Pakistan's most beloved cheerleader, Chacha Cricket, will retire after the third ODI match between Pakistan and Australia, which will take place next week. This would be the very last time that he would cheer for Pakistan with a Pakistani flag.
Chacha Cricket, whose full name is Chaudhry Abdul Jalil, witnessed his first international cricket match in 1968-69 at Lahore at the age of 19. He became a highly recognizable figure in the cricket world during the 1980s and 1990s at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. He became an iconic face with a deep green kurta, a white cap decorated with a star and crescent moon, and a signature white beard.
From commuting across the UAE to catch matches to becoming Chacha Cricket, Jalil’s journey is a testament to extraordinary fandom.
Jalil had to change 3 buses to reach Sharjah from his office in Abu Dhabi to watch his national team play in the day. He was also a fan of Wasim Akram. His overall dedication and passion towards the game eventually led him to leave his job and become a full-time mascot.
"I witnessed Pakistan's three consecutive defeats to India [in the Asia Cup 2024]. We have now lost nine in a row to India. I did not want them to lose another match after the Asia Cup," Jalil said in an interview. Two defeats affected him the most: first, the match against India, where Pakistan failed to chase down a score of 120, and second, the semifinal clash against India in the 2011 ODI World Cup, where Pakistan fell 29 runs short of India's 260 at Mohali.
Now at the age of 77 he would sadly be retiring. His personal goal was to cheer for the Pakistani team in 500 matches. This life long dream of starting an open restaurant and a museum is to showcase the cricket memorials he collected over these decades.
Chacha Cricket is disappointed, but he retains hope that a change in fortune is around the globe while recalling his slogan "Hota hay bhai hota hay, khel mein aisa hota hay, kabhi agay kabhi peechay, kabhi khushi kabhi ghum, kabhi tum, kabhi hum."
Pakistani cricket is going through its worst phase. The team finished at the very bottom of the table in the most recent World Test Championship cycle. Pakistan has not won a Test match away from home since 2023. They were also recently defeated by Bangladesh in a two-Test series, with Bangladesh recording consecutive home and away sweeps against them. Chacha Cricket's lifelong, unwavering support stand out even more when his team is going through the worst phase in their career. The ODI series of Australia vs Pakistan would take place on 30th May 2026.
