At simply 5, Hamza Khan picked up a cricket bat for the primary time. Fifteen years later, the sport has taken him from membership grounds to the worldwide stage, the place he has turn out to be one of many main figures in Rwanda’s rising cricket story.
Born in Pakistan, Khan has made Rwanda his cricketing house. His journey displays each his private progress and the fast growth of the game in a rustic more and more making its mark internationally.
“I picked up my bat once I was 5 years outdated, and I began taking part in skilled cricket once I was 14,” Khan stated.
His journey into Rwanda’s cricket system coincided with the game’s rising reputation within the nation.
“I began taking part in cricket on the membership, and round that point Rwandan cricket started to develop. I performed on the membership for a very long time and carried out effectively. After that, they determined to place me within the nationwide workforce,” he stated.
For Khan, Rwanda has turn out to be extra than simply the nation he represents. It’s now central to his sporting id.
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“I used to be born in Pakistan, however my cricket id is Rwanda. The world is aware of me as a Rwandan cricketer. It’s fairly good.”
He hopes to someday get hold of a Rwandan passport, reflecting the robust connection he has developed with the nation.
In response to the ICC, a participant should have resided in a rustic for at the least three years to qualify to signify it on the idea of residency, a requirement that applies to each males’s and ladies’s cricket.
As soon as a participant has certified and represented a rustic, they continue to be eligible to signify that nation completely and don’t have to re-establish their eligibility beneath the nationality standards for future matches.
Khan credit the various coaches, teammates and officers who’ve supported him all through his profession reasonably than singling out one individual.
“There are such a lot of. I can't identify all of them as a result of it’s a lengthy journey of 15 years,” he stated.
The innings that modified every part
Khan’s greatest second got here in Might through the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier in Gaborone, Botswana.
He smashed an unbeaten 164, together with 15 sixes, towards Ivory Coast, producing probably the most exceptional innings in Rwanda’s cricket historical past.
But Khan insists there was no elaborate plan behind the record-breaking efficiency.
“I didn't count on this file. I used to be simply taking part in easy cricket,” he stated.
Even after reaching his century, he didn’t realise the importance of his innings.
“I didn't know in regards to the file. I used to be simply taking part in my easy cricket.”
It was solely two days later that he discovered the magnitude of his achievement. His unbeaten 164 grew to become the second-highest particular person rating in males’s T20I cricket, behind Aaron Finch’s 172 for Australia towards Zimbabwe in 2018.
“It was the very best second for me and Rwandan cricket,” he stated.
Regardless of the landmark efficiency, Khan has remained centered on the long run.
“Nothing particular. I simply really feel good and concentrate on the upcoming video games.”
Rwanda’s cricket on the rise
Khan’s rise has come alongside vital progress in Rwandan cricket.
He believes services, coaching and training have improved significantly in recent times.
“Now the services are higher than in 2023. We have now higher apply services and the very best coaches, so it’s good now,” he stated.
He additionally praised the collective effort inside Rwanda’s cricket construction, from the lads’s and ladies’s senior groups to the Below-19 sides and administration.
“Rwandan cricket is rising daily. All gamers, men and women, and the administration are working arduous. Everyone seems to be working arduous to develop Rwandan cricket.”
That progress, he says, has helped Rwanda achieve higher recognition internationally.
“Sure, folks know Rwanda in world cricket,” Khan stated.
Away from worldwide obligation, Khan continues to contribute at membership degree, the place he has surpassed 1,000 runs.
One step from the World Cup
The subsequent goal is even larger: serving to Rwanda qualify for the T20 World Cup.
Khan believes the workforce is near attaining that dream.
“We’re already there. We’re only one step far,” he stated.
His confidence is unwavering.
“2 hundred p.c imagine. The World Cup can also be taking part in. We’re human beings; there’s nothing particular. Simply work arduous, imagine and do the proper issues. No one can cease us to succeed in the World Cup.”
For Khan, qualification could be greater than a private achievement. It could signify a landmark second for Rwandan cricket.
“It could be the very best achievement as a rustic and assist in rising Rwanda cricket.”
Message for the following era
Khan’s journey from choosing up a bat at 5 to changing into a global record-holder has taught him that success doesn’t come in a single day.
His recommendation to younger Rwandan cricketers is easy: work arduous, stay affected person and imagine.
“They should work arduous and imagine. Don't hand over. Cricket takes time. In a number of weeks you don't turn out to be a cricketer. It takes time and focus,” he stated.
After 15 years within the sport, Khan has already written his identify into Rwanda’s cricket historical past.
However the unbeaten 164 towards Ivory Coast could solely be the start.
With Rwanda now chasing a spot on the T20 World Cup, Khan believes the following chapter could possibly be the most important but.
