After a traumatic phase in his life, Abrar Kazi is back to playing organised cricket.
Kazi, who has featured in 17 first-class matches, was arrested in November 2019 in connection with the fixing allegations surrounding the Karnataka Premier League (KPL). Former Karnataka captain C.M. Gautam, Amit Mavi and the owner of the Belagavi Panthers were the others arrested in this investigation.
In January 2022, the Karnataka High Court quashed criminal proceedings against the four people. The ruling cleared the deck for Kazi to join Jawans Cricket Club for this season of the KSCA Group I, II Division league.
Kazi is thrilled to return to the cricket field. The southpaw, a left-arm spinner and batter, stated that he kept in touch with the sport during the difficult times. “I thank my friends, family and wife
for supporting me through those difficult times. In those two-three years, I kept myself busy by coaching at Karnataka Youth Cricket Academy. Coaching helped me stay positive,” Kazi told Sportstar in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
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Kazi explained that when the Karnataka High Court quashed criminal proceedings, it came as a huge relief. “I cannot express how happy and relieved I felt after being cleared by the court,” he said.
Kazi was invited to join Jawans CC by club secretary Irfan Sait. “I have been at Karnataka Institute of Cricket (Sait is the Director & Chief Coach at KIOC) for so many years, so I have a close relationship with him. He called and asked me to join Jawans CC, to help mentor the youngsters in the team and to help gain promotion for the club. I readily accepted his offer,” Kazi said.
The 32-year-old added that none of his teammates have raked up past incidents. “Not a single teammate has raised old topics with me. Even the player's parents have been encouraging. There is no point thinking about the past. It’s time to move on,” Kazi said.
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