Muhammad Murad Khan ready to ‘swing’ into action for Qatar

 

Muhammad Murad Khan ready to ‘swing’ into action for Qatar

 

DOHA

All eyes will be on former Kuwait international and left-arm fast bowler Muhammad Murad Khan as Qatar take on Bahrain in the lung-opener of the Asian Sub-regional Group A Qualifiers for the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup.

 

At the Asian Town Stadium, the event is scheduled to begin on October 23. Other three contesting sides are Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives. The champions will progress into one of the two Global Qualifiers.

 

With the Covid-19 pandemic bringing the entire world to a halt, the normal life is slowly coming back after more than one and a half years. Just like other sports, cricket is also seeing activities under restrictions. 

 

Capable of swinging the ball at 130 kmph and more, Khan landed in Qatar four years before. Helping Warriors Club finish runners-up once and then as the winners of the Premier Division in the popular Qatar Airways Tournament, Khan staked his claim to be included in the national team.    

 

He began as an under-19 player in Kuwait and went on to become the international player for four or five years. Before moving to England to play in the Birmingham Premier League, he went to Pakistan to feature in the grade two cricket in Peshawar.

 

Khan then chose to make Qatar as his new home four years before. Besides the Premier Division League, he was also in the Iqbal Hussain Choudhry-led Falcon Hunters, who contested in the Qatar’s T10 League crown in 2019 and bagged the crown as well.

 

Recalling the T10 event, Khan said: “It was a good learning experience for me as star players like Salman Butt of Pakistan and Hashim Amla of South Africa were also in the team. We shared the knowledge about how to control the nerves and prepare for the big games.

 

“We also played some fantastic cricket and managed to beat Swift Gallopers, led by Kamran Akmal, in the final in the last over, thanks to a six by skipper Choudhry.”   

 

Khan can’t wait to play for Qatar now. “Having spent the required naturalization period, I have got the chance to play for my new team and hope to put in my best. We have been practising hard for two months. This enabled us to create a good bonding among the players. I feel we are ready for the upcoming event.

 

The Asian sub-regional qualifiers are round the corner and Khan says, “All the players want to play international cricket and succeed. They also wish to help their teams reach the next level. We know that we have the necessary skills set. We have toiled hard to reach here. I feel it is now the biggest opportunity to showcase our talent and carry the team to next stage.

 

“Though there was a gap as the competitive cricket was not available, we are still well prepared. Off the field, we hit the gym regularly and kept us in good shape. Now the domestic cricket has also started and all the players are using the matches to fine-tune themselves for the event.

 

“We have the self-belief and confidence that we would be able to overcome any kind of challenges posed by other teams in the upcoming tournament. And given a chance, I will try to use all of my experience and help Qatar get the desired results. The good thing is that we playing at home. We are aware of the ground conditions and if all goes well, we should be able to clear this hurdle,” Khan added.