Mujeeb Zadran: Rashid Khan version 2.0?
Rashid Khan’s magical spell against West Indies, where he picked up 7 wickets is always remembered. He got to bowl when they were 2 down for 68 and chasing 213 but, then onwards the story changed dramatically as he managed to pick up 7 of the remaining 8 wickets. He is also one of the Afghanistan players to play in the BBL and spinning on Australian wickets requires a lot of revolutions to be induced on the ball. His googlies turn like Nathon Lyon’s off-spinners. It is very hard to play for a ball coming in so much when you are playing a leg spinner (right-handed batsman). One more specialty of this bowler is that the flatter trajectory of his deliveries doesn't allow the batsman to come down to the pitch of the ball to negate the turn. The batsman has to remain in the crease and deal with the turning ball. He has picked up 17 wickets in 14 games in IPL. He's an asset to any side with the under 6 economy rate and athletism in the field.
Zadran, part of the Afghanistan Under-19 squad in the ongoing ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, is the first player born in the 21st century to play in the ODIs. He fetched a whopping 4 crore in the IPL 2018.
Similar to Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Zadran, the 16-year-old spinner from Afghanistan who made his debut for his nation against Ireland at Sharjah in December 2017, had an impressive debut, picking up 4 wickets for just 24 runs in his full quota of 10 overs. A debutant getting all the 10 overs, picking up 4 wickets just shows how good he bowled showing no signs of nervousness.
His second notable performance came in the ongoing Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand against the hosts with 4 wickets for just 14 runs along with 3 maidens in 8.1 overs, helping his side get a comprehensive 202 runs win in the Super League quarter-final. Mujeeb, who claimed six wickets in the World Cup, carried on the momentum in the ODI series against Zimbabwe. His 5/50 in the fourth ODI powered Afghanistan to a 10-wicket victory, sealing the series 3-1.
Following the footsteps of Rashid Khan, the first Afghan player to play in the IPL is another great prospect which the teams will be looking forward to in the auction. Wrist spinners have proved time in and time out that they can turn the game around in no time. He can bowl with the new ball just like Samuel Badree who is known for his excellent power-play spells in T20 leagues across the globe in different leagues. Hope he gets into a good team where he can showcase his talent.