From not having proper shoes to earning his spot in the national cricket team, ladies and gentlemen, this is the story of Shahnawaz Dahani. Pakistan is famous for being the homeland of numerous emerging fast bowlers; Dahani is no different. Safe to say, his iconic celebration with Carlos Braithwaite is not the only splendid thing about the rising star.

Early Life of Shahnawaz Dahani

Born in a village near Larkana, Dahani couldn’t access high-quality cricket coverage, but his passion for the sport didn’t deteriorate. He completed his BCom degree as per his father’s wishes and then followed his dreams. 

Domestic Debut 

22-year-old Dahani started his cricketing journey in the Quaid e Azam trophy by making a debut representing Sindh in the 2019-20 session.

The six feet bowler has appeared in two different domestic formats: First class and List A. Let’s see how well the rising star has performed in each one. 

First-class Cricket

Shahnawaz Dahani played 8 matches, bowled 1481 balls, conceded 910 runs, and sent 27 batsmen back to the pavilion. His best bowling figures are 4/79.

List A Cricket

He appeared in 6 matches, bowled 290 balls, conceded 302 runs, and was able to take 5 wickets. His best bowling figures are 2/59.

Entry into PSL

Multan Sultans then played a massive role in helping the talent of Shahnawaz Dahani see the light of the day. His PSL debut in season 6 left many impressed. The career started to lift off when the call for the national squad first came in March for the Zimbabwe Series and now in June for the West Indies Tour.

Dahani made his mark in the twenty-20 cricket during PSL; let’s look at his performance.

T20 Cricket

He featured in 4 matches, bowled 90 balls, conceded 155 runs, and has 9 wickets in his record till now. His best bowling figures include 3/44.

The first thing one notices in Dahani is not his bowling but his bubbly personality and cheerful presence on the field. He is always seen smiling and in a contented mood. This vibe was also passed to his teammates as Dahani and Braithwaite’s funny moments became one of the biggest limelights of the league. 

Many objected to the abrupt and a little too soon selection of Dahani in the national team. However, numerous were quite excited to see the rising star in the test jersey. 

Ramiz Raja, former cricketer, couldn’t help but sing the praises of the rising star, Dahani. He sees a great rising star bowler in him and has big expectations from the right-arm fast-medium bowler. 

“Dahani has a brilliant rhythmical run-up, conserves energy, and has a bit of round-arm action, which is perfect for reverse swing bowling. He bowls on hard lengths, which can be very useful for him in Test matches. Bowling speed is also good, handles pressure well, and has the presence of mind. I just hope that he understands to think of Test cricket as his number one format and the rest of the formats come on second and third numbers.”

Interview to Green Team

In an exclusive interview with Green Team, Dahani revealed details about his dream wicket:

“Babar Azam is a legend of the world, he is my target wicket, and that is a tough task. I still believe I can do it.”

He further revealed the aims he wants to achieve in the remaining PSL. 

“I’m the top wicket-taker of Multan’s Sultans, and I want to finish at the top too.”

He also touched upon the subject of his favorite wicket until now.

“Sharjeel Khan is a dangerous batsman, and getting him out, especially after he hit me for two boundaries, gave me a perfect push.“

The young Pakistan side could undoubtedly use a rising star like Dahani. We wish him the best of luck in his career and hope he turns out to be a great asset to the country and its cricket.