How volunteering saved a World Cup Cricketeer from a life on the streets

Will Ford speaks to a man who rescued his life from being held captive and watching the World Cup highlights in secret

"I used to stay in a local park near a shopping centre, or sometimes slept on the night bus – I picked busy places so I would feel safe."

Mfa Zaman came to the UK from Bangladesh in 2005 "looking for a better life". When he arrived he was treated as a slave and lived in some of the worst conditions imaginable.

"They made my life hell," he says, without going into specifics of the people who effectively held him captive in London.

He loved cricket, but he had to stop playing the game when he became homeless.

"Often I had no food to eat – survival was more important in life at that point than cricket.

"I remember in 2007, I collected a TV from the roadside to watch the World Cup – we were not allowed to watch TV where I lived so I had to hide it and watch the highlights at night."

He had no electricity, no hot water and a lack of proper nutrition: "I could not tell anyone because most people didn’t believe me – people don't think it happens in this country."

After four years of mental and physical abuse, Zaman, then just 20 and in fear for his life, took to the streets.

"I was lonely and depressed, looking for a place where I could find mental peace – I found it through volunteering."

Since the years of abuse and those few harrowing weeks on the street in 2009, Zaman has volunteered at the Olympics and Rugby World Cup, won awards for his contributions to the community, founded Safe & Save to help and motivate homeless people and joined the 4,000-strong volunteers clad in blue and yellow who helped deliver a successful 2019 World Cup on the grounds – the 'Cricketeers'.

^{The Cricketeers formed a huge part of successful World Cup}

The volunteers covered everything from welcoming spectators to tweeting from a Cricketeer's perspective, and Zaman was also involved in the selection process this summer.

He said: "It was an amazing experience and a big honour – I love all sports but cricket holds a special corner in my heart."

Zaman is also a qualified ECB umpire, standing in leagues in London and Essex. "It's really challenging but I love it. People are used to an old man with a big belly – most people are surprised when I turn up!"

He is always looking for ways to spread the word on the benefits of volunteering and appeared on BBC's The One Show in 2017 after walking 616 miles from Yorkshire to London, meeting prospective volunteers, offering encouragement and advice.

He has also run three marathons, raising money to help children with disabilities to get involved in sport – endorsed by cricketing greats Sir Garry Sobers, Brian Lara and Zaman's hero Sir Viv Richards.

"He was so powerful and changed the game of cricket in the 70's – he smashed bowlers all over the place.

"I've been lucky enough to meet him many times – he's a true gentleman.

"Volunteering has given me the opportunity to meet so many amazing people, be there for so many incredible moments and has allowed me to overcome various challenges."

When asked for his advice for young people looking to get involved in volunteering, Zaman's message is simple: "Get stuck in, say yes to the opportunities that come your way and be proud of what you do."

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