I met Saif Rehman a year ago in Tallinn when he was captain/coach of Bulgaria, who were competing in a three-nation T20 tournament in Estonia.

We chatted mostly about his advocacy for the disability in Bulgaria and dreams to establish blind and table cricket for those with special needs.

At the end of the casual interview, he invited me to Sofia to scope the scene. I hoped to venture to Bulgaria and witness Rehman’s work but it was not possible at that time.

Eventually, I wrote a piece based on my interview with Rehman.

Fast forward 12 months and I found myself back in Eastern Europe. A jaunt to Sofia to meet Rehman would not escape my clutches on this occasion.

Unfortunately, time was my nemesis. Kindly, Rehman spared a day to guide me around Sofia.

Arrival
My expectation of Sofia wasn’t particularly high. I had some slight trepidation.

It was a place of infamy in Australia due to the imprisonment of Jock Palfreeman.

The 26-year-old Aussie has served almost six years of a 20-year sentence in a Sofia prison for the killing of a man during a drunken brawl in Bulgaria’s capital.

He maintains he acted in self-defence and the case has been shrouded in controversy. Recently, the Bulgarian government rejected Palfreeman’s request to be transferred to an Australian prison.

My apprehension was heightened when my taxi driver in Budapest warned of my imminent journey to Bulgaria.

“Why?” I asked sheepishly.

“Brace yourself. You will see,” he warned ominously.

I arrived at Sofia’s Airport wary of their notorious taxi drivers, who often have a penchant for overcharging naïve tourists.

Unfortunately, I too was gullible. The taxi ride to my hotel was supposed to cost 15 Bulgarian Lev (about 7.50 Euros).

“Twenty,” said the taxi driver.

Sure, five Lev extra wasn’t going to cruel me. I smiled to myself believing I had escaped falling prey to a taxi scam. Unfortunately, I was too tardy to knock on wood.

When the taxi screeched to a halt outside my supposed hotel, I grabbed my wallet and pulled out 20 Bulgarian Lev.

“Nooo, 20 Euros,” the taxi driver bellowed.

I was tempted to start a verbal slanging match but decided it was wise to keep mute in a bid to not follow a similar fate to my compatriot.

Later that evening, I stumbled across an extraordinary scene of social unrest, with thousands of protesters waving Bulgarian flags and banners in the heart of the historical city. It appeared peaceful, despite the mass police presence.

Evidently, the Bulgarian populace is tiring from suspected corruption in the government and judiciary.

While Bulgaria gained full membership to the European Union in 2007, it remains widely criticised for a defective judicial system, corruption and organised crime.

It was an interesting initiation to Bulgaria but it was time to trudge back to my Soviet-style hotel. I had to rest for my all-day induction into cricket in this most unlikely bat and ball destination.

9:00am
Bulgaria’s cricket crusader has arrived outside my hotel. Garbed in Bulgaria’s cricket attire – red trousers/shirt – and a white floppy hat, Saif Rehman enthusiastically greets me.

The sight of Rehman strolling the streets of Sofia in cricket clothing makes me chuckle. It’s a pretty bizarre sight, right? What do the locals make of it?

“People often mistake me for a painter,” Rehman says with a smirk.

I wasn’t totally sure of the agenda for the day, but Rehman was adamant it would be a comprehensive overview of Bulgarian cricket.

Visiting a public school for children with disability is our first destination.

Stray, mangy-looking dogs roam in the distance. This is a familiar bane in Sofia with reportedly 10,000 stray dogs wandering the streets.

We approach a decrepit building. We’ve arrived at the eerily quiet school. I can smell the scent of school holidays. There are no children in the vicinity.

Rehman has introduced table cricket to the school and visits once a week during semester. We talk to the principal and a few teachers who are still slugging away during the school sojourn.

Their English is limited, but through Rehman’s interpretation, I gather the cricket program has been a genuine success.

Bulgaria has an unwanted perception of excluding the disability from society. It is a land at times struggling to elude half a century of ingrained Soviet Union totalitarian socialism.

Five years ago, Europe’s highest social rights body found Bulgaria had violated international law by discriminating against children with disabilities in not providing them with an education.

In 2010, it was reported that 166 people had died from neglect in care homes during the previous decade.

According to the staff members, the Bulgarian government has started to advocate for the disability. They say more government funding has gone towards public schools specialising for children with special needs.

10:00am
Our next stop is the Vasil Levski National Sports Academy, a training centre specialising in teaching, coaching and physical education.

During the school holidays, Rehman runs a weekly cricket seminar with children at the academy. About 30 kids – aged 10-15 – take part in the one-hour session on this day.

It’s fascinating watching the uninitiated learning the game.

Unsurprisingly, the kids bowl underarm with a tennis ball. When the batsman hits the ball, there’s confusion – he/she doesn’t know when to run. The fielders are unsure what to do when they gather the ball.

Many of the batsmen have stances more befitting of baseball. It’s chaotic but the kids are having fun and importantly appear engaged.

The only kid who bowls overarm is Rehman’s son, who bowls to his dad during a demonstration over. The onlookers gaze, slightly bewildered.

The bowling action looks awkward but strangely compelling. Afterwards, a few roll their arm over but with expected difficulty. Baby steps.

“It’s important to introduce cricket to kids at an early age,” Rehman says.

“Bulgarians are good at sport and love to be active outdoors. Hopefully we get some youngsters interested in the game and they will want to learn more about cricket.”

11:30am
Rehman takes me to the Kids With Development Problems Medical Centre. Rehman plays table cricket with the kids and staff at the facility.

The game is played on a table tennis table with side panels featuring sliding fielders. A plastic ball is bowled by a ball launcher at one end, while at the other the batter has a small wooden bat.

The kids enjoy themselves and the staff relish being part of a festive atmosphere. One of the affable staff members records the proceedings on a video camera. He’s filming Rehman and the kids playing table cricket.

Suddenly, he points the camera in my direction and I assume asks me to talk about the purpose of the visit. I awkwardly mumble my way through a few sentences, not exactly sure what I’m supposed to say and where this footage will be broadcast.

Dr Daniela Milanova, from the medical centre, explains to me that table cricket has been a positive for the kids.

“The children enjoy playing and there have been good results,” she says.

“It is helping with their bodily functions and also providing mental stimulation. We have seen some kids open their hands for the first time after playing cricket because of movement in their hands.”

1:00pm
Rehman has organised a meeting with Bulgaria Cricket Federation (BCF) president Nikolay Kolev.

It’s a great opportunity for me to learn more about the state of the sport in this cricket backwater. Unfortunately Professor Kolev doesn’t speak English, which ruins my plan to be inquisitive and ask probing questions. Alas!

Through translation, I learn of the BCF’s plan to build two cricket grounds and that the sport is starting to make slight inroads in Bulgaria.

Professor Kolev believes the ICC should provide novice countries like Bulgaria with more financial assistance but understands the need for the BCF to be progressive in a bid to merit support.

Cricket needs to be promoted within Bulgarian universities and schools in a bid to develop interest, according to Professor Kolev. He believes T20 cricket is the ideal platform to captivate the Bulgarian sports public.

After the interview, Professor Kolvev and Rehman engage in conversation. I don’t understand a single word of Bulgarian but I realise the banter is not particularly pleasant.

Rehman is cricket’s pioneer in this South-Eastern European country. He’s Bulgarian cricket’s most revered figure.

But recently, Rehman had been stood down as captain and player in an apparent BCF bid to inject more youth into the national team. The move appears to contain the hallmarks of petty infighting that can fracture any organisation.

The atmosphere is tense and I pretend to look at my phone to avoid the awkwardness.

2:30pm
We venture into the heart of Sofia and visit a social centre for people with disability. It’s a place to socialise, partake in activities and group discussions.

It’s also another place where Rehman has introduced table cricket. The activity provides a brief distraction from the daily difficulties for the afflicted.

People with disability in Bulgaria often lack access to health and social services, employment and income.

“People with disability are often not treated well here and many are neglected at an early age by parents,” he said.

“They are on the fringe of society. Introducing cricket is my small way in helping integrate Bulgarian society.”

4:30pm
The success of table cricket prompted Rehman to start blind cricket and form a national Bulgarian blind team.

We’re back at the Vasil Levski National Sports Academy for the weekly training session with members of Bulgaria’s blind team. The numbers are down today, meaning I have to shed my 12th man status and participate in the practice match as the wicketkeeper.

We play on an outdoor basketball bitumen court, which rules out any reckless fielding. The ball is larger than a standard cricket ball and filled with ball bearings to allow blind players to hear it.

The bowler has to communicate with the batsman before delivery, and the ball has to bounce twice.

The players vary in their category of blindness. Some have partial sight, while others are totally blind. I’m in awe of their cricket skill set and eagerness to listen to Rehman’s instructions.

I close my eyes in an attempt to momentarily, perhaps superficially, experience the bane of blindness. Instantly, I lose my bearings and am rendered useless in my capacity as a wicketkeeper.

My eyes open. I’m humbled.

After practice, Rehman and I enjoy beers with a few of the players. Their English is minimal but it is evident the hardships they endure on a daily basis.

The stories are laced with sorrow. They face serious impediments to leaving their homes because of a lack of adequate integration services.

They are often shunned by mainstream society and neglected by bureaucrats.

People with disability receive a minimal allowance from the government, barely enough to scrape by, according to the players.

In a country undergoing social change, perhaps disability might belatedly be an issue seared into the mainstream consciousness.

My outing with Rehman ends. We shake hands and I praise his hospitality. We part ways.

As I watch Rehman walk away into the shadows, I find myself marvelling at his indefatigable efforts.

Rehman, originally from Pakistan, has become an unlikely hero in his adopted country.

Life was difficult when he arrived in his new home in the 1990s. He was often targeted by the police and suffered unprovoked attacks from thugs because of his ethnicity.

But he was unperturbed. Rehman’s grace and humility eventually conquered the prejudice.

He’s found mainstream popularity as a soap star, semi-finalist in Bulgaria’s Got Talent and successful businessman. He’s Bulgaria’s Mr Cricket, too.

Most importantly, Rehman has touched the lives of those less fortunate. He’s making a difference in his community, city and country.

He’s advocating for a better Bulgaria.