Al-Qalam 
By Nabeelah Shaikh
When Abu Baqr Jamaloodeen picks up a cricket bat and ball, he feels invincible. The 13-year-old cricket prodigy is making his mark as a star player in KwaZulu-Natal.
From the small town of Newcastle, Abu Baqr made the KZN Under-11 team in 2019, when he was 10 years old.
Since then, he has continued to excel in the sport at multiple cricket tournaments and says there is a lot he wants to achieve.
Abu Baqr, a pupil at St Dominics Newcastle Primary School, made the Amajuba District team in 2022 and captained his team for the Curro Cup in Cape Town, in December last year. He hopes to master his cricket skills, and to someday get the opportunity to play for the Proteas.
His cricket journey started when he was just 5-years-old.
His love for the sport grew after he started training as a child.
Much of his motivation also came from his dad Abdool Samad Jamaloodeen who excelled in multiple sporting disciplines during his youth.
“The best thing for me about cricket is the action. I absolutely love the action that comes with the game. After going to training, I started participating in inter-school games. My father’s friend used to do cricket training every Saturday and I used to attend the training. I just started to really enjoy the sport,” said Abu Baqr.
Abu Baqr’s talent has been highly praised by those who coached him over the years.
Husain Essop of the Scampions Cricket Academy says Jamaloodeen portrays outstanding skills to be successful in his cricketing endeavors.
“Abu Baqr is a left-handed batsman and his specialities include spin bowling of the highest quality. He is a team player who stands out above the rest and has strong leadership skills among his teammates. I have no doubt that Abu Baqr has been born with the talent of being a cricketer and with the correct guidance and practice, he has the potential to play for the Proteas one day,” said Essop.
Abu Baqr’s school coach, Allison Marillier said she was proud of his achievements.
“From a very early age he displayed cricketing talents way ahead of his age. His skill level in all aspects of the game was something to be admired. Abu Baqr received a number of accolades, including ‘Player of the Tournament’ at a K.F.C. regional tournament. He was always admired and congratulated by many other coaches as he really stood out amongst the players. Abu Baqr is certainly a young cricketer that we are proud of and believe will go on to achieve at a very high level. It was a privilege coaching and guiding Abu Baqr,” said Marillier.
Abu Baqr’s mom, Zahida Jamaloodeen says his family is incredibly proud of Abu Baqr’s achievements. While his dad, Abdool Samad Jamaloodeen says he is confident that his son is going to continue to excel in the sport.
“I played almost every sport. I was a cricketer, a soccer player, a boxer and I did athletics. I was a high jumper and a long jump champion. I enjoyed my youth and participated fully in sports and I think he has my genes. All of these I achieved in school. I see a lot of talent in my son. I’m sure he’s still going to exhibit his greatness. And I am sure he is going to do well. I want to arm him academically and with regards to sports as well,” said Abdool Samad Jamaloodeen.
Abu Baqr says his role models in the sporting world are cricket players AB de Villiers, Shane Warne and soccer player, Christiano Ronaldo.
“I would first like to make the-Under 16 South African team, and also I want to play for the Proteas, and as I get older, I want to play in the IPL. I’d also love to meet some of the top cricketers in the world some day,” said Jamaloodeen.
He says he would like to see more support for cricket in his hometown of Newcastle.
“There is emphasis on cricket but it’s not as big as it should be. There definitely needs to be more attention given to the sport here. Hockey is a bigger sport than cricket,” said Abu Baqr.
He advises other young Muslims to take a chance at all sports, so they can find the sport they love and will eventually excel at it.
