The endless string of fast bowlers that Pakistan has produced over the years is the envy of other cricketing nations. Zaman Khan is the latest to join this illustrious lineage. But there is a small difference with Zaman. Perhaps he is the first swinging fast bowler a la Lasith Malinga to play for Pakistan in international cricket. Zaman was named in Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad on Wednesday after Naseem Shah was ruled out due to a shoulder injury.
Now the cricket world may be engaged in a frantic Google search to find out more about Zaman, but the 21-year-old had to wade through layers of hardship to even start playing cricket.
The always endearing rags to riches story, if you may.
Like many other Pakistani pacers, Zaman also cut his teeth in tapeball cricket in Mirpur, a small village in PoK.
Coming from a family of daily wage workers, Zaman was drawn to cricket from a very young age and received support from his family to pursue his dream.
“My father and brothers are laborers. I started playing cricket after seeing other boys in my street playing that sport. I skipped classes in Madrasa to play cricket. One of my relatives told me that I had to take part in a trial under-16s in my village after seeing how fast I was bowling. Luckily, I was selected and my journey began,” Zaman said in a video posted by PCB.
Zaman took the next step when he was picked in the Pakistan Under-19 team to tour Australia, an experience he termed as an eye-opener.
The pacer’s first major stage experience came when he was picked by Lahore Qalandars for the 2022 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
It was cathartic for him to work with top stars from his country such as Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf.
Zaman made a great impression in his first PSL season, taking 18 wickets from 13 matches and finishing third on the wicket-takers’ chart behind Afridi (20) and leg-spinner Shadab Khan (19).
His efforts had played a big role in winning Lahore for the first time in the PSL that year.
“When we saw him in the Kashmir T20 league, we wanted to include him in the squad. He was fast and had a great yorker, and we thought he would fit well in our team,” said Waqas Ahmed, the bowling coach. from Qalandars.
His observation was not far from the truth as Zaman made his presence felt in PSL 2023 as well, picking up 15 wickets from 13 matches.
It helped the Qalandars retain their title, the first team in the PSL to do so.
“He was a bit raw when he came to us. He has that round-arm action. He was quick but he had a tendency to let the ball wander down the leg side or well outside off-stump.
“We have been working on the accuracy factor in nets and he is a hard-working boy and a quick learner,” Ahmed said.
“Because it has the ability to deliver fast, full-length deliveries, we always wanted to use it at the death,” Ahmed added.
Zaman’s skill was on display as he defended 12 runs in the last over of the PSL 2023 final against Multan Sultans on March 18.
Six days later, Zaman made his Pakistani debut in a T20I against Afghanistan in Sharjah.
When Pakistan needed a replacement for Naseem, team director Mickey Arthur, a man with a keen eye for talent, immediately wanted Zaman in the team.
Zaman also made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka here.
But more than that, it will be a golden opportunity for him to learn the nuances of his craft from an experienced artist like Morne Morkel, the Pakistani bowling coach.
“I’m super excited to work with a talent like Zaman. I followed him a little bit on TV during the PSL, but it’s important for him to find his feet in a big match (against Sri Lanka), a must for us to win.” .
“He’s a great talent. I want to connect with him, build that relationship and develop him because he’s a competition winner,” Morkel said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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