Purley Cricket Club

It was a wish of his late Father that Adnan returned to give something back to the club he played for as a youngster and contributed so greatly to his development as a cricketer. He will now be looking to inspire the young players at Addiscombe in the same way that the younger players at The Ridge have been inspired by Adnan both on and off the pitch. Addiscombe 1st XI are currently playing in the Surrey Championship 3rd Division so there will be no chance of facing Adnan competitively for some time yet (something our batsmen will no doubt be pleased about!).

Adnan was signed in 2008 as a paid player and was soon appointed vice-captain in his first season when his inherent leadership skills became apparent. In fact, he took over as captain for the latter half of that season to ensure Purley’s survival despite often turning up on a Saturday to find out that there were 3 or 4 players in the side that he had never met before, let alone captained. It is said with no exaggeration that if it wasn’t for Adnan’s consistent quality displays with bat and ball, Purley would no longer be a Division One side. He was a player that never shirked responsibility and often changed the context of a match by the value of his performance. He remained as vice-captain for the remainder of his time at the club, happy to step in whenever Medders was unavailable or providing excellent support and advice for John Fry in his last season.

In terms of performance, Adnan finishes his Purley 1st XI career with 91 wickets at 25 and 721 runs at 18. While these stats illustrate his status as a consistent performer at Division One level they do not give justice to the context in which these performances are set. A fiery left arm fast bowler, he was, on his day, arguably the best seamer in the league over the last few seasons. He took on the responsibility as leader of the pack often bowling when tired and taking responsibility when others weren’t bowling to their potential. His desire to win was always apparent, perhaps this became a bit overzealous at times when bowling, as batsmen and umpires on the end of a Saleem barrage would attest to! Off the pitch however, he was always the first to speak to officials and opponents, buy them a drink and talk about the game’s play.

His match-winning displays with the ball are numerous but arguably his best performance came last season when alongside Aussie Tim Miles, Adnan was simply unplayable and destroyed the East Molesey top order taking 4-17 including Simon Barrett, probably the best batsman in the League. Bowling with good pace and constant movement, he picked up 3 wickets in 4 balls. At the Ridge he would often be seen bowling from his favourite end with real pace and hostility. His reputation was County-wide in the league and memories of the Cheam match, who were first at the time, in 2010 spring to mind as a key example of this. Walking past the Cheam huddle before the game, Danny Miller their captain stressed the quality of Adnan suggesting he was our key weapon. This assertion proved correct as Adnan came back with real aggression to take the final two wickets as we won by 7 runs. His Purley best of 6-77 against Beddington help dismiss them for 186 and he took the final catch. That win ultimately ensured our survival.

It wasn’t just his bowling that proved match-winning. Although is average of 18 suggests a modest return it fails to take into account the fact that Adnan often battered far lower than his ability merited. He was always happy to allow younger players the opportunity to bat higher and he was prepared to sacrifice his batting for their development. When the games were extremely tight Adnan could always be relied on to stay calm and assured. Against Dulwich in 2009 he played his Purley best knock of 78* in a game that if Dulwich had of won would have meant relegation for Purley. Coming into bat with the score on 73-6 chasing 314 to win with 28 overs still to bat, defeat looked inevitable. But, with the support of Lucas Macdonald, he batted superbly and with both left undefeated to secure a point that ultimately ensured survival. Hitting the winning runs against Epsom in 2010 and Malden Wanderers in 2011, both must-win games, illustrates the character of the man.

Whilst much has been said about his ability as a cricketer it is essential to end with some words about Adnan as a person. Widely respected by all on the circuit as a top competitor and top guy he easily settled into the club. Liked by all who met him, it was a pleasure to play alongside him. Happy to help in whichever way possible, he bore the responsibility of the 1st XI more than most, showing how much it meant to him to play. Unlike other paid players for the club, Adnan waved away his fee midway through a season when he felt that he wasn’t contributing to the team to merit his agreed contract. This action typified Adnan as a cricketer. An inspiration to all the younger players who were fortunate to play alongside and for him, he will be greatly missed by all at the club. We would like to wish him the very best of luck for the future and he will always be welcomed back as one of our own whenever he comes back to the club.

Just to finish, some final words from Adnan : ‘I gave it my all in the last 4 years and I am really sad to be walking away from one of the best clubs I have played at with lovely people involved on and off the pitch and the best cricket ground on the circuit.’