Meet the Afghan teenager the Spartans bought … and know nothing about!
Mark Boucher and co are clearly banking on a player so obscure, there aren't any photos of him.
Waqar Salamkheil.
In these strained economic times, everybody hunts for a bargain.
But when you’re a South African T20 franchise, your even tighter purse strings should dictate that you’re at least kind of familiar with the bargain you’re buying.
Mark Boucher’s candid admission then that the Tshwane Spartans don’t have much of an idea what they’ve bought in the Afghani teenager Waqar Salamkheil is bound to raise eyebrows.
“If we don’t know much about him then none of the other sides will either,” the former Protea great and franchise coach said.
So, who is he?
Salamkheil only turned 18 last month, but, incredibly, made his first-class debut at 16 already.
(Watch from 06:13 to catch a few glimpses of his interesting bowling action)
He’s even played in a Test match, making his debut for Afghanistan in their one-off victory over Ireland earlier this year and taking four wickets.
The Bangladesh Premier League and Afghanistan Premier League have been stages where one has caught a glimpse of him.
And he’s been productive in first-class cricket, with 74 wickets in 12 matches.
But that’s where the intelligence on him ends.
“He’s a young and upcoming star – just like (Afghan superstar) Rashid Khan who someone took a punt on. If he doesn’t play much he’ll still learn a lot from his Spartans teammates,” said Boucher.
The Spartans only had their first full training session on Tuesday, with a inter-squad practice match taking place on Wednesday, meaning there might not be enough time for the brains trust to make a call on handing Salamkheil a MSL debut against the Durban Heat this weekend.
However, Boucher has been suitably impressed by what he’s seen to date.
“I’ll be judging him every day, but I like what I see so far in the nets, he’s certainly got something. Our pitches aren’t as slow as what
he’s used to though, so he’s just got to learn the different lines and lengths required over here,” he said.
“The Durban pitch encourages more spin than most in the country, but it is still the beginning of the season. Waqar may be even
tougher to handle at the end of the tournament.”
Even though South African batsmen in general freeze when they have to face exotic spinners, AB de Villiers delivered a measured assessment of the franchise’s secret weapon.
“Waqar has good energy. During the day time, like any leg-spinner, you can play him with your eyes closed but at night time he will be difficult to pick.”
That all just adds to the intrigue of the buy.
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