A life of a cricketer is never easy and you need a lot of hard work, will power and perseverance to reach to the topmost level. Pakistan spinner, Sajid Khan's story is no less than a fairytale but he didn't achieve it through any recommendation, rather he made his performance do the talking and now he is wreaking havoc on the English batsmen in the ongoing 2nd Test in Multan.
Sajid, 31, has been a late bloomer in his career and had to do a lot of so-called odd jobs to so that he can continue his cricketing career. He lost his father at a very young age and after college he sold cellphones and even changed the bat grip and handle in order to earn money. The Peshawar boy made his First-Class debut in 2016 at the age of 23, but chances weren't that easy to come by as he was overshadowed by a plethora of talents in the Peshawar team, who were all fighting for a place in the XI.
He even spent 6 months in UAE's Dubai, where he worked 5 days at the airport and played cricket in the remaining 2 days. Sajid has credited his success to his mother as he told that without her, he wouldn't have been a professional cricketer, representing Pakistan at the highest level.
From Mardan to Mirpur, @SajidKhan244 narrates his own inspirational story 🇵🇰❤️#HarHaalMainCricketpic.twitter.com/vulbzIyIJ9
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 13, 2022
Slowly and steadily, he would get his chances in trials and it was such a time for him back then, that he had to borrow shoes from his Peshawar teammate, Imran Khan Sr. to play. He finally he made his mark during the 2017 Quiad-e-Azam Trophy. But in the 2020-21 season, he was named the Best Bowler Of The Tournament.
He went onto make his Test debut for Pakistan in 2021 against South Africa. But he made his presence felt in the international circuit in December of that year against Bangladesh. He picked up 8 wickets in an innings and a total of 12 wickets in the entire match.
Fast forward to 2024, Sajid has already taken 8 wickets in the 2nd Test against England, 7 coming in a single inning. With England needing 261 runs to win the Test, the 31-year old needs to spin a web once again to deny the visitors to clinch the entire series.