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With the Pakistan Super League finally over, the country’s sports scenario will soon be returning to normality. However, it is being hoped that tournaments like the PSL continue to take place in Pakistan, so that new talent can emerge from the roots of the country.
This year’s PSL has given the national team some good players, including Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat and of course Sahibzada Farhan. During the course of the tournament, Pakistan Twitter was all about the PSL. This is also when one 6-year-old from Quetta, Pakistan, caught the rest of the country’s attention.
Meet 6-year-old Eli Mikal Khan, a spin prodigy from the hinterlands of Balochistan. Eli’s father has set up an account in his name, which he uses to make the most of. A video compilation of his son’s leg-break bowling went viral, and the best part came, when the little kid caught Australian cricket legend Shane Warne’s attention.
Ultra Slow motion compilation
Part 2 of 2@ShaneWarne @TheRealPCB @TeamQuetta @OfficialPSL @wasimakramlive @Saqlain_Mushtaq pic.twitter.com/l7Z23wJGZ6— Eli Mikal Khan (@EliMikal) February 9, 2018
Shane Warne replied to Eli’s account on Twitter, saying that he was immensely impressed with the child’s talent and love for cricket. The child also has a very similar, almost replica bowling action, just as Shane Warne.
Dear Eli, your bowling looks fantastic, keep up the great work & thankyou for your kind words ! ? https://t.co/gosvIHHv9I
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) February 28, 2018
Pakistan’s most renowned news hub, Dawn News, got in touch with Eli and his father, over the response he has been getting on social media. “I want to become [just like] Shane Warne in the future. I want to wear the green shirt one day and represent Pakistan.” Mikail told Dawn News TV.
Eli’s father also told the tv channel that his son had the love for cricket ever since he was very young. He would get hold of a ball, even when his hands were too small to bowl. And when he started playing cricket, his action resembled that of the legend Shane Warne, this surprised his father as much as anyone else.
Even though Mikal’s father wants his son to focus on studies, cricket is all the 6-year-old thinks and talks about. Practicing 2-3 hours daily, Mikal’s talent has caught the world’s attention. It is now up to the Pakistan Cricket Board to groom this youngster into a fine bowler. A task not so easy, but not impossible as well.
