Dubai: This Afghan Cricket Hero Dreams Of Meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger

From growing up at a refugee camp in Pakistan to playing in the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal for Afghanistan and winning the ILT20 (the UAE's IPL-style T20 league) title with Dubai Capitals, Gulbadin Naib has come a long way.

Relentless and fearless, the 34-year-old is an explosive all-rounder who could hit the best of the bowlers out of the park and earn crucial breakthroughs with his medium-pace bowling.

A standout player for the Dubai Capitals in last season's title-winning ILT20 campaign, Gulbadin is also famous for his wicket-taking celebrations -raising both arms and flexing his bulging muscles.

During an exclusive interview with the Khaleej Times, Gulbadin spoke about Afghanistan cricket and revealed why he would like to meet Hollywood strongman Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Q. How good is it to be back for the Dubai Capitals in ILT20 after winning the title last season?

It's great. I was with them in the IPL as well, with the Delhi Capitals. It's a dream for every player now to play in these tournaments with these teams. So I am just enjoying these moments. The last season was great, we won the title, I also played well, so I am hoping that we will have another great season.

Q. You have played in so many leagues, including the IPL. How impressed are you the ILT20?

I think the IlT20 is the biggest league after the IPL. It's a great platform for the players, especially the young players from the UAE. This time, we also have players from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. For young players from these associate countries, it's a great opportunity to share the dressing room with these big international players.

Q. The UAE also supported Afghanistan cricket by providing the Sharjah Stadium for matches and training when it was impossible to play cricket in your country due to war...

Back in the day, the facilities were almost non-existent in Afghanistan. We had a very small pool of players. So for us, the Afghan players, the UAE provided us with great support. We got the Sharjah stadium to train and play our matches. We also played in Dubai, so the UAE played a big role in our cricket. All the players, the top ones that you see now in our cricket team, all of them played here and trained here.

Q. But you didn't start your sports journey as a cricketer. You were a bodybuilder. Can you tell us why you loved bodybuilding as a youngster?

I grew up in a refugee camp in Pakistan, and my friends got me to watch a lot of WWE on television. So the passion for bodybuilding started from there, and it came to a stage where I thought I could become a professional bodybuilder. But it's probably the toughest sport in the world; it requires an incredible level of discipline. You also have to be strong financially if you want to make a mark in bodybuilding. But I was in a refugee camp, and our conditions were not ideal to pursue such a sport. Eventually, I got into cricket, which was not difficult because Pakistan is such a cricket-crazy country, and kids play in every street. So it was easy for me to get into the sport.

Q. You play against some of the biggest names in cricket. Do some of these stars take advice from you when it comes to gym work?

Yes, they check my muscles to see if they are real! They joke, of course. But they want to know how I maintain this with my cricket. I tell them how it has helped me maintain my fitness, which is so important in cricket now. Players come for advice, but I ask them to do only as much as they can.

Q. We know that you are a big Arnold Schwarzenegger fan. If Afghanistan qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, it will probably give you a great opportunity to meet your hero...

Of course. When I was young, I read a book about him. We didn't have the access to the internet back in the day, so I was lucky to get the book. I learned everything about his training sessions, his diet, and I followed that. I used to go out holding his book in my hand; people used to think I was going to college, but I was going to the gym. So he became an inspiration for me. He is still my idol, and I still have the dream of meeting him. So if we qualify for the Olympics in (LA 2028), then of course I will do everything in my power to meet him.

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