9-year-old Saif dreams of dismissing Tamim Iqbal with a googly

Dhaka, 2 Nov -At the age of just 9 years, Saif has already set his sights on an ambitious target - dismissing former Bangladesh captain and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal with a googly.

The young Chinaman bowler revealed his ambition during a light-hearted exchange with Tamim at the closing ceremony of the Robi Bowler Hunt.

Asked whom he would like to bowl to if given the opportunity, Saif promptly named Tamim. When the former Bangladesh opener asked which delivery he would use to dismiss him, the youngster confidently replied, "Googly".

Tamim responded with a smile, saying, "I play googly well," drawing laughter from those present.

Saif, who idolises former South African Chinaman bowler Paul Adams, dreams of following in his footsteps by using his unusual bowling style to outfox batters.

Another young talent to attract attention at the event was 12-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner Shoaib.

The two youngsters have been added to the final group of 21 bowlers selected through the nationwide talent hunt programme, taking the total number of promising bowlers to 23.

The initiative began with more than 25,000 registrations, followed by trials at nine venues across the country. A total of 143 bowlers were shortlisted, including 57 pacers and 86 spinners. The group comprised 108 male and 35 female participants.

Following the trials, 21 bowlers were selected, while Saif and Shoaib were included as special talents in recognition of their potential.

The BCB has chalked out plans to develop the 23 bowlers, with some of the selected talents expected to be integrated into the activities of its High Performance (HP) Unit.

However, opportunities will not be limited to those who secure places in the HP programme initially. The board is also planning to establish a separate development platform for talented bowlers who miss out on the first phase, allowing them to continue working on their skills.

The BCB had planned to announce details of the proposed platform at the closing ceremony, but Tamim refrained from making the announcement as the planning process was yet to be completed.BSS