From make-up art to broadcast

Zainab Abbas always had a dream to cover Cricket World Cup

Zainab Abbas is a well-known Pakistani sports presenter, television host and commentator. Grabbing victories in the field of make-up art and making it to public broadcasting simultaneously, what made Zainab win the title of “The National Lucky Charm”? Let’s discover it all.

What brought you to the field of cricket commentary? Luck or passion?

It was passion. I remember back in my childhood days, I always wanted to do sports. I would not only binge-watch it, but I would keenly listen to the zeal of commentary going on in the background. It would boost my curiosity and vigour to stay tuned to the sport. I would tone my voice, imitating every word being delivered and let the sport flow its excitement through me. I grew up seeing my father and Rameez Raja, playing first-class cricket in their college days, as well as my mother, behind the coverage of the 1999 Cricket World Cup for a magazine from Pakistan.

Whenever there was a match, it used to be a festive occasion in our house where renowned people belonging to the cricket fraternity would come over to join us, adding oomph, watching it. I remained lucky enough to experience their company and passionate enough to always enjoy and learn from the discussion table. Of course, I wanted to be like them, and share my insight on the go too. It was their commentary and the phenomenal style of analysing match dynamics, predicting scores, celebrating victories and trolling defeats that paved my way for future cricket presenting and commentary. So, my inclination for the field was very home-grown. It was and is still inherent.

Beginning from make-up art and landing into the field of sports presenting, what ideas propelled you to pursue a career in diverse industries?

Yes, it is a long story. So, soon after I completed my master’s degree in marketing from the University of Warwick, I was oblivious about my future career planning. I started working at an engineering firm for a year and meanwhile, I realised that I am not the person cut out for a 9-to-5 job at all. I started looking into other options and exploring other career opportunities.

The beauty and fashion industry always mesmerised me because it added a lot of confidence and happiness to people’s lives, so exquisitely. With the ultimate support of my parents and especially my mother, I established my own beauty business in England. By the time I had gained experience and earned a good name in the beauty and fashion market, I covered London Fashion Week (LFW). But still, there was a search of finding meaning in my life. There, still, was a void, ready to be filled. Just then, I came across a sport-commentary, Lahore-based job offered by a private media house in 2014. I was fortunate enough to respond to my calling. I went for an audition and finally, made it to the field of my dream journey.

How do you spend a day typically?

I am an early riser. I wake up around 5 in the morning. I do meditation and go to the gym, after which I take the first meal of the day. I decide on the attire depending on my mood and weather, get ready and go to work. This is the time of the day that I enjoy the most. Taking lunch on time, and after completing all tasks, I return, do yoga, read books and take the last meal of my day. I am a very diet-conscious person and I believe what you eat identifies what you become. I take high-protein, high-calcium and low-fat diets. I make sure never to miss out on any supplement in my diet that my body needs, fulfilling all hydration needs of the body. I do work out in the evening at my home and go to sleep to ensure I get enough sleep of 6-8 hours as it enhances one’s efficiency.

You are known for being ‘The National Lucky Charm’ for Pakistan. What is the inside story?

While I was covering the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, it so happened, coincidently that with whomever Indian Cricket team player I took a ‘selfie’, he would simply either reach back to the pavilion scoring very low on the day or proving himself the ‘unlucky guy’ for the team. So Indian media took notice of this.

The news regarding Indian cricket team players staying away from me before the matches was all over, in response to which, the Pakistani media and Cricket fraternity declared me ‘The National Lucky Charm’.

Which is your favourite PSL team and why do you adore it the most?

Tough one! Keeping diplomacy and political correctness aside, I believe all teams add their unique flavour to PSL every year. Be it Quetta Gladiators, Islamabad United, Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings or Multan Sultans, every team has its own, exceptional traits and characteristics. Karachi is so vibrant, and Karachi Kings bring a lot of energy and colour to the ground. Zalmi brings a very deep-rooted Peshawari zeal to the pitch; whereas, Quetta brings all excitement to the PSL. Islamabad, too, is a successful PSL team, and Multan Sultans are the other name for the cricket craze. But, being ‘Lahori’ propels me to support team Qalandars. I find them bringing energy, passion and intelligence to the Cricket dynamics. It is always a pleasure to watch Lahore Qalandars playing, as their teams bring allspice and flavours to grab public attention and affect their sentiment. The team knows well how to build emotional connections with both, the public as well as the pitch.

What are your future goals?

I always had a dream of working for the coverage of the ICC World Cup at least once in my lifetime, and guess what? I already achieved it back in 2019. So, for the time being, I am working to maintain persistence and sustainability in the monotony of my routine activities.

What message would you give to the young people venturing into sports presenting?

I would like to tell them that there are no shortcuts in life. I had to struggle really hard to grab my first opportunity. The first opportunity is always the greatest as it comes with an equivalent momentum of responsibilities and challenges. It introduces you to the market and once you become a public figure, it adds to your daily-challenges list. One has to become thick-skinned and street-smart to overcome such routine-based stressors. So, make sure to work hard with due persistence.