiqar Bokhari asked him to return to Pakistan, where he would be sponsored by the Board to accompany the national team on domestic and foreign tours. Abdul Jalil consulted with cricketers

Wasim Akram Wasim Akram (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ; born 3 June 1966) is a Pakistani cricket commentator, Coach (sport), coach, and former cricketer and captain (cricket), captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Akram is regarded as one of the ...

and

Moin Khan Muhammad Moin Khan (; born 23 September 1971) is a Pakistani cricket administrator, coach, and former cricketer, primarily a wicket-keeper-batsman, who remained a member of the Pakistani national cricket team from 1990 to 2004. He was a part of ...

, who persuaded him to come since they expected

Pakistan International Airlines cricket team Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cricket team was a first-class cricket side sponsored by the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), and was based in Karachi before its disestablishment in 2020. The side has won the ...

, the team they represented domestically, to employ him. Therefore, he returned to his native country after leaving his job in 1998.

Return to Pakistan

When he returned,

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

had taken place, and the new government brought changes to the Pakistan Cricket Board. Bokhari stepped down and the new secretary, Waqar Ahmed, was not on board with the idea of a travelling cheerleader. As a result, he did not get an official recommendation for his visa application for the

1999 Cricket World Cup The 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup, also branded as England '99, was the seventh edition of the Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted primarily by England, with selected matches also played in Wales, ...

in England. He, therefore, went to the embassy with pictures of himself at cricket grounds across the world, which impressed a senior official who approved his application.

Personal life

Abdul Jalil hails from

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

in the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

province of Pakistan. He is married and has five children.

References

{{Cricket supporters 1949 births Living people People from Sialkot District Sports mascots Pakistani mascots Cricket supporters Pakistani expatriates in the United Arab Emirates Mascots introduced in 1996 Real-life people mascots

Career

Early years (1969–1996)

Return to Pakistan

Personal life

See also

References