A tech entrepreneur has come to the rescue of one of the stars of Freddie Flintoff’s TV programme Field of Dreams.
Teenage Afghan refugee Adnan Miakhel shot to prominence on the hit show, which followed Flintoff’s attempts to build a cricket team for disadvantaged youngsters.
Miakhel arrived in the UK as a 15-year-old unable to read, write or speak a word of English but viewers saw he had talent for cricket.
Now aged 19, Miakhel, made his debut earlier his season for Lancashire’s 2nd XI but off-the-pitch he’d been struggling without a car of his own.
The youngster lives in Chorley with his foster parents Elaine Jefferson, 74, and Barry Brocklehurst, 84, and was largely having to rely on them to ferry him to matches and training sessions.
After learning of his struggles, businessman Dez Derry intervened by giving the youngster his long-term partner’s Volkswagen Golf, worth around £10,000.
Miakhell said: “I can’t thank Dez enough. I’m so grateful. It’s made such a difference. I play around three matches a week and train twice.”
The allrounder signed for Newton-le-Willows Cricket Club this season and regularly clocks up 300 miles a week.
“It wasn’t fair on Baz to be driving me around the country,” explained Miakhel. “Sometimes I don’t leave the ground until 9pm and I couldn’t expect Baz to come and pick me up.”
Derry was adopted by a white family in the 1990s and became a charity ambassador for Adoption Matters and Foster Care Matters because of his own experiences.
The founder of Blume, a customer acquisition specialists for the legal sector. said: “I met Adnan earlier this year and you only need to spend five minutes with him to feel his warmth, kindness, politeness, manners, drive and determination to play cricket for England.
Adnan Miakhel with Dez Derry
“I was really moved by Adnan’s foster parents Elaine and Barry, who instantly reminded me of my own white foster parents, who went on to adopt my brothers and I and are now in their 80s.
“They changed our lives, just like Elaine and Barry are changing Adnan’s life.
“As his cricket career was taking off I became aware he needed a reliable car so when my partner decided to change her car I couldn’t think of a better new home for it than Adnan.”
His foster mother Elaine Jefferson said: “It’s such an amazing gesture by Dez. The car gives Adnan his independence.
“His cricket takes up most of his week but he also likes to go the mosque or to the gym.
“Adnan does a lot of driving so needs a reliable car and we couldn’t afford it until Dez stepped in.
“Even though the car has a black box the insurance still costs more than £3,000 a year.”
Jefferson and Brocklehurst are approved foster parents with Lancashire County Council and saw their financial support reduced when Adnan turned 18.
“Although Adnan plays a lot of cricket he doesn’t earn much money,” said Jefferson. “Thanks to Derry he can now pursue his dream of becoming a professional cricketer.”
Miakhel has recently finished Rossall School, in Fleetwood, and has put university aspirations on hold to pursue his dream of becoming a professional cricketer.
“The next 18 months are critical to my cricket career and that’s why having my own car is so important,” he said.