By Joseph Staszewski
Talk to Amran Ahmed and he will use a few simple words to get his point across. They will be barely audible, because the John Adams cricket star is as shy as they come off the field. On the field, however, it’s a different story.
“It’s just his personality,” Spartans coach Alex Navarrete said about Ahmed. “He’s such a humble kid. It just shows when you talk to him how soft he is. Then you see him play and he is so aggressive.”
Ahmed is one of the best cricket players of his age in the nation. He was honored with the PSAL Wingate Award earlier this month as the top senior in his sport. Navarrete told Ahmed, who is from Bangladesh, that his jersey would hang in the school to commemorate the honor.
“I feel proud to be honored like this,” Ahmed said. “My school gave me a big opportunity.”
He’s taken full advantage of that opportunity. It took some time for Ahmed to emerge from the shadow of Derek Nardine after the duo helped Adams to its first ever PSAL city title last season. This year, with some prodding from Navarrete, Ahmed became the team’s top player and unquestioned leader. He led by example with his play and never missed a chance to be more vocal and give his teammates advice.
“It’s kind of like he transforms himself when he is up there and facing the best bowlers in the city,” Navarrete said. “He doesn’t get intimidated. He will challenge anybody in the city. That’s what makes him good.”
He led Adams to the top seed in the playoffs. The Spartans earned a return trip to the title game, but were upset by No. 6 Richmond Hill. It was a tough end to a fine overall season for Ahmed, who was named the school’s Male Athlete of the Year.
He posted three centuries by scoring 100 runs or more in a single game and was close to a few more, according to Navarrete. Ahmed averaged 59 runs per game and was also one of the team’s top bowlers.
“I always knew this kid was going to come out of his shell at the right time,” Navarrete said. “He put up the impressive numbers.”
His skills have been developing since he picked up the sport as an 11-year-old with his brother Fahim Shakil Opu. It’s translated into a fine career that included getting the program its first crown after Navarrete and Adams had lost in three title games.
“He was so happy for us,” Ahmed said about his coach. “I was so happy for him.”
