 "Sajid Khan: Meet the Pakistan spinner who lost his father at a young age, sold cellphones to survive")
Bowling all-rounder Sajid Khan’s inclusion in Pakistan’s playing XI for the second Test against England in Multan was one of the many changes that the hosts made after their innings defeat in the first Test. Pakistan were searching for a quality spinner who could provide wickets at regular intervals, and Sajid did not disappoint.
In the first innings against England , Sajid registered figures of 7/111, helping Pakistan dismiss the visitors for 291. He removed some of England’s top batters including Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Ollie Pope. In the second innings, he dismissed Ben Duckett for a duck as England chase 297 for a win.
While everything is going smoothly for Sajid now, life has not always been easy for the 31-year-old from Khyber Pakhtun.
Sajid Khan’s hardships
Sajid lost his father when the cricketer was very young. This forced Sajid to start working early. He took up jobs like putting grips on cricket bats and even selling cellphones to earn money. His aim, though, was to play for the senior Pakistan team one day.
He began playing cricket with teams at the underage levels, but he found it difficult to get into the Peshawar first team because there were several talented cricketers around him. Sajid then took a visa that lasted for six months and shifted to Dubai, working in the airport while also playing cricket on the sidelines.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOn his mother’s request, however, Sajid returned to Pakistan and he remains thankful for his mother’s continuous support during his cricketing career.
Peshawar breakthrough
Gradually, Sajid received an opportunity to take part in the trials at Peshawar, and from then on, there was no turning back. He formed a rapport with people in the Peshawar team setup. He also borrowed shoes from Imran Khan Sr, his teammate at Peshawar to pursue cricket professionally.
From being part of the second XI team once, Sajid climbed up the ladder and made the Peshawar first team, making his mark in the 2017 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which is Pakistan’s domestic First-Class tournament. He made his First-Class debut for Peshawar against the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) cricket team on 22 October 2016 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He collected a five-fer in the first innings of that match.
He debuted for Peshawar in other formats as well, and in 2021, he made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in Harare. Despite having limited opportunities since (25 wickets in 8 Tests), Sajid has performed when it has mattered the most. He collected 12 wickets during a Test match against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2021. Sajid finished with figures of 8/42 in the first innings and 4/86 in the second innings, thus scripting best match figures of 12/128.
Sajid played the Sydney Test against Australia this year and collected three wickets. While he had figures of 1/73 in the first innings, he performed much better in the second, with figures of 2/49.
On Thursday, England were 36/2 (2nd innings) at stumps on Day three of the second Test against Pakistan in Multan, needing another 261 runs to win (Target 297). England lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test by an innings and 47 runs. The third Test will be played in Rawalpindi from 24 October.
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