Bipin Dani
England all rounder Chris Woakes’ has the newest fan in his list. Pakistan-origin (born and brought up in Birmingham) Dr. Samara Afzal’s name was written on Chris Woakes’s training shirt, and then displayed across the ground on the big screens and LED banners visible on TV as part of the ECB’s plans to honour key workers.
Speaking exclusively over telephone, she said, “My nomination came from the NACC (National Asian Cricket Council) and the ECB recognised the work front line workers are doing during this pandemic. It’s a great initiative and I am very happy I have got this recognition” .
Apart from being a family physician and working both in a clinic and in hospital in the Emergency treatment centre, Samara is also a cricketer and coach.
“Chris Woakes and I are from the same cricket club which is Walmley Cricket Club. I did my level 1 coaching course with Chris about 10 years ago and I haven’t seen him since. I have played for Warwickshire County for one year and I have also captained my university team. I currently play for Walmley CC”.
She has been doing voluntary work for the NACC. “We did a pilot project where we took my South Asian female patients and taught them how to play cricket.. prior to this most of them had not played any sport. We did this to help them improve their physical and mental health”, she further added.
“I have also taught various cricket clubs how to use a defibrillator. This was again through the NACC. The NACC did a campaign where there were given defibrillators from the ECB and given to various cricket clubs”.
“Defibrillator is a life saving machine. If someone has a cardiac arrest and drops down then this machine restarts the heart”.
Samara can’t wait to display the jersey signed by Woakes in her clinic. Woakes was not a part of the playing XI against West Indies in the first Test.
