Pak child bowlers blow away Akram, Warne
QUETTA: Two six-year-olds have become social media sensations in cricket-mad Pakistan with videos of their bowling “blowing away” the likes of Shane Warne and Wasim Akram, who have been giving the pair tips on improving their game.
Eli Mikal Khan, from the south-western city of Quetta, has been nicknamed “Shane Warne Junior” after videos posted on Twitter of his astonishing leg break bowling attracted awe from fans around the world and drew tips and encouragement from the Australian legend.
Another six-year-old, an aspiring pace bowler named Hasan Akhtar, has meanwhile been dubbed “Little Wasim Akram” after the former Pakistani captain -who also saw videos of him on Twitter and insisted on tracking him down and meeting him.
The two children have been widely feted by Pakistani media, as the cricketobsessed country celebrates the successful staging of the third Pakistan Super League final in Karachi -- a hugely symbolic step towards bringing international teams back amid improving security.
Eli, who spoke to AFP at his home in Quetta, said he dreams of playing for Pakistan.
“I love cricket... I want to become a perfect leg break bowler,” he said.
He said he enjoys the adulation he has received -- particularly from legends such as Warne, who first tweeted encouragement to Eli after seeing one of his videos in March.
This week Warne retweeted another video of Eli, writing: “Absolutely fantastic, blown away on how good the ball comes out of your hand, especially at the age of only 6 -- well done and keep up the great work. One tip -get that bowling arm a little higher!”
Eli, whose father and coach Abdullah Khan maintains his Twitter account, said he had been honoured by the tweet, adding: “I will definitely work on the given tip by Sir @ShaneWarne”. - Pakistani hopes lifted Admiration of the two sixyear-olds comes as Pakistan enjoys guarded optimism over the return of international cricket, driven from the country after a deadly militant attack targeting the Sri Lanka team in 2009.
Last weekend Karachi became the second major venue to host international matches after Lahore hosted five international matches against Zimbabwe in 2015, as well as the PSL final in March last year, three World XI matches in September and one against Sri Lanka a month later.