At 7ft 6ins, this giant from Pakistan aims to be tallest bowler in world
Mudassir Gujjar, who has been picked by Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, is 7 ft 6ins tall and he aims to play for the Pakistan national team in the future. If he plays international cricket for Pakistan, he could be the tallest bowler in the world to have played the sport.
When you think about giant fast bowlers, the mind goes to Mohammad Irfan, the Pakistan left-arm pacer. The 7 ft 1 ins pace bowler became the tallest bowler to play international cricket and he achieved moderate success, taking 83 wickets in 60 ODIs. However, trust Pakistan to not only continue building an assembly line of pace bowlers but also giants. After Mohammad Irfan, there is another pace bowler who is taller than him and is looking to make giant strides in Pakistan cricket.
Mudassir Gujjar, who hails from Lahore and is part of the Lahore Qalandars development program in the Pakistan Super League, measures 7 ft and 6 ins tall. According to other reports, he is 7 ft and 4 ins tall while in one Twitter page, he is listed as 7 ft and 5 ins. If he makes it to the Pakistan cricket team in the near future, he could be the tallest bowler in history to play cricket.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mudassir Gujjar said that his height was due to a hormonal condition. “My height is a blessing as I can run faster and be the fastest bowler. I started training seven months ago to become a bowler but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a pause. I hope one day I will be the tallest bowler in the world,” Gujjar said.
Parents initially worried
By the time Mudassir Gujjar left primary school, he was already six feet tall. The tall height proved to be a problem for the Lahore youngster, with custom-made shoes and clothes being prepared specifically for him as ready-made products were not available in his size. Gujjar could not take the rickshaw to school. For him, his tall height does not allow him to even drive a car.
However, it has also had benefits as Mudassir Gujjar believes he is a celebrity and all this has overcome the initial worry his parents had for him.
“I was the tallest child in the school and in the neighbourhood. I was already six foot tall when I was ten and by the time I was in high school, I was above seven feet tall. My parents were worried as I kept growing. They were not able to understand why I was growing taller than my siblings and if it will later cause any troubles for me. People now meet me with a smile, they are in awe of me. It makes me feel good. I feel special,” Gujjar said.