Already a year has flown by since the HBL PSL trophy was in the hands of the glorious Misbah-ul-haq. But a young talent was training harder and harder whilst most would be celebrating. Not your average 19 year old, Umer Khan is the man who we will be delving deeper into in this article.
Umer did not have the most convenient life as a child, but then this a trait not so uncharacteristic for many prodigies of Pakistani origin. His dad worked in a tyre puncture shop – not a very financially sound job especially for young Khan. Tyres for his stumps, the bright spark was born in Rawalpindi and grew up in FATA (Federally – Administered Tribal Areas) near Afghanistan border and reached the final destination- Karachi, a cosmopolitan dream for many!
He was born on the 5th of August 1999- perseverance; dedication and persistence helped him to become a young cricketer, older than his age. It was only 7th January 2018 when he made his List A debut for the United Bank Limited at the age of 18.
In the past year, Umer Khan has had made two more debuts including his first-class debut (for Sui Southern Gas Company in the 2018/19 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy) and his recent T20 debut in the HBL PSL for Karachi Kings.
Still a young talent, he impressed the PCB coaches in Pepsi Cricket Stars under-19 programme in 2014.
Still a young talent, he impressed the PCB coaches in Pepsi Cricket Stars under-19 programme in 2014.
Umer was even selected for the FATA, though he didn’t get the opportunity to showcase his prolific abilities in the two-day drawn match. The highly talented teenager was elevated to inter-region and in the same year made it into the U-19 Asia cup, hosted by the Sri Lankans.
Former cricketer and friend of Umer were lucky enough to see young Khan play outside Peshawar cricket stadium after not taking enough wickets in the age-group cricket. Flabbergasted by his clean action, Nadeem brought him to UBL where he was captain of the side.
Coming back on his first class cricket, he only had one game but WHAT A GAME IT WAS! The stats can possibly speak for themselves. He had 7-107 in the second innings to help his side dismantle Peshawar. But how did he qualify for the PSL, his biggest achievement yet? Well, he wasn’t picked amongst the top 20, but teams were allowed to pick a 21st player from their own scouting and development programmes.
Rashid Latif, having tracked Umer Khan’s development vouched for him as a potential and deserving player- Latif is of course not oblivious to such talent hunting schemes with Younis Khan appreciative of his mentorship as an example. Whilst it’s too early to become pejorative, Umer already appears to be someone with bright future ahead of him.
His prodigious bowling performance against the mighty Qalanders reached an epilogue when he strangled AB Devilliers – the modern batting genius! On his t20 debut a quote of appreciation from Mickey Arthur sums its all, “ I thought he was amazing tonight.
He really impressed us. We’ve been together for a week now and he’s impressed me hugely. Good attitude, wants to learn and he’s a very skilled bowler. He almost seems ahead of his time!’’
Unbeatable, magnificent, entertaining and really a joy to watch- surely, we expect beautiful cricket throughout the next decade.