Siraj's Gesture Wins Hearts

Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj’s decision to gift the cash component of his ‘Player of the Match’ award in the Asia Cup final to the groundsmen at the stadium has been winning hearts. “I want to give this cash prize (USD 5000) to the groundsmen. They deserve it. If they were not around, this tournament would not have been successful,” the 29-year-old  announced at the presentation on Sunday.

“We are more happy with his decision to donate than his match performance,” Mohammed Mahboob Ahmed, the secretary of the Charminar Cricket Club, said.   

It was at his club that Siraj, who had started playing cricket using tennis balls, had learned to play with the leather ball.  

Though he bagged a big IPL deal, Siraj still remembers the hardships his parents had to endure in his childhood. When he was bought at the IPL auction, Siraj had vowed that the first thing he would do would be to buy a new house for his family. And he has fulfilled his promise.  

“In his childhood, Siraj’s mother would thrash him because he was not good at studies. His brother, Ismail, on the other hand, excelled at academics. However, today Siraj’s mother must be proud of what her son has achieved,” the Club secretary,” Mahboob said, while predicting that the cricketer will gain more and more success.