Islamic Relief hosts Pakistan cricket legend Misbah ul-Haq in national tour

Islamic Relief, in conjunction with LikeMedia.tv, have today (Friday 4 May 2018) launched a UK-wide tour with former Pakistan cricket captain, Misbah ul-Haq, titled ‘I am Misbah’.

Misbah is Pakistan’s most successful test captain, having won more tests than any other Pakistan captain with 24 wins from his 53 matches in charge. He has beaten Imran Khan, who had 13 wins under his belt. Misbah also briefly led his side to the number one test ranking in 2016, and has never lost a home series.

Misbah recently retired as a cricketer at the very top of his game. The tour will feature Misbah sharing his thoughts and memories from his amazing career. From his days growing up in Mianwali to being named captain of the Pakistan national team to winning the PSL 2018 and everything in between, this will be an opportunity for attendees to get up close to the star and listen to his story live and unscripted.

As the largest Islamic inspired humanitarian organisation in the UK, Islamic Relief is aiming to raise awareness of the climate change challenges faced by communities in the mountainous regions of Pakistan since the catastrophic earthquake of 2005. Dependency on fuel wood resulted in deforestation leading to soil erosion. Limited rainfall, combined with challenges of rain water not being efficiently harnessed, has resulted in a reduction of agriculture, imposing dependency on the market for basic food needs. On the other hand, socio-political and economic conditions have pushed the region into chronic poverty.

From the funds raised from this tour Islamic Relief aims to promote water solution systems to help families cope with the challenges of malnutrition, food and lack of social and economic empowerment. Islamic Relief’s work will be particularly aimed at ensuring farmers and local communities are able to support their families in accessing nutritious food. This also includes families of orphan children supported by Islamic Relief’s Orphan Sponsorship Programme as well as widows who will benefit from the proposed action.

Misbah ul-Haq, said:

“I’m incredibly pleased and happy to have been invited to the UK to share my story. As someone who has had many great memories playing in England, it’s great that I’ll be able to come back again and visit so many places and speak to so many people. I’ve always felt a lot of love and support from the British public and I’m hoping they enjoy our events over the coming days. Britain is home to a big Pakistani community and I always look forward to seeing them and being part of their events. I hope that the events are a great success and I am hopeful that we can utilise this event to raise awareness and funds for good causes.”

Islamic Relief Deputy Director, Tufail Hussain, said:

“This is an incredible opportunity for us to meet one of the greats of Pakistani cricket. Misbah is a great role model for the youth and has achieved so much through cricket. At the same time, there is a very important cause we are trying to support in Pakistan, providing water through innovative solutions. Being the largest Islamic inspired humanitarian organisation we hope we can bring communities together and inspire them to support the innovative work Islamic Relief strives to do in order to save lives. I am confident that, in the build up to the Holy month of Ramadan, our community will give generously like they have in the past and enjoy, what’s going to be, a memorable evening with Captain Misbah.”

ENDS

For more information please contact Hasina Momtaz, Media Relations Manager at Islamic Relief UK, on 020 7593 3232, email [email protected] / Sultan Ahmed, Media Coordinator, on 020 7593 3217, email [email protected] / James Tweed, Media Coordinator, on 020 7593 3219, email: [email protected]

Notes for Editors

• Islamic Relief is an international aid and development charity that aims to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest people in more than 30 countries, mainly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. As well as responding to disasters and emergencies, Islamic Relief promotes sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities – regardless of race, religion or gender.
• The four city tour takes place in Glasgow, Bradford, Birmingham and London. Full details below:

• Donors can support the cause by pledging funds towards one of the following price packages:
• £40 can provide seeds and toolkits for one vulnerable family
• £72 can provide water to one person through a rainwater harvesting system
• £430 can provide a rainwater harvesting system for one family to produce crops and achieve sustainable livelihoods