In Pakistan, cricket is the most popular and eagerly followed sport. Our cricket board has produced well-known sports personalities. Pakistan cricket team is known for its fast-paced attacking bowlers. For instance, in the 1992 World Cup, winning legends Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed, plus numerous record holders Waqar Younis, Shahab Akhter, Abdul Razzaq and Umar Gul, made their names among the world’s best bowlers.
In recent times, Pakistan cricket still brings excellent national wise fast-bowling talent into international groups. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah are prime examples. However, for the first time, from the grounds of Larkana, a younger talent has emerged as a rising star with immense talent, known as Shahnawaz Dahani.
Let’s discover the roots of this young talent and how he became the top wicket-taking bowler in his debut edition of PSL6.
Encouraging Story of Shahnawaz Dahani, from Framing Fields to the International Grounds
Shahnawaz Dahani is 24 years old Pakistani right-arm fast-medium bowler who has been in the Pakistan National cricket team squad since March 2021. He is from a small town near Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan, known as Khawar Khan Dahani.
From working in local markets in his towns for several years to highlighting Pakistan’s one of the biggest sports events, it’s like a dream coming true for a youngster like him. Dahani became the highest wicket-taker of the Pakistan Super League sixth edition. He earned the place by taking 20 wickets in 11 matches with the best of 4 wickets in a match, just behind Rashid Khan’s five wickets haul. In the same way, he secured the 4th position by taking an impressive 17 wickets in PSL7.
He played his first T20 international against Bangladesh on 22 November 2021 and made his ODI debut in Pakistan vs West Indies on 12 June 2022. Till 2nd September 2022, he has played 2 ODIs and 4 T20 internationals. His two sixes in the crucial match against India during Asia cup 2022 have increased his popularity even further.
Early Life Before Break in PSL6
Shahnawaz Dahani was born in Khawar Khan Dahani, Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan. He completed his B.Com degree before entering into international cricket. In several interviews, he mentioned that his late father, was against his choice to pursue a career in cricket, as he wanted him to have a government job. However, his passion never ended. He shared in an interview with ARY Sports program Sports Room that he used to play tape ball cricket because, in interior Sindh, tap-ball cricket is quite famous.
Dahani’s club cricket started when his father’s friend offered him to play with Larkana’s Shahbaz Cricket Club academy. During his club cricket days, locals used to call him the dangerous Dahani due to his ruthless and fast bouncers.
He made his domestic cricket debut in the Quaid-e-Azam Cup 2019–20 in November and played for Sindhi. Then, he started participating in local, national cups and other domestic events.
Bowler of the Tournament PSL6
Dahani is one of the absolute fines by PSL trials along with Haris Rauf. Once, Rashid Latif, Pakistan’s Former captain wicket-keeper, recalled that he still remembered how Shahnawaz, the young boy, brought Guavas and pears to the ground as a kind gesture in Dahani culture.
He made his T20 debut for Multan Sultan in the 6th season of PSL. This tournament becomes a life-changing experience for Dahani.
In an interview, he shared his desire to become the best bowler in PSL6. Surprisingly, the hard work paid off, and he topped the chart of highest wicket-takers of PSL 2O21.
In his post-match interviews, he always used to thank his friends and fellow players for supporting and teaching him where he should bowl. Dahani has a unique style of celebration after taking a wicket. Anyone can spot his energy and confidence while celebrations. Moreover, he mentioned that:
People love my way of celebration, and they encourage me to smile wherever I go and perform. That’s why I always try to put a humble smile on my face.
According to Dahani, his ideal player is New Zealand’s former fast bowler Shane Bond, and currently, he follows England’s Jofra Archer.
Debut in Pakistan Cricket Team
Dahani has been part of Pakistan’s top 15 players since 2021. First, he was selected by Pakistan’s test squad multiple times against Zimbabwe in March 2021 and West Indies in June 2021. In the same way, he was in reserves for ICC World T20 Cup 2021. Finally, he got his dream opportunity and played his first T20 against Bangladesh on 22 November 2021. Currently, he is part of the Pakistan squad against England in the seven T20 series and is in reserves for the T20 world cup 2022.
Struggle and Life Lessons from the Story of Shahnawaz Dahani
The journey towards the internationals was never easy for a young blood like Shahnawaz Dahani. So let’s learn about his struggles and the life lessons we can acquire from the challenges he faced.
Lack of Family Support for Sports
His family wanted their son to focus on his studies and also supported him in his education. Dahani himself expressed that his father allowed him to pursue his B.Com degree in the main city of Larkana and sent him to English learning centres. But they were against his decision to play cricket on a national level. However, he was so good at fast bowling that every challenge looked weak in front of Dahani. So if you have talent like Shahnawaz, no one in this world can stop you. So the first lesson is never give up on your dreams.
The Pressure of Searching for a Government Job
Usually, families in Pakistan don’t allow their children to think about some kind of different profession, for instance, arts and sports. Especially in the interior parts of Pakistan, parents want their children to chase government jobs and secure their future. The same case happened with Dahani. But he was consistent about his talent and training and believed in himself. Similarly, we should also understand that following your passion is not out-of-the box; it’s best to listen to your heart first.
Worked in Markets & his own Field Gardens
He worked on his field farms and used to go to the “mandi” market for multiple years. He has faced it all from the ground stage to the high levels. That shows it doesn’t matter where you are from or what you did in past because it doesn’t define who you are!
Zero Opportunities in His Town
Even though he became part of Larkana’s famous cricket club, there weren’t open opportunities for him to shine and show his talent at the domestic and national levels. However, after the announcement of PSL trials, he geared up and performed in the trials with full energy. This taught us the lesson of never giving up even though you don’t have the resources. You always have to look for opportunities and create your own ways toward success.
To Sum It Up
There is a Shahnawaz Dahani in every one of us because we all want the one break to shine. However, before being fully ready for our dreams, let’s prepare ourselves for our better good and show our natural talent.
Dahani has a long way to go as he is also selected in the 3rd Edison of Lanka Premier League and will represent team Jaffna Kings.
This sums up the inspiring story of Shahnawaz Dahani. If you want to know any other cricketer story, please drop names in the comment below.
Next Read: [Who’s Babar Azam]
