It was a random night in Sydney back in 2017. Aamer Jamal, who hails from Mianwali in Punjab, Pakistan, would wake up around five o’clock in the morning, switch on his phone, and go online for his first Uber shift, working until around 10.30 am. Every morning, he cruised through the city streets, chauffeuring passengers in a car he had bought on a bank loan, simply to support his family.
Yet his love for cricket never faded. While driving Uber in Sydney, he still played grade cricket for Hawkesbury before returning to Pakistan to pursue his professional career. Jamal made his T20I debut by defending 15 runs against England, and in 2023, he took six wickets on Test debut in Perth, finishing as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker on the Australia tour.
From driving an Uber to wearing Pakistan colours at the highest level, Jamal’s rise has been shaped by perseverance and belief. Now continuing his journey in the Bangladesh Premier League with Chattogram Royals, the 29 years old pacer spoke about his struggles, breakthroughs, and ambitions in an exclusive interview with Times of Bangladesh.
The BPL has always been a lucky ground for Pakistani cricketers. They often perform well here and catch the eye of national selectors. Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Nawaz are among them.
Hopefully it will be the same for me.
You have already played in a few other franchise leagues. Why do you think Pakistani players come here and perform so well in the BPL?
Yeah, so basically it’s the same conditions as Pakistan. Most of the time same ground, same pitches. These two country also got the same ground, facilities and all of these things in the Pakistan as well. So the boys, they’ve been here around like from last four or five editions I think. So they know the conditions very well now.
Probably that would be the reason as well to be performing here and it’s basically being a professional, you have to adopt the conditions and whatever the circumstances are, you have to adjust yourself accordingly.
How does it feel to return to the BPL? You previously had a stint with the Comilla Victorians a few seasons ago.
I made my BPL debut for the Comilla Victorians. That was a good one. And I played for Khulna Tigers as well and now I’m joining Chittagong. Which is a good experience. So far so good. And first match starting with a win.
How are the Chattogram boys gelling with you?
I know many of them because we have been playing together from last few years. So I know five to six players already and the rest of our boys, they are good as well. They always helps you regarding things which you don’t understand. And they always helps you regarding the team meetings and team environment, all of these things.
Coming back to your international career, you defended 15 runs in your T20I debut against England. After everything you have been through, how does it feel to look back on your journey?
Oh! that was an amazing debut. All my hard work which I was doing for a couple of years to make it to the Pakistan team and then that last over totally changed my life. I was pretty confident as well because I have been defending runs in domestic cricket too for a couple of time. So that, confidence came through the domestic cricket . So yes, those are some memories.
And what about the 2023 Australia tour? Being the highest wicket-taker for the side, how do you look back on it, and how did it happen?
Eighteen wickets! Six on debut and six more in Sydney. 82 runs with the bat. Yes, that success came from playing continuously in domestic cricket. When you trust your process, it pays off. Before that, I had been playing red-ball domestic cricket consistently for the past three years.
You have also played some grade cricket in Australia. How did that experience help you in Test cricket?
I played in 2016 and 2017 for Hawkesbury Cricket Club. That was my first experience. So yes, you can say that I had that experience of cricket as well before my Test debut.
You must be tired of answering questions about the Uber-driving phase of your life, as your story was one of the most talked-about aspects of that Australia tour. How was that experience, and how did it shape you both as a cricketer and as a person?
Well, working hard is always my priority. I always work hard and I have no shame of driving taxi. Because at that moment I had to survive as well. That routine makes me the person I am today. Like I have been punctual, waking up early in the morning, going to bed timely. All those things just came from that time of period.
Back in 2024, Bangladesh toured Pakistan. You were supposed to play in that series, but after your Warwickshire stint, you got injured and, due to fitness clearance, did not make it to the final squad. Was it hard to see Bangladesh win on Pakistani soil by a 2–0 margin?
Obviously, when a visiting team wins in your home conditions, it’s always hard to swallow. Yes, I was injured because I was playing county cricket and I didn’t get time to get adjusted in those environment and just got injured. Eventually I recovered, but I was not fully fit enough to play.
You know, there is fitness and there is match fitness. So I was not match fit enough to play that test series. That was a tough time, but it has to be this way.
Pakistan is coming to Bangladesh in March for a two-match white-ball series. Are you looking at that series as an opportunity to make a comeback to the national side?
Well, I only believe in what are in my control. And in my control, I just play the cricket, perform well. Selection is not in my hand and I will do my best whatever I’m doing. I will just play cricket and I will try to give my best to the team. And try to perform wherever I get a chance. And talking about selection again, that’s not in my hands.
You’ve played in county cricket and first-class cricket in Pakistan. What are the main differences between county cricket and first-class cricket in your country?
There’s a massive difference between counties and first class. So the counties, they have got high standards. They are just near to the international cricket. The facilities, the grounds, everything. They are far above from us, from all of aspects. If you started from very basic, which is finance, their domestic player are more secure than our international players. So there’s a lot of difference between the county and first class games.
You bowl in many phases of the game. How do you balance your skills with aggression in different situations, and how do you actually plan your spells?
Basically, being a professional, when you’re not bowling and you’re on the field, you have to pick what’s going on at the moment. So you adjust yourself accordingly. It doesn’t matter if you bowl in the power play, if you bowl in the middle overs or if you bowl in the death overs. So you have to adjust accordingly.
Where do you see the Chattogram Royals heading in this BPL season?
I think we’ve got very good combination of bowling, batting and all of these things. And I would say it’s too early to say but we will definitely go one by one. So win one, next one. That’s that’s what our plan will be.
Chattogram has one of the finest bowling attacks based on local talent, with Sheikh Mahedi, Shoriful Islam, and Tanvir Islam. How do you assess the bowling unit as a whole?
Bowling has been good. I mean our spin department is really commendable. Throughout the time I have known Tanvir. I have played with him, when I made my debut for Comilla. So he’s the one who can like contain and get wickets. And we have got international experience of Shoriful Islam as well. He’s a good attacking bowler and same goes for Mahedi, he’s been playing for the Bangladesh. He’s been brilliant.
