The invitation has already been extended. Even if Australia beat Pakistan in their men’s pairs match at the Commonwealth Games, they are still welcome to dinner afterwards. There is just one small catch. “If we lose, they are still invited to the restaurant, but I will probably give them a spicy vindaloo as revenge,” Mohammed Ayub Qureshi says with a smile.
Qureshi, better known around the city’s bowls community as “Chico”, has spent decades serving food at Alishan Tandoori while also becoming Pakistan’s most recognisable lawn bowler. On Wednesday the restaurateur swaps the shirt and tie for Pakistan colours as he and his teammate Maqsood Waseem Khan face one of the toughest assignments in the sport.
Standing across the rink will be Australia’s Corey Wedlock and Aaron Teys. Wedlock is a three-time world champion after starring at the 2023 World Outdoor Championships, while Australia have already stamped their authority on these Games, leading the medal table with over 60 medals overall.
“I feel excited. I feel excited to be playing with the best,” Qureshi says. “Hopefully we’ll learn something and we’ll take something home. The experience, I mean, these guys, are the creme de la creme.”
Beside him sits Khan, his teammate and the secretary of the Pakistan Lawn Bowls Federation, who needs no reminding of the challenge awaiting them. “These guys are serious so we know we have to be as well.”
Qureshi has lived in Glasgow for decades, while Khan remains based in Pakistan, training before flying in for international competition. “We make it work, it is not that difficult,” Khan says. “I play and train in Faisalabad or Lahore and he is here but it does not come to mind.”
Their journeys into bowls could hardly have been more different. For Qureshi, it started almost accidentally nearly three decades ago through a relationship forged in business. “I started playing bowls nearly 30 years ago. And the reason I got into it was because our bank manager at the curry house helped. He was a bowler,” Qureshi says.
“When we opened the business, we decided to do something for this club where I train, the Glasgow Indoor Bowling Club. We said to the manager: ‘We’d like to sponsor your club for the tournaments you hold every year.’ So for the last 30 years, we’ve been sponsoring them with three-course meals every year, trophies and prizes. Then I decided to join the club and play.”
Khan’s introduction to the sport required a bit more improvisation. “I was impressed by the bowls but I couldn’t buy bowling balls in Pakistan,” he says. “They never even heard of the sport. I got the balls to be made out of wood.”
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Cricket remains the country’s overwhelming sporting obsession. Bowls, by contrast, is still fighting for recognition, facilities and even equipment. But Khan has made it his mission to change that. “I train young people in Faisalabad and in Lahore. Mostly young people are interested in bowls in Pakistan now. Pakistan is known for their love of cricket. Bowls is a sport of luxury. But I try to help them financially and try to get them interested. I am trying to create an academy which can provide easy access. Pakistan is my home and I want to bring my love there.”
Home, meanwhile, is a complicated concept for Qureshi. Born in Multan, he has spent more than 50 years living in Glasgow. He represents Pakistan but is cheered on by Scottish clubmates, loyal customers and friends. “My indoor club and the outdoor club and my customers, they all come and support me,” he says. “I see them in the crowd and sometimes I will give them a free papadum in return.”
Running a successful restaurant and competing internationally might sound exhausting but Qureshi insists they complement one another. “Running a restaurant for 30 years, you get adjusted to it, you find a good staff who would cover you. Being a restaurateur gives me an income. Being an athlete gets you away from the public in a sense. You go on the green, relaxed, and just play balls at your leisure.
“Stressful days would be against the big teams. Like tomorrow. Your mind is always wondering what to do, what shot to play, all that sort of stuff. I mean, we’re kind of part-time club players becoming internationalists. It’s an amazing feeling. It’s a feeling you can’t describe.”
