Syed Nazir Ahmed
LAHORE:-Mehran Mumtaz hails from Kohta, Kashmir, now lives in Rawalpindi and wants to fulfill his late father’s dream of representing Pakistan at the highest level of the game. The left-arm spinner has progressed from U16 cricket in the 2016-17 season before making his first-class debut for Northern in the 2021-22 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. In between, he played in the U16 series against Australia, the National U19 Cup and Championship, and the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2022.
“My father passed away in 2020 and couldn’t see me represent Pakistan at the highest level. I want to represent my country to fulfill my father’s dream,” said a passionate Mehran while talking to PCB digital.
“I started off as a left-arm fast bowler, but on the recommendation of my club coach, switched to spin bowling. It was not easy as I had been bowling fast from the age of 10 and also wanted to pursue my career as a fast bowler. But once I started bowling spin and was selected in U16 trials, there was no looking back.
“I have my self-belief and confidence to represent Pakistan in all three formats and make my country and my family proud. The PCB Pathways Programme has been designed to help youngsters like me to achieve my dreams and career objectives. It will not help us financially, but it will also groom us which, in turn, will help us to compete strongly at the international level.”
Mehran featured for Rawalpindi U16 in PCB U16 tournament in 2016-17 where he took 25 wickets from nine matches and remained second on the list of top wicket-takers behind Test fast bowler Naseem Shah. He later went on to represent Pakistan U16 against Australia U16 in the UAE where he took six wickets from three One-Day matches.
With his consistent performances, Mehran graduated to the U19 level where he represented Northern in the National U19 One-Day Tournament 2019-20 and took eight wickets from four matches. In National U19 One-Day Tournament in 2020-21 he took 17 wickets from 11 outings in the tournament. In the same year, he represented Northern in the Pakistan Cup second XI and took four wickets from five matches at an economy rate of 4.25. In the next edition of National U19 One-Day Tournament in 2021-22, Mehran took 10 wickets from four outings in the tournament. In the National U19 Championship 2021-22, he took 14 wickets from five matches.
He later went on to represent Pakistan in this year’s ICC U19 World Cup held in West Indies. He took five wickets at an economy rate of 3.16. Before the World Cup, Mehran made his debut in the 2021-22 first-class season. It was a dream debut for Mehran, as the left-armer playing for Northern picked seven wickets in the drawn match against Balochistan at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.
