While cricket has witnessed its share of veterans who played well into their forties—Pravin Tambe (though only in the IPL), Misbah-ul-Haq, who retired from Test cricket at 42, and, most recently, James Anderson, who despite retiring from Tests at 43 was added to The Hundred as a wildcard—add one more name to the list: Aamir Kaleem.
Aamir Kaleem recently made headlines with a flamboyant half-century—64 off 46—against India in the ongoing Asia Cup. Here are four fine points about the late bloomer.
1)Worked in a mattress company: After missing out on Pakistan U-19, Aamir moved to Oman and started from scratch, working in a mattress company in Muscat, Oman’s capital.
2)Coach-cum-player: Kaleem honours the Oman jersey not just as a national player; he is also an ICC Level-2 coach and helped guide the Oman U-19s to the 2025 World Cup Asia Division-2 Qualifiers.
3)Consistent hard work: Kaleem climbed from the middle order to the top, earning opening duties through steady, consistent contributions.
4)Part of a controversy: Kaleem was involved in a flashpoint in the 2016 Asia Cup Qualifiers when he ran out Mark Chapman at the non-striker’s end—an incident that drew attention long before Chapman became a significant name for New Zealand in T20Is.
