Who is Sajid Khan? Everything you need to know about the Pakistan bowler who once sold cellphones, now bamboozling England batters

Who is Sajid Khan. (Photo by Munir Uz zaman / AFP) (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan made several changes to their playing XI for the second Test against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan, which got underway this week. This was their reaction after they were handed a thrashing by the tourists in the first Test. Sajid Khan was one of the players who made their way into the side for the second Test and he made an instant impact by bagging seven wickets in England’s first innings.

Sajid has often been in and out of the team for Pakistan, having only played eight Test matches since his debut in 2021. His best outing was against Bangladesh in December of that year, when he scalped eight wickets in an innings and 12 in the match.

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Sajid can be described as a late bloomer as he made his First Class debut for Peshawar when he was 23 years old. The off-spinner had to struggle through his younger days as he suffered a string of setbacks in his life. He lost his father at a young age and this forced him to take up whatever job that was available to him. He used to put grips on cricket bats and sell cellphones to make ends meet. However, his goal was always to play for the national team.

After making it through the underage levels, Sajid said that he struggled to break into the Peshawar team because of the plethora of talented players in contention. He took a six-month-long visa to the UAE, emigrating to Dubai, where he worked in the airport and played cricket on the side. He would return soon enough at his mother’s behest. Sajid lauds the support he received from his mother on his cricketing journey.

Making it to Peshawar team and beyond

After grinding it out for several years, Sajid got the opportunity to give trials at Peshawar, and it wasn’t an opportunity he was going to let go of. He established a good relationship with the people in the Peshawar setup, even borrowing shoes from teammate Imran Khan Sr. Sajid began in the second XI and gradually worked his way into the main team. He stamped his authority during the 2017 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

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Sajid went on to get his debut caps in the other formats in the following years, and once he broke out onto the scene, he caught the attention of the national selectors in no time. The now 31-year-old made his debut against Zimbabwe in 2021 as Pakistan were in search of spin-bowling talent in the country.

Sajid was left out of the side after he played in the Sydney Test against Australia earlier this year. He has made a sensational comeback to the format against England and will look to go from strength to strength as Pakistan look to turn their fortunes.