Sixer leads cricketers to Andhra man in Jeddah

The players, who went in search of the ball, were surprised to find amidst the rubble an unkempt man, who looked like he hadn't had a bath for weeks or even had food for days

Jeddah: It was just another cricket match for a group of youngsters in Jeddah earlier this week. That is, till one of the batsmen hit a six that landed among the rubble near an abandoned structure just across the playground’s boundary.

The players, who went in search of the ball, were surprised to find amidst the rubble an unkempt man, who looked like he hadn’t had a bath for weeks or even had food for days.

---

The players, all of whom were from Tamil Nadu working in Jeddah, however did not understand what he said but offered him food. Since he appeared to be talking in Telugu, Abdul Razaq, one of the players, later in the evening informed one of his friends who knew Telugu, and they returned to the spot a little later.

It was then that the man revealed that he was from Andhra Pradesh. Shafiuallah Ellalcheruva, which was the name he told them, said he had no friends nor acquaintances in the city and that he had reached there wandering in search of help.

What exactly happened is yet to be known. What he told them was that he had not had food or a shower for several days. A native of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, he said he was working as a house driver in Jeddah city and had ran away from the job as he was desperate to return home after the two-year contract expired. He said he had visited the Indian consulate, the police and the Saudi Passport office but was still stuck in Saudi, unable to return home.

There are reports that he was facing criminal charges and was trying to flee the country.