Cricket world was amazed seeing a teenager bowling like a dream in international cricket. A 17-year-old spinner from Afghanistan was making batsmen dance on his tunes. The name is Mujeeb Ur Rahman. More than his bowling, the talent he has at this young age made the headlines.
Mujeeb is the first player from the 21st century to play international cricket. But is he really 17? His profile on various cricket websites states he was born in March 2001 which proves his claim correct.
But recently former Pakistan cricketer and Afghanistan coach Rashid Latif's statement had put a big question mark on his age. In an interview, Latif said, "I was approached by Hamid Shinwari, the then CEO of the board, and traveled to Afghanistan to find a good bunch of players during a short camp in Kabul. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Amir Hamza and a few others were potentially good cricketers."
Mujeeb Ur Rahman's current age is listed at 17, born in 2001. But former Afghanistan coach/Pakistan Test player Rashid Latif was quoted in an article published today on Dawn that he identified Mujeeb at a senior team trial in 2010. ???????????????? https://t.co/HRMyE4skRR pic.twitter.com/KvpfoqsQrj
— Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) October 15, 2018
As per Latif, he already spotted Mujeeb in a senior's coaching camp back in 2010. That makes the leggie much older than he claims.
But later, the editor of Dawn Asif Khan cleared it himself by speaking to Latif about the piece doing rounds on social media. He wrote on Twitter, “Just checked with Latif & he pointed out this as a mistake. He said it was Najeeb, not Mujeeb. Writer’s fault! my apologies."
Just checked with Latif & he pointed out this as a mistake. He said it was Najeeb not Mujeeb. Writer’s fault! ???? my apologies
— Asif Khan (@mak_asif) October 16, 2018