American Cricket Champions League
By Matt Becker
Fawwad Latif was Arizona Cricket Association’s best all rounder in their recent Division A regular season, but he didn’t face a single delivery or bowl a single ball in Arizona’s first match of the American Cricket Champions League against the Southern California Cricket Association on May 18 – as he was late arriving to the ground and so was not named in the starting XI. But thanks to his monstrous performance in Arizona’s second match against the Orange County Cricket Association on May 31, he now leads the entire league in individual MVP points.
Fawwad Latif of Arizona Cricket Association struck 96 off of 79 balls and took 4 for 21 against Orange County Cricket Association in the American Cricket Champions League.
His thrilling 96 off of 79 balls at Nichols Park Basin included eight 4s and five 6s and led the way as Arizona built an insurmountable total of 244 in the first innings. And the all rounder also performed well with the ball, taking four wickets in six overs bowled while only allowing a stingy 21 runs.
Latif is a fiercely competitive player – his favorite active cricketer is the ruthless Dale Steyn – and he credits his fine performance to the extra motivation to play well after being unable to play in the first match. He is also confident that there are even better days yet to come and that he has yet to reach the level of play he is capable of.
Born in Lahore, Pakistan, Latif grew up playing cricket in the streets of his hometown every day after school, primarily playing against kids much older than him, which honed his competitive edge. He played organized cricket at the high school level in Pakistan – and frequently traveled outside his home city to play in tournaments. He moved to the USA in 2010, and played in Sacramento for a year before moving to Arizona, where he has played in the Arizona Cricket Association since.
Not content to rest on his laurels – despite his early success in the Grand Canyon State – Latif pushes himself to play better and constantly works on all aspects of his game, watching videos to learn new skills and improve those that he has already developed. He recently added a slow ball to his bowling routine and can now swing both the old and new ball, for instance, and at the crease he has put a lot of work into improving his pull shots and cover drives.
His long-term goal is to become one of the best all-rounders in the United States and to represent his adopted country at the international level. And speaking of cricket in the US, he is greatly impressed with the organization of the American Cricket Champions League, and believes the ACCL – as well investment in facilities and infrastructure – will help to continue the game’s upswing in America. “Over the next 10-20 years,” says Latif, “we will see homegrown talent participate more, and put the US on the cricket map.”
Off the pitch, he is just as competitive and hard working, putting in 60-70 hour weeks as a software engineer – but he also really enjoys Arizona’s social scene and likes to get out and meet new people when he has the time.
Driven. Focused. Competitive. Those words sum up Latif’s philosophy about cricket – and about life in general – but a better summation can be found in his reaction to last week’s Mankading incident in England: “I would let my bat and ball win or lose the game. That’s the way I learned how to play…” With Latif at the helm, look for Arizona to be playing in the ACCL finals this October in Florida. They play Southern California again, this time in Woodley on Sunday.
