15 Facts about Shadab Khan - The promising young talent from Pakistan

The new found Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan made the headlines when he returned with exceptional bowling figures of 3/7 on his international debut. Very little did the cricket fans know about the young leg break bowler prior to that match. However, when he managed to make the West Indies team dance to his tunes, the cricket fraternity knew they were seeing something special.

While he was a relatively new face for the international fans, Shadab had been quite a popular name in the Pakistani cricket circuit back home. His impressive all-round show for the Islamabad United in the second edition of the Pakistan Super League got him into the eyes of the fans in the UAE and Pakistan. It was only a matter of time that he received his maiden national team call up subsequently.

He has had a dream start to his career and one would hope that he continues to prosper and becomes a valuable asset for the national side in the years to come. Here are some interesting facts that you might want to know about the young emerging talent from Pakistan:

1. Roots and Beginnings

Shadab Khan was born on October 4, 1998, at Mianwali in Pakistan. The city of Mianwali has a very rich history in Pakistani cricket as two of the finest captains of the national side – Imran Khan and Misbah Ul Haq – hail from the same place. He loved the game of cricket from his childhood and was inspired by his elder brother, who played fine cricket too.

2. Move to Rawalpindi and introduction to tape ball

At the age of 11, Shadab moved to the city of Rawalpindi with his family. It was in Rawalpindi that he was first introduced to tape ball cricket by his cousins. He soon started loving playing with the cricket ball.

3. Impressing the main man

While playing in Rawalpindi, Shadab managed to catch the attention of Sajjad Ahmed, the president of the Sadiq-e-Akbar cricket club in 2010. Sajjad was very impressed with his bowling in the nets. His stint with the club soon fetched him a place in the Pakistan U16 team.

4. Rising up the ranks

Shadab Khan failed to get a game for the Pakistan U16 team in his first attempt. However, he came back stronger in the year that followed and soon became the captain of his club side U16 team. His performances earned him a call in the U19 academy but failed to make the cut in the U19 side.

5. Rubbing shoulders with seniors and U19 World Cup stint

He had made it a habit of impressing in the presence of seniors. At the bare age of 15, Shadab emerged as the player of the season in the regional U19 tournament. He scalped 34 wickets in 9 matches and scored 350 runs. His performance earned him a place in the Pakistan U19 team for the ICC U19 World Cup in Bangladesh.

6. Ruling the World Cup

He finished as the joint leading wicket-taker for Pakistan u19 in the World Cup with 11 wickets to his name in the tournament.

7. Not the family support

Despite his steady rise in the cricket world, his family had their reservations about his cricket career. They did not like him pursuing cricket over studies. It was his brother who supported him to continue with the game.

8. Modeling on the master

Shadab had a confusion over whether he should focus on his pace bowling or his leg break. It was his coach who asked him to focus on his leg break and since then he started modeling his bowling on the lines of legendary spin bowler Shane Warne.

9. Catching the eyes of Islamabad United

After a decent outing in the U19 World Cup for Pakistan, he caught the attention of Islamabad United Team Manager Rehanul Haq. He was very impressed with his googlies and that fetched Shadab a PSL contract.

10. Tempted towards batting – Almost gave up bowling!

There was a stage in his career when he did not feel very confident about his bowling and had given a thought to quit bowling and concentrate on his bowling. He credits Rawalpindi Regional Head Coach Sabhi Azhar to be the man behind nurturing his bowling. As admitted by Shadab, it was Sabhi who scolded him and asked him to pick up the ball again and focus on his bowling.

11. Getting in the eyes of Mushtaq Ahmed

The rise of Shadab Khan continued as he managed to catch the attention of spin legend Mushtaq Ahmed at the NCA, Pakistan.

12. Match winning List A debut

He made his List A debut for Islamabad against the Khyber Pakhtunwala in the Pakistan Cup in 2016. He had an eventful debut where he picked up a wicket and then scored an unbeaten 33 off 29 balls to win the match for his side.

13. Impressive PSL debut season

He turned up for the Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League 2017 and managed to get the attention of the national selectors with his performances in the T20 league. He picked up 9 wickets in 8 matches and also scored a gutsy 42 against the Lahore Qalandars to prove his mettle with the bat.

14. Two in Two in debut series

Very few players manage to register comprehensive performances in their first two matches. He made his international debut in the T20I series against West Indies in the 4-match series in 2017. In the first T20I at Bridgetown, he scalped 3/7 on his debut. In the second match of the series, he bettered his previous performance and returned with figures of 4/14.

15. Lift moment with his role model

Shadab idolizes Australian skipper Steve Smith and has been monitoring his progress over the years. He got into an awkward situation when during the PSL 2017, he bumped into Steve Smith in a hotel in Dubai. He saw his role model in the elevator and was left awe-struck. He could not speak a word. Recalling the moment, he said, “I didn’t know what to talk to him as I was lost in his coolness. By the time I could realize, the lift ride was over and he walked away, and that’s it. But I want him to recognize me one day.”