While some of the star attractions in the Big Bash League’s inaugural overseas player draft were ignored, Afghan leg-spinner Izharulhaq Naveed slipped through a side door onto centre stage.
The Sydney Sixers picked up Naveed, 18, in Sunday night’s draft despite his modest status as an Under-19 World Cup player, and are unsure if he can speak English beyond “hello” and “thanks”.
His biggest claim to fame was being part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore net bowling contingent at this year’s IPL, although other countries have clearly been watching his development. Naveed has also been chosen to play in the Caribbean Premier League with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.
His shock selection in Sunday night’s draft came after BBL box office drawcards Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Faf du Plessis, Jason Roy and Dwayne Bravo, all listed among 12 top-tier platinum players at $340,000 each, were overlooked.
The disregard for the big names highlights the clash of priorities between Cricket Australia attempting to add big names to revive the BBL and clubs looking for steady players to complement squads.
Of the 12 platinum players, only bowling all-rounder David Willey will be available for the whole tournament. The remainder are heading off midway through the BBL in January to the new UAE or South African T20 leagues, which can pay substantially more thanks to the backing of cashed-up Indian businessmen. The Thunder drafted Willey with their first choice.
Izharulhaq Naveed at the Under-19s World Cup in January.Credit:Getty
Naveed first came to the notice of the Sixers during the Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies in January through NSW and Australia’s under-19 coach Anthony Clark, the former NSW off-spinner, who is also an assistant to Sixers coach Greg Shipperd.
“When I was in quarantine, I was watching something on ICC [International Cricket Council] TV, and it was the Afghanistan coaches talking about their [Under-19 World Cup] team,” Clark told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
A lot of the focus was on left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad, 17, who has already played for the Melbourne Renegades and is competing in The Hundred in England.
“All the hype was obviously around Noor Ahmad and a couple of their fast bowlers who had some pretty good raps on them, but the coach was saying, ‘this leg-spinner, people are going to know about him by the end of the tournament’,” Clark said.
BBL 12 draft selections
- Melbourne Renegades: Liam Livingstone, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Akeal Hosein
- Melbourne Stars: Trent Boult, Joe Clarke, Luke Wood
- Brisbane Heat: Sam Billings, Colin Munro, Ross Whiteley
- Sydney Sixers: Chris Jordan, James Vince, Izharulhaq Naveed
- Adelaide Strikers: Rashid Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Hose
- Perth Scorchers: Laurie Evans, Phil Salt, Tymal Mills
- Sydney Thunder: David Willey, Alex Hales, Rilee Rossouw
- Hobart Hurricanes: Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf
“Straightaway, without seeing him, I took an interest in him and I saw him bowl in a couple of games when they hadn’t got as many runs as they would have liked.
“But this spinner kept them in the game and I thought that he was really good the way he spun the ball both ways and had great energy.
“He was pretty consistent and he competed really hard. He looked like he wanted the ball in his hands when it mattered.”
Clarke met Naveed in passing at a function at the end of the World Cup and spoke to him briefly.
“I introduced myself and he said hello. I said well bowled and he said thank you. That was the end of the conversation.
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