SPORTING COUPLE HAVE BIG PLANS

AWARD-WINNING cricketer Salma Bi is well-known throughout the UK's Asian communities for her remarkable achievements both on and off the field.

However, in 2015 Salma will be working in a new sporting partnership in every sense of the word.

In December 2013, the Birmingham-based sportswoman married head teacher Sohail Mughal in her husband's homeland of Pakistan.

Throughout the past year the couple have been involved in fund-raising to rebuild Zain-Ul-Abideen school in Azad Kashmir, where Sohail is the head.

The school is in desperate need of redevelopment and expansion, with the eventual aim of catering for 1,000 pupils, many of them orphaned children.

Salma has already started working hard in the UK to raise funds for the project. 

In April this year, she will host a 30-hour non-stop futsal marathon at Birmingham International Futsal Arena.

In the past two years, she has already staged 10 and 20-hour marathons for various charities, but this is her biggest challenge yet.

So who is Sohail Mughal?

He is a man who has been nurtured in an environment where he learned the only way to succeed was to work for your goals.

Sohail decided to pursue his career in education. Now a postgraduate and master student, Sohail has achieved more than what once looked impossible. 

His qualifications are: Ssc.Fa.BA.B.ed

Sohail works for a charity organisation in Azad Kashmir as a senior head teacher employed for over four years providing education to over 600 primary school children and supporting numerous teachers to progress in their careers.

Sohail was once offered a police officer's job whilst studying his law course. but always had the passion to offer his gifted and talented character to the next generation to follow.

He turned down the police position as he was Intending to marry Salma and did not want to commit to a long term 10-year contract with the force.

Recently Sohail completed his masters and until recently was part of the examining board setting up exam questions and pushing more potential students to better education.

When Sohail has not been presenting his education he has sport running in his blood.

He is a personal trainer at his local gymnasium, a fitness model, goes running and plays cricket as a batsman-wicket keeper.

Salma said: "Sohail has been through a lot of hardship, but enjoyed the journey to learn on his own and the right way. To fall and still get up. 

"This month he will move to the UK to live with me, but we will often go back for business purposes to achieve our dream of rebuilding the Zain-Ul Abideen school.

"He will convert his teaching degree here in the UK, play cricket and support me as his wife as well as continuing his ambition to rebuild the school back in Pakistan.

"Our motto is 'Not to Achieve One Job But to Conquer all the Jobs in this One Lifetime."