{"id":707092,"date":"2026-07-23T13:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T13:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/707092\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T13:09:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T13:09:15","slug":"from-long-distance-truck-driver-to-restaurant-owner-how-cricket-shaped-the-life-of-uaes-matiullah-khan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/707092\/","title":{"rendered":"From long-distance truck driver to restaurant owner: How cricket shaped the life of UAE\u2019s Matiullah Khan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Such are the wonders of modern in-flight technology, Matiullah Khan might not have had too much thinking time on the exhausting journey from Dubai to Guyana this week.<\/p>\n

If he did have pause for thought, he might have considered just how far he has come in life. The 24-hour trip to the other side of the world is far from the longest journey he has made.<\/p>\n

The seam bowler is part of the three-player UAE contingent<\/a> in the Desert Vipers squad for the Global Super League (GSL) in Providence.<\/p>\n

The tournament is a prototype T20 champions league, involving sides from the Caribbean, USA, Australia, Pakistan and \u2013 in the case of the Vipers \u2013 the UAE.<\/p>\n

Star players abound. The Vipers are captained by Shadab Khan<\/a>. Elsewhere, there are IPL stalwarts like Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd and Mohammed Nabi, plus internationals of the ilk of Imran Tahir and Michael Bracewell, too.<\/p>\n

Matiullah\u2019s celebrity is somewhat less starry. Now into his 30s, he has so far played a lone one-day international for the UAE, plus five T20Is, all spread across three years.<\/p>\n

He appeared in just a couple of games for the Vipers as they won the ILT20 for the first time last season, but established himself as a well-liked squad mate in the process. And now he is part of their tour party in Guyana.<\/p>\n

Competing for leg-room on a long-haul flight with such celebrated teammates is a world away from where it all started out for him.<\/p>\n

Matiullah first moved to the UAE in 2011 with a view to providing for his family back home in a tiny village in Pakistan near the Afghanistan border.<\/p>\n

He lived with his sister and brother-in-law, and found work driving trucks from near the Saudi Arabian border to the northern Emirates<\/a> and back again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I debuted [for the national team] in 2023 in Namibia, I had had 15 years of struggle in the UAE,\u201d Matiullah said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was driving trucks for 14 or 15 years, and I didn\u2019t know that it would be possible to do something like this (play cricket for a living).<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is hard work. I came here to work, and my family was waiting for my salary. I was earning Dh1,700 per month, and Dh1,600 of that I would send to my family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had Dh100 in my pocket. Three or four times a week I was driving from Fujairah to the Saudi border and back again.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the time I was thinking, \u2018How can I play cricket? How will I be able to achieve anything in cricket?\u2019 It was a real struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most people back at home suggested he was mad to even think about trying. Truck driving provided a steady income, which they were all dependent on, so why bother with cricket?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came for the job here, some people in my family stood in front of me and said, \u2018You cannot do this\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy relatives were telling me I had to focus on my job, so I could send money to them. They were telling me cricket was not good for me, and I would not be able to achieve anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy thinking was that I will do something, and I will show them that I can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matiullah\u2019s 13-hour shifts in the cabs of big delivery trucks did not allow much spare time for cricket. He managed to stay fit, played tape-ball cricket when time permitted, and caught the eye.<\/p>\n

He graduated to the UAE national team in 2023 for a tour to Namibia. On the back of his involvement in that, he has played franchise cricket, too, even travelling as far afield as the United States for Major League Cricket.<\/p>\n

It has earned him a more substantial income than previously. Rather than living hand to mouth as before, he is planning for the future.<\/p>\n

Matiullah\u2019s ILT20 wages have now helped him become a co-owner in two restaurants in Fujairah, and they have plans to open two more, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a big fan of cricket and have a lot of love for it,\u201d Matiullah said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are playing cricket and it is going well, then good. But if you suffer injury, then you cannot play any more. In my mind, I needed to do something in case I could not play any more.\u201d<\/p>\n

While his brother-in-law, Tahseen, who put him up when he first arrived in the UAE, is looking after the restaurant business, Matiullah can focus on his cricket.<\/p>\n

For now, that is the GSL with the Vipers. They are a new-look squad. Matiullah is one of only four players who were involved in winning the ILT20 earlier this year<\/a>, the others being his UAE colleagues Vriitya Aravind and Sanjay Pahal, plus Andries Gous of the United States.<\/p>\n

There have even been a variety of changes in the planning for a tournament which fits awkwardly into the packed cricket calendar. There have been five changes to the 14-man squad that was initially announced.<\/p>\n

Although there is speculation regarding the future participation of the Vipers in the ILT20, Matiullah says it feels like family to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was travelling to the USA [to play for Houston Riders in MLC], it was 24 or 25 hours,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking to myself about how much my life has changed. It has been about working hard and believing in myself, and thinking I can do it. It has been like a dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow we are playing in Guyana. Desert Vipers is like a family. I have played 13 or 14 franchises, but this is my favourite.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been lucky to play for them. When I got my chance, I took Kieron Pollard\u2019s wicket [for the Vipers against MI Emirates]. I am so excited, and so thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Such are the wonders of modern in-flight technology, Matiullah Khan might not have had too much thinking time…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":707093,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1721,34135,101,5438,5141,101863,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-707092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-cricket","tag-sport-team","tag-sports","tag-standard","tag-story","tag-uae-cricket","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707092\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/707093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}