A relentless training routine and “unparalleled” commitment have taken Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan from club cricket in his remote village to the World Cup in just a few short years.
The 20-year-old, already third in the world Twenty20 bowling rankings, has caught the eye of none other than Pakistan s Prime Minister Imran Khan — who led Pakistan to their only World Cup win in 1992.
But when the prime minister singled out Shadab during a meeting with the team before they flew to England, it came as no surprise to the coaches and players who know him.
They credit his heady rise to a tireless work ethic including pre-dawn starts to fit in maximum practice. “Shadab s commitment to cricket is unparalleled,” said his former club coach Sajjad Ahmed. “He sleeps around 9:00 pm and reaches the ground before sunrise. That s been his routine for years so that he can practise as much as possible.”
Shadab grew up playing cricket on the rough pitches of Mianwali district — a farming community near the banks of the Indus River in Punjab province — which is also home to Prime Minister Khan and fellow Pakistan Test player Misbah-ul-Haq.
In between swimming in the myriad canals bisecting the fertile fields in his hometown, Shadab spent hours on the cricket pitch daily, where he developed his signature leg-breaks and love for batting. “Shadab was so interested in batting that at one time he quit bowling,” said Ahmed. “But I advised him to consider becoming an all-rounder, then he would have a better chance to play top-level cricket and he complied.”
The decision proved prescient. After playing for Pakistan s Under-16s, Shadab was selected for the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2016, where he finished as Pakistan s joint-highest wicket-taker with 11.
A few months later he made his first-class debut for Pakistan A during their tour of England, taking five wickets and scoring a valuable 48 in their win over Sri Lanka A in an unofficial Test.
Later that year, he made headlines again with a match-changing 132 and figures of 4-84 and 5-82 for Pakistan A against Zimbabwe A.
After playing for Islamabad United in the 2017 Pakistan Super League, the leg-spinner enjoyed a dream international debut when he was man-of-the-match in Pakistan s T20 win over reigning world champions the West Indies in Bridgetown.
