There is more to Hamid Hassan than the headband, war paint and the adorably clumsy cartwheels which have made the Afghanistan paceman the cult hero of the World Cup.
Hassan has had more than his share of setbacks so he can understand the adversity professional cricketers have to overcome to reach the top, but even the unluckiest of elite athletes will find it hard to identify with Hassan's story.
Like many in Afghanistan's World Cup squad, war played a big part in Hassan discovering the game.
When he was six, his family was forced to flee the bombs in his home town Jalalabad. They, like many other of their countrymen, took refuge in Peshawar – a city on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan and more widely known to cricket fans as the place where Mark Taylor equalled Don Bradman's then Australian Test record of 334.
"I spent 15-16 years there, studied in an Afghan high school and I saw cricket first hand and fell in love with cricket," Hassan says.
Cricket may be the one sport approved by the Taliban but it was not a pastime Hassan's parents wanted him to pursue. They wanted him to devote more time to his studies.
So Hassan had to play the game in secret.
"They didn't allow me to play cricket so I hid playing cricket with my youngsters and mates," Hassan says.
Hassan's passion for the game eventually won his family over. Instead of discouraging him, they did what they could so he could play the game he loved.
"My elder brother, he supported me a lot during that period," Hassan says. "My mum financially supported me, giving me money to buy shoes."
Hassan's big break came in 2006 while playing for his country in Mumbai against an MCC side led by Mike Gatting. Later that year while touring with the national team in England playing against county second XIs he was quick enough to smash Monty Panesar in the helmet.
While that is hardly the gauge of a bowler's prowess, his international record is proof he is no slouch.
Only five bowlers, including Shane Warne and Dennis Lillee, have reached 50 ODI wickets in fewer matches than Hassan.
Sure nearly all of those 26 games were against associate nations but he can do no more than beat the opposition he is given.
His list of victims in this World Cup includes Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, the latter sparking the joyous celebrations which featured in The Wall Street Journal.
Hassan's career, however, was at the crossroads in 2012. What should have been a highlight was marred by a nasty knee injury which forced him out of the game for two years.
After claiming the wickets of Jonathan Trott and Andrew Strauss, Hassan wrecked his knee after crashing into a fence while fielding. The injuries required two rounds of surgery plus hours of intense rehabilitation.
There was also a financial cost, the injury ruling him out of the Bangladesh Premier League for which he had been signed for $US30,000.
So important is he to Afghanistan cricket, he was sent to India and England for treatment and also kept on contract during his long time on the sidelines. A contract as a brand ambassador for an Afghan telecommunications company also helped make ends meet.
"It was very hard. When someone gets injured, especially with knee injuries and a bowler, it's very difficult to get the rhythm back in bowling," Hassan, who prior to his injuries could bowl in the high 140s, says.
"I worked really hard on my fitness, and thanks to my family for supporting me, the Afghanistan people and the Afghanistan Cricket Board, they didn't let me give up."
It will sound cheesy but Afghanistan's World Cup is about more than what happens on the field.
"We want to give this message to all the world that we can produce peace and change the mind of people from Afghanistan," Hassan says.
"That's why we are doing our very best in the cricket to show to the world we have very good talent."
