One of the most famous cheerleaders in world cricket, Pakistan's 'Chacha Cricket' has decided to retire in 2026. The last time he waves Pakistan's flag in the stands as a cheerleader will be in the upcoming months. At home, the 77-year-old will cheer in the three-ODI series against Pakistan. His last away tour will be on England soil as Pakistan play a three-Test series in August-September in an attempt to revive their World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign.
Sporting a deep green kurta and a cap, Abdul Jalil aka 'Chacha Cricket' has seen Pakistan dominate world cricket. He has seen them win their maiden ODI World Cup title. In 1999, he made cheerleading for Pakistan his priority by quitting his job in the UAE.
He has now decided to live his dream by opening a restaurant and museum in Sialkot's outskirts. He has achieved his target of cheering for Pakistan in 500 games. Towards the end of his cheerleading career, Jalil faced many disappointments. He witnessed Pakistan falling short against Pakistan for the last few years irrespective of the white-ball format.
"I witnessed Pakistan's three consecutive defeats to India [in the Asia Cup last year]. We have now lost nine in a row to India. I did not want them to lose another match after the Asia Cup," Jalil told ESPNCricinfo.
He recalled when Javed Miandad had hit Chetan Sharma for a maximum off the last ball to win the match in 1986 to ICC Champions Trophy final win.
"I was on the ground when Javed Miandad hit Chetan Sharma for a six on the last ball," he said.
"I vividly remember Miandad hitting him over deep midwicket. The other memorable match for me was when we beat India at The Oval in 2017."
2 defeats that hurt ‘Cricket Chacha’ more
However, there are two defeats that have hurt him more than the others during his cheerleading career. The first was the low-scoring T20 World Cup 2024 group stage game and the second was the semifinal clash in ODI World Cup 2011.
"They could not chase 120 against India at New York [at the 2024 T20 World Cup]. I had travelled a great distance to support the team," Jalil said.
"I took a painstaking journey for that game," he recalled. "I travelled from Sri Lanka to Karachi to Sialkot and then crossed into India. We could have won that match but mistakes happen. Wins and losses are part of the game."
After announcing his retirement, ‘Chacha Cricket’ will be seen in the stands at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium when Shaheen Afridi-led Pakistan go up against a second-string Australia in the first ODI of the series on May 30.