Kenyan cricket star's documentary nominated
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E-mail Xinhua, September 17, 2013
A documentary film featuring the story of a Kenyan sporting family was recently nominated during the inaugural Tiger Paw Sports Film Festival that was held in New Delhi.
The documentary entitled "Karims: A Sporting Dynasty" was one of the 22 films from 15 countries and regions that was nominated out of over 80 from all corners of the world.
The film is centered on the Karim family where Aasif Karim was borne. Aasif, the second son of Yusuf and Nargis, was a tennis champion in Kenya who represented the national tennis team and also participated in the Davies Cup.
Aasif also represented Kenya in cricket for 23 years when he also captained the national side and was also a veteran of three World Cups (1996, 1999 and 2003).
His father, Yusuf, was also a great tennis, cricket and volleyball player, although tennis became Karim senior's main focus.
Senior ruled the courts at the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa for 25 straight years which earned him the name "The King of Mombasa Courts" and at some point he ran out of opponents and found himself facing his own 16-year old son, Aarif in 1977 to win his 25th title.
Karim also played four Associate Trophies in addition to the three World Cups which include his famous performance against Australia in the 2003 World Cup during which he was declared "Man- of-the-Match".
The movie was directed by Kenyan movie-maker, Amit Tyiagi. According to Karim, who attended the film festival that was held at the Alliance Francaise in New Delhi, the documentary and the sports festival were very well received in India.
"As usual, the reception was a nostalgic experience like the way the Kenyan cricket team used to be received during our tours. My colleagues on the team will remember the same," Aasif told Xinhua Monday.
"It is now time for Kenya as a country, which has produced world class athletes from the runners, cricketers, hockey and other sports to not only host such festivals but also produce documentaries of our own sports ambassadors who have done our nation proud."
He says this is important for record purposes and for the youngsters to come to motivate the performances of the "unsung heroes."
"I must put on record the following Kenyan cricket has to date in India from media to past Indian cricketers; and all had the same question with sadness, 'What happened to Kenyan cricket?'
Aasif passed the baton to his son, Irfan, who has started on a positive foot and is already a prominent member of the Kenyan national team.
At 20, he was recently named as one of the youngest players in the world to have scored a century. Irfan achieved the feat during a match between Kenya and Canada in Dubai on March 13, 2013 in which he steered Kenya to a second win in three days in the ICC World Cricket League Championship.
Karim's knock included 11 boundaries from 137 balls during which he rotated the strike to ensure the Kenyan inning was built around him.
The left-handed batsman, leg spinner and wicket keeper started playing cricket at the Nairobi Jafferys Sports Club but later moved to Nairobi Gymkhana.
He is still a member of Gymkhana despite currently being a student in Britain where he is a student at Loughborough University in Birmingham.
The Tiger Paw Sports Film Festival is an attempt to bring to India a sports film festival where film and documentary makers get an opportunity to show case their productions on various aspects and of different sporting disciplines. Endi
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