Kambli part of Yorkshire folklore, ex-teammates worry about him

IN YORKSHIRE THEY still remember Vinod Kambli, the next big Indian batsman of the 90s who now epitomises the frightful consequences of young cricketers failing to handle fame and fortune.

- SANDEEP DWIVEDI

The time Sachin Tendulkar earned the right to be the first overseas cricketer to call Headingley his home county and hit global headlines, his friend Kambli, yet to make his Test debut, was playing for a small club around there, making waves and friends for life.

Many years later, those who played with him and against the mercurial stroke maker here back in the day, have read media reports about his alcohol addiction, watched his struggles to speak in interviews, keep asking that one question: "What happened to Kambli?"

Nasa Hussain is the head groundsman at Park Avenue ground in Bradford, an area dominated by those with roots in Pakistan and India. From Mirpur in Pakistan, he once bowled to Kambli. Nasa, like Kambli, is in his 50s now. In the early 90s, they were young cricketers with dreams.