BACK in 2016, Dr Naj Soomro was keeping a close watch on Mildura West cricketers as they trained in the nets.
Now he is doing that and much more for the Pakistan Cricket Board as its chief medical officer, achieving a lifelong dream.
Dr Soomro, a medical doctor who is dual-trained as an injury epidemiologist and sports scientist, has always been a cricket tragic.
From a young age, he wanted to be as close to the game as possible. His journey brought him to Australia, where his career has spanned national and international sports’ organisations including Cricket Australia, FIFA, Rugby League, Netball, and AFL.
After completing his studies, Dr Soomro’s first medical job was as a lecturer in clinical medicine at Monash Rural Health Mildura. While based in Sunraysia for a year, he joined up with West as a way to integrate into the community, becoming a popular member of the club, both as a player and doctor.
“I’ve always had an interest in cricket and so that was a great way to get out and meet the local community,” he said.
“I applied for quite a few jobs but managed to get one as a lecturer in medicine at the Monash campus. I enjoyed my time in Mildura.”
He was also team doctor and team manager for the Mallee Murray Bulls Under 18 team in 2017-18.
Dr Soomro’s love affair with cricket began at a young age back in Pakistan, and memories of the 1996 World Cup in his nation of birth were the catalyst for his current position.
“Growing up, cricket is the major sport in Pakistan and that was always the sport I loved,” he said.
“I have vivid memories of being 10 years old in 1996 watching the World Cup in Pakistan. My father and I were watching Pakistan play South Africa and Jacques Kallis went down with some abdominal pain. I watched a man run onto the ground to help him and I asked my dad, ‘who is that guy?’. He told me that was the team doctor and from that point on, that’s what I wanted to do.”
After studying medicine in Pakistan, followed by an internship at a large tertiary hospital, Dr Soomro wanted to find something a bit more out of the box.
After looking overseas, he was accepted into the University of Sydney’s Master of International Public Health, studying Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
He decided to continue to a PhD and approached Cricket Australia to discuss ideas around injury prevention. His thesis, Cricket Injury Prevention, resulted in the creation of the free mobile app, TeamDoc, and the development of the world’s first Cricket Injury Prevention Program (CIPP).
Dr Soomro believes his on-the-ground experience in multiple sports while in Australia has helped him learn more about various sporting injuries.
“There is a lot to learn from other sports, and different sports offer different dimensions and a variety of experiences,” he said.
“Growing up in Pakistan, I never knew about AFL but I have to say it’s the fastest game in the world and with so much velocity, there are so many injuries. I have become an Essendon Bombers fan, hopefully I might get the chance to be involved with them one day.
“One of the things I learned out of the Aussie Rules experience was players going to the beach for recovery. That’s something I’ve tried to encourage, get down to the beach rather than just being at the gym, and the boys absolutely love it.”
Dr Soomro said the appointment “happened so fast” but he is over the moon to be in the position. His family is based in Geelong while he divides his time between there and Pakistan.
“Specialising in cricket is a very niche area so once you have that experience, I guess the opportunities are there and hopefully I can contribute for a long time to come,” he said.
“The sky is the limit, I haven’t set a specific target for myself.”
