Hamza Shaikh grateful for teammates’ Ramadan support

Bears' England Under-19s batter Hamza Shaikh has thanked his Warwickshire teammates for their support while fasting during the Club’s pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi. The season warm-up event in the UAE – where Warwickshire beat four other First Class Counties and an Abu Dhabi XI to win the tournament – fell during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Shaikh, from Aston in Birmingham, fasted throughout the two-week trip which meant he didn’t eat or drink anything during daylight hours, while also allocating time for prayer and reflection. It made training and playing for the 17-year-old especially challenging given Abu Dhabi’s 30-degree heat. Shaikh has praised his fellow Bears for their support along with the Club’s backroom staff for making special arrangements for him to break fast and eat at night, plus allocating time for religious observation. #ramadan #birmingham #abudhabi