Adopted son Qureshi basks in support of Scots crowd in Bowls
Lawn Bowler Jason Banks has been able to count on vociferous support from spectators at the SEC Centre. But he had to share the backing from Scots fans with Pakistan's Mohammed Qureshi in their Men’s Singles match.
Qureshi has lived in Glasgow for more than 50 years since moving from Pakistan as a teenager. And Bowls fans at Glasgow 2026 have taken him to their hearts.
So when the two players met in the sectional stages on Friday, it made for an occasion to remember. The match didn’t go Chico’s way, with Banks winning in straight sets, but the Glaswegian loved every second of it.
“To play against a world champion is an amazing honour and he played very well,” said Qureshi, widely known by his nickname Chico. “He deserved to win.”
Qureshi co-owns the Alishan Tandoori restaurant in the city’s south side and he invited Banks along for a meal in the build-up to the tournament, but the Scot decided to err on the side of caution.
🗣️ "I think I'll skip it the way I'm playing."
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) July 23, 2026
🗣️ "I'm scared in case he puts something in my food."
Glasgow restaurant owner Mohammed 'Chico' Qureshi represents Pakistan when he takes on Scotland's Jason Banks on Friday in the bowls men's singles at the Commonwealth Games. pic.twitter.com/DfTZjHqCSj
“I haven't been this week,” said Banks, who completed an unprecedented sweep of the Singles, Pairs, and Mixed Pairs titles at the World Indoor Bowls Championships in January last year.
“I was too scared before I played him in case, he maybe spiced up my food too much (laughs).”
Nice guy
Banks, 30, from Inverurie in northeast Scotland, was delighted to share the stage with Qureshi. “I enjoyed the game with Chico, he’s such a nice guy so it was nice to play against him.”
Qureshi has been balancing his Commonwealth Games commitment with shifts at the curry house, and colleagues turned up to cheer him on against Banks.
“All my buddies from the restaurant came down to give me a wee bit of support,” he said. “It's good to have them here.”
Qureshi - a member of Glasgow Indoor Bowling Club - also represented Pakistan in the Men’s Pairs at the 2014 Games, playing alongside his fellow owner at the restaurant, Ali Shan Muzahir.
Following Friday's match, Qureshi lost out again to England's Sam Tolchard before electrifying the arena in his third match on Sunday with an unexpected straight-sets victory over section leader Rajnesh Prasad (FIJ).
After the Singles competition, the 67-year-old will return to the rink to compete in the Pairs, this time alongside Maqsood Khan.
And no matter what happens, Qureshi will remain just as proud of his restaurant as he is his international Bowls career.
“I've been running the restaurant for nearly 40 years, so every dish is signature,” He said, when asked for recommendations in the Alishan’s menu.
“Each one's better than the other, so you need to come down and try it out yourself.”
