Cricket Stars Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan Come to Boston
By Tahir Ali

"We are all set for the event: 'Meet and Greet Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan'," 

confirmed Nawaz Karim and Mukarram Hussain both on the Board of the Islamic Society of Greater Milford (ISGM) on June 3, 2023.  Captains Mukarram and Zakir Ali of the Shaheen XI Cricket Club that I manage, were rightfully excited. We immediately disseminated the good news to our teams and the cricket community. The rest, as they say, is history.

Babar and Rizwan were here in Boston to participate in an education program (May 31 - June 3) at the Harvard Business School geared toward Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports (BEMS). Besides Babar and Rizwan former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and football player Cesar Azpillicuteta were enrolled as well; however,  Babar and Rizwan happened to be the first cricketers to attend this

program. 

ISGM had made an offer to buy an abandoned church in Hopkinton, MA. The Church was being sold to

a real estate developer to convert it into a business, but the town voted against selling a 'house of worship' for business use. ISGM offered to buy the Church, hence preserving the sanctity of a place of worship. 

The June 3 event was just that to raise some funds and the cricket stars offered to help ISGM with their presence. 

The stars decided to first visit the Church in Hopkinton and Muhammad Rizwan offered the Azan. The first Azan was now being echoed on the walls of the Church or more accurately soon to be, ISGM.

The cricketers entered the event hall under heavy security and as they were being whisked away to a back room, fans were still able to see their cricket idols, chanting their names as they walked by.

Nawaz Karim, President of ISGM, addressed the jam-packed audience as he welcomed and invited both Babar and Rizwan to the stage amidst a roaring crowd. The fund-raising took place rather smoothly, raising close to 350,000.

The second segment with Syed Furqan (ISGM Board), Mukarram Hussain and yours truly - raised another 10+ thousand auctioning two bats signed off by Babar and Rizwan. Dr Sohail Masood's son Omar was really excited when his father got him the bat.

There were also some Kodak moments with the stars. When asked Shaheen XI's Hafeez how he got his photo with the stars, his response was: "I had some influence", Benjamin Franklin to be exact. It was a fun-filled evening and people seemed to be enjoying every moment and having a good time, mingling with the crowd and socializing - while the ISGM Board members including Faisal Musa (cricketer), appeared content that they managed to raise close to 400K that evening.