Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, the names of those who lost their lives continue to carry stories of lives, families and dreams that were suddenly cut short. Among them was Nezam Ahmed Hafiz, a talented Guyanese-born cricketer who had gone on to represent the United States.Hafiz was 32 years old when he was killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center’s North Tower on September 11, 2001. His name is now permanently inscribed at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, on Panel N-6 of the North Pool.But before he became one of the victims of one of the darkest days in American history, Hafiz was known to many simply as a cricketer: a talented batsman, a thoughtful teammate and a man who had built much of his life around the game.
From Guyana to American cricket
Born in Guyana on April 21, 1969, Hafiz grew up in a country where cricket was deeply woven into everyday life. His talent emerged early. He captained the Guyana Under-19 team in 1988, with one of his opponents in that tournament being Trinidad and Tobago’s Brian Lara, who would later become one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history.Hafiz subsequently made his first-class debut for Guyana and played several matches for the senior side during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He moved to New York in 1992, joining his parents and sisters, but leaving Guyana did not mean leaving cricket behind.In Queens, Hafiz became a prominent figure in the local cricket community, playing for the American Cricket Society and eventually representing the United States. He also toured England with the USA team in 2000.
September 11 changed everything
During the week, Hafiz worked as a computer analyst for Marsh & McLennan. His office was on the 94th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Hafiz was among those inside the building. The tower eventually collapsed at 10:28 a.m., killing Hafiz and thousands of others. He was one of the 358 Marsh & McLennan employees and contractors who died in the attacks.For his family, the loss was therefore compounded by the absence of a conventional goodbye. His mother, Bebe Hafiz, later spoke about the pain of not being able to bury her son as per a Cricinfo report.
Cricket became his memorial
His teammates refused to allow Hafiz’s memory to disappear. In the months and years after 9/11, cricket matches were organised in his honour. His American Cricket Society teammates held a memorial match in Queens in 2002, while another was later held at the Malteenoes Cricket Club in Guyana. Memorial matches continued in New York for several years.In 2011, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, another memorial match was organised in New York. The cricket bat from one of those memorial matches is now part of the collection of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
