Shafayat’s bright future
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By Oliver Brett
BBC Sport Online
It is always a dangerous thing to talk up a young player who has hardly broken into the senior game.
But 18-year-old Bilal Shafayat is already attracting the sort of revered praise only reserved for the exceptionally talented.
The Nottingham-born batsman is the captain of the England under-19s on their current tour of Australia.
And in the first Test, a breath-taking personal display - a century, a fifty and six wickets in an innings - almost single-handedly won the match.
One observer compared Shafayat’s natural talents to David Gower’s
Coach of the under-19s, Paul Farbrace, was also one of the first technicians to see Shafayat at close-quarters as a mere kid.
Although a foot shorter than anyone else on either side, aged 13 he was already belting the ball about for fun in the Nottinghamshire Premier League.
Farbrace spoke to BBC Sport Online from Adelaide shortly after Shafayat had smashed 82 off just 67 balls in a one-day defeat.
"He’s our best player by a country mile and he looks to be the best player out there on either side.
“He’s got the ability, he’s got the flair. The bigger the game, the more he enjoys the atmosphere and he just takes the pressure in his stride.”
Like so many Asians, he loves to play wristy shots, and particularly enjoys hitting over the in-field with a dominant bottom-hand grip.
"He has always played the same away.
I will take each step as it comes in my quest to be No.1 in the world
Bilal Shafayat
"There is a lot of criticism that flair is sometimes coached out of people in England but Bilal is naturally very attacking and we have never looked to change that.
“We have believed since he was 13 that he had the ability to play international cricket.”
Farbrace says Shafayat has “kicked on nicely.”
That seems an understatement, given that he hit a double-hundred and a hundred for the under-19s in the same match against the Indians last summer.
Members at Nottinghamshire have already seen him play a handful of first-class matches in two seasons after making his debut before his 17th birthday.
He is already averaging close to 40.
Shafayat cites Tendulkar as a role model
And as someone who is happy to miss out on university, one can expect him to play a lot more at Trent Bridge next summer.
Shafayat, a devout Muslim, cites prayer rather than the ubiquitous “playing Playstation” as his principal relaxation.
At the under-19 World Cup in New Zealand a year ago, he reportedly upset team captain Nicky Peng by spending time with the Pakistani squad with whom he felt a natural cultural affinity.
But taking on the captaincy this time around seems to suit him well.
Farbrace says: "He has done a very good job having matured a lot as a young man over the last couple of years.
“He has bowled his medium-pacers nicely and of course he also keeps wicket. There’s not much he can’t do!”
In a short recent interview with The Times, he revealed his simple goal: “I want to thank God for all he’s given me. I will take each step as it comes in my quest to be No.1 in the world.”
English cricket fans wish you well, Bilal.
