Pakistani batsman Shan Masood moved to England to complete his schooling and play cricket. He now lives in Pakistan and is finishing his university studies by correspondence. Photo / AFP
Pakistani batsman Shan Masood moved to England to complete his schooling and play cricket. He now lives in Pakistan and is finishing his university studies by correspondence. Photo / AFP
One prescient decision by Pakistani opener Shan Masood's father changed the course of his son's life.
Masood was born on October 13, 1989 in Kuwait. Within a few months his father, a successful banker, forecast all was not well with a stroppy Saddam Hussein-led Iraq based across the border. Hepacked his family up, because of what his son refers to as "a hunch", and sent them back to Karachi while he kept working.
Then, on August 2, 1990, came the invasion. Kuwait, according to Saddam, was now the 19th province of Iraq. Masood snr was stuck there. The family didn't hear from him for days, weeks and months.
"Basically as soon as we left, Iraq attacked," Shan Masood says. "People were told not to leave their houses because of conflict in the streets. Luckily my Dad knew one of the ambassadors who lived in our neighbourhood. He left our house, his job and, finally, his car at the border. He got a flight and returned to Pakistan."
Little else in life seems as complicated once you've dealt with such circumstances, albeit in nappies where the memories are created from the telling. However, there's no doubting the son's appreciation. Masood says they're a close family, including an older sister with special needs and a younger brother.
"I credit everything to my parents who invested much of their scarce resources to sending a kid, who's not a UK citizen, to live in England. It wasn't easy but those sacrifices have allowed me to pursue being a professional cricketer."
Masood stayed in Pakistan to complete his British O levels at a Karachi high school before boarding at Stamford School in Lincolnshire, England, where he holds the record for most First XI runs in a season.
He passed his A levels and accepted a place at Durham University to study economics because they allowed him half the year off to play first-class cricket in Pakistan. The demands as a professional cricketer meant fitting a full year's work into half a year's study became too much.
He transferred to Loughborough University where he could study by correspondence. Now he only has to turn up for exams. He expects to complete his degree this year.
Masood made his test debut last year against South Africa in Abu Dhabi, scoring 75 in his first innings against the might of Dale Steyn, Vern Philander and Morne Morkel.
"My parents took a big risk allowing me to achieve through sport and education. In Pakistan, taking a gamble on that is unlikely to succeed. I'm determined to stick it out and get my degree while becoming one of the country's best cricketers.
"In the Pakistan system it's not easy to correlate cricket and education. You tend to either go to a good school or play cricket 24/7. Hopefully, if I can have a good career for Pakistan, I can be an inspiration to younger students to pursue both fields rather than just one.
"The English system, which has such competitive school cricket combined with great educational opportunities, is something to aspire to. It extends to university, too. Their universities allow top players to have summer cricket contracts. Education teaches you more than just schooling; it also teaches a 'hidden curriculum' like a decent sense of manners and ethics."
Masood's family have now switched destinations with their son. His parents have lived in London for the past five years because of Mansoor's banking job, while Shan spends most of his time in Pakistan.
"My parents still get pretty worried when I'm alone in Pakistan because the way the world delivers its news about our country makes it sound like the whole place is a warzone. It's enough to make you paranoid but it's good for my independence. It's up to me now to make a name for myself in international cricket."
