Saqib Ali is on a rehabilitation program to regain full fitness ahead of the UAE's home series against Namibia in October.
He returned to action for his employer New Medical Centre (NMC), in the Ramadan Cup tournament at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, scoring 11 (against Wings), 35 not out (Ibson), and 34 not out (Abu Dhabi Gymkhana) in the quarter-finals).
Saqib was playing in a competition for the first time in more than seven months after surgery in his native Pakistan for a bulging disc in his lower back.
"I wanted to avoid the scalpel and consulted several medical personnel, but every one of them told me that I had no other option but to go through it," he said.
According to Saqib, the injury occurred when he slipped and fell on his back during a training session with the UAE team while preparing for the tour to Holland in July last year.
"I felt a jarring pain at that time, but didn't take it seriously," he said. "The pain remained. I had it running through the legs and found it difficult to walk and difficult to sleep. I still took painkillers and played."
He also split the webbings in one hand, which required six stitches, but did not stop him from playing. Previously, he has made comebacks from a serious ankle injury and knee surgery in 2011.
Saqib has been left out of the UAE's squad, though, on the tours to Canada for the ICC Intercontinental Cup, from August 1 to 11, and the Asian Cricket Council Emerging Teams Cup in Singapore, from August 17 to 25.
Sudhaker Chitrala, the longtime physiotherapist at the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has known Saqib from the time he first made it on the national team in 2006, and is more than hopeful the all-rounder will be available for the Intercontinental Cup against Namibia.
"He is not like any other player," Sudhaker said. "He is mentally very strong compared to the others. He is hard-working and can motivate himself to get in to the team."
The ECB is also pinning hopes on his return and has purchased him exercise equipment - a static strengthening machine - which is a combination of stretchable springs.
Adversity is not alien to Saqib. He has battled hardships since his childhood.
"I lost my father when I was around six or seven," he said. "My older brother [Nadeem] was playing cricket for Sabria in Multan, where Inzamam ul Haq [the former Pakistan captain] started his career.
"He had ambitions to make it to the top flight, but had to give up after my father's death to take charge of the family milk-distribution business.
"However, he encouraged me and supported me to pursue on the sport.
"He took me to an academy. Another brother [Fahim] was into wrestling and wanted me to follow that sport. He made me do thousands of push-ups every day.
"I did both for a while, but cricket was always my first love. I was playing tennis-ball cricket in the streets until my brother enrolled me in an academy at the age of 13.
"It was the first time I played hard ball and my brother told the coach [Abid Ghafoor] to beat me if I don't carry out his instructions. And he did use a stump to smack me whenever I made a mistake."
Saqib went on to represent Pakistan at the Under 19 in 1995, but was subsequently dropped despite scoring heavily for his city Multan in the domestic tournaments. "My family pressed me to find a job abroad because I wasn't benefitting monetarily from cricket," he said.
"All those who knew me in the cricket circle advised me not to leave, saying that I was still young [19] and the opportunity would come for me to play for the national team.
"I was also reluctant to move abroad, but things were not getting better on the home front. I took the first employment opportunity."
Saqib joined the NMC Group in October 1997.
"I don't know what I would have gained had I remained in Pakistan, but moving to the UAE provided me a decent living and the opportunity to play for the UAE. So I have no regrets," he said.
"My employer has allowed me to continue my cricket and granted me time off to train and play for the national team.
"I was also given paid leave when I was away in Pakistan for more than three months recovering from the surgery."
Saqib has three children, including a son, Fahad.
"Fahad is passionate about his cricket and I see him with some potential as a batsman," he said.
"However, first of all I want to provide him the opportunity of higher education, a privilege I didn't have."
Saqib has scored 1,544 runs in his first-class career, including a personal best of 195 against Ireland, and averages 53.24.
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