Teen sensation from Afghanistan surpasses Don Bradman's record average

The ICC U19 World Cup 2018 promises to be a grand affair. The top 16 teams are lined up for the occasion and the rising stars are set to light up the stage. Among the lot, there stands one young teen sensation who is setting the record books on fire. Baheer Shah, the 18-year old batsman from Afghanistan, averages more than Don Bradman in First Class cricket at the moment.

In a recent editorial of the official site of the ICC, a report on this star from Afghanistan asked the fans to guess the cricketer with the highest First Class average. Legendary cricketer Don Bradman’s record average of 99.94 is often referred as the pinnacle for all batsmen. Well, Baheer Shah already has an average of over 121 in FC cricket.

“…of players with more than 1,000 first-class runs, who has the highest average? Most cricket fans would guess Don Bradman, and up until recently, they’d have been right. But, for the time being, the Australian legend has been pushed into second place by 18-year-old Afghan Baheer Shah, whose average currently reads 121.77,” the ICC reported.

Staggering numbers galore

Baheer Shah began his First Class career in Afghanistan whilst playing for the Speen Ghar Region against the Amo Region in October 2017. He smashed an unbeaten 256 in his debut game. Since then, he has featured in 6 more matches. In the 7 matches that he has played (12 innings), he has racked up scored of 256 not out, 34, 11, 111, 116, 303 not out, 69, 9 not out, 57, 19, 104 and 7.

He has 1096 runs to his name at a staggering average of 121.77. Talking about his debut innings of 256, Baheer Shah quoted it to be the most memorable moment for him. Baheer, who idolizes Hashim Amla, remarked that it is a big opportunity to play First Class cricket. He thanked all his supporters.

“That was an unforgettable moment for me. I stayed at the wicket for two days, staying very comfortable. I worked on my fitness before the tournament, and the coaches taught me how to bat well. For everyone whenever they get the best score in their life it’s a very enjoyable, exciting moment,” quoted the rising star from Afghanistan.

“It’s difficult to get the opportunity play for our domestic sides, so I’m very thankful for my family and for my friends and my head coach for their support. I only thought I would try my best for my side, so to get 1,000 runs was amazing,” Baheer remarked.

Commenting on his preparations for the ICC U19 World Cup, the Afghanistan batsman quoted that he is looking forward to putting up good performances in the tournament to make it to the main side of his national side.

“I’ve started very well in the warm-up matches in Napier. They were good sides with first-class players, but we played four matches and won all four. It’s a very good chance for every youngster to promote his career so I’m trying very hard to have a good performance in this World Cup,” he added further.

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