Azeem Rafiq has barely touched a cricket ball since he last played professionally five years ago. That’s why the recent picture of him leaving the field is so striking. Leaner and fitter than he’s ever been, the 33-year-old strides towards the camera with gloves in one hand, bat in the other, and the gleeful smile of someone who has just scored runs.
He had had no intention of playing for the Authors XI in their Hay festival fixture against the local side. “When I got asked, I was like, oh my God, no!” says Rafiq, who had to borrow both kit and gear from his teammates. “But the minute I turned up, it brought back memories of when I first started playing – the little club ground with its football-style dressing room. You couldn’t have wiped the smile off my face.”
