Sarfaraz Ahmed: “Khawaja Nafay was picked for BPL last year after his videos appeared on Facebook and despite him having not played for any region in Pakistan. It was a huge achievement. He’s a talent and if such a player gets opportunities he can do well for Pakistan”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed believes up-and-coming batsman Khawaja Nafay “can do well” for the national team if he gets the opportunity to showcase his talent.
Nafay was one of the standout players in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he played alongside Sarfaraz for the Quetta Gladiators.
In 10 matches, the 22-year-old made 182 runs, which included a top score of 60 not out, at an average of 22.75 and a strike-rate of 121.33.
Sarfaraz noted that this is extremely impressive for a batsman who was discovered via Facebook.
“Khawaja Nafay was picked for BPL last year after his videos appeared on Facebook and despite him having not played for any region in Pakistan. It was a huge achievement. He’s a talent and if such a player gets opportunities he can do well for Pakistan,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Both Sarfaraz and Nafay were not selected for Pakistan’s recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which ended as a 2-2 draw.
Currently, the men in green are in action in a three-match T20I series against Ireland, which is tied at 1-1 going into the third game on May 14.
After this, Pakistan will play four T20Is against England from May 22 to May 30.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan
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