Three years ago, if a cricketer in Pakistan were named in the Balochistan squad, it meant he was not good enough to play for the province that he belonged to.

Within the first tier of the then newly revamped domestic cricket structure, Balochistan was looked upon as second-tier. The team was meant for out-of-favour, struggling players from Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Rawalpindi.

Three-years ago, no one would have placed their bets on Balochistan emerging as the champion of the top-tier 50-over competition, the Pakistan Cup. No one would have thought that two 19-year-old batters — Haseebullah Khan and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai — from Pishin and Quetta, respectively, would lead Balochistan to a domestic title, which has eluded them since 2019.

In fact, Balochistan had come close to winning trophies when they reached the Pakistan Cup and National T20 Cup finals in the 2019-20 season, but it seems fate waited for Haseebullah and Bangalzai to arrive on the scene before it could happen.

Astounding performances by a couple of young cricketers from Balochistan led to the province winning its first Pakistan Cup. Could Balochistan be the next breeding ground for Pakistan’s top-tier talent?

Fittingly, Haseebullah topped the Pakistan Cup run-scoring charts while Bangalzai, who also plundered runs throughout the tournament, played a crucial knock in the final earlier this month, to defy defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a treble.

The two youngsters did not only shine at the domestic level this year, they also represented Pakistan in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies, where Haseebullah was the second highest run-getter.

For Haseebullah to reach this stage, the journey was arduous. Growing up in a city where basic training facilities are virtually non-existent, in contrast to the more developed cricket centres of Lahore and Karachi, the lanky left-hander had to punch above his weight.

If Haseebullah had an advantage, it was in growing up in a family of cricketers, which meant the responsibility of coaching him was taken up by his father and uncle, both former First Class cricketers. Before being identified as a special talent by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) regional academies system, and going on to pile up runs in junior level tournaments and making it to the national U-16 team, Haseebullah and his father had a training routine of their own.

“My father bowls 300 balls at me every day using a ball-thrower, in a net that we built ourselves,” the opener tells Eos. “I follow a schedule that he has made for me and I talk to him about things I need to work on.”

While Haseebullah’s discipline over a long period of time has honed his batting skills, what makes him stand out, according to him, is his commitment to survive out of his comfort zone. All these values, and the belief put into him by his father — that getting starts of 30 to 40 runs when he comes in to bat can lead to centuries — has helped him in scoring loads of them.

He scored two tons in the U-19 World Cup, where he scored a total of 380 runs at an average of 76. In the Pakistan Cup, Haseebullah smashed three centuries in 12 innings, accumulating 614 runs at an average of 55.81 across the tournament.

“I went into the World Cup with the mindset that I have to become the top run-scorer,” he says. “Even before the one-day cup [Pakistan Cup], my father and my uncle, who also coaches me, told me that if I get starts and score 30, 40 runs, I have the ability to convert it into a hundred.”

It’s not only hundreds that Haseebullah plays for. In the Pakistan Cup final, after Balochistan captain Yasir Shah restricted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to a paltry 171, courtesy some bamboozling leg-spin by the Pakistan Test veteran, Haseebullah scored a well-timed 45 off 58 balls to take his team near the target.

Most of his runs during that knock came as part of the 77-run collaboration he put up with Bangalzai for the second wicket, before the latter finished the job with the incoming Asad Shafiq, contributing an unbeaten 80 off 77 balls.

The experience of playing in a top-tier tournament has motivated Haseebullah to dream bigger.

“Playing and sharing the dressing room with international players boosted my confidence and I learnt a lot from them,” he says. “I want to represent Pakistan in all three formats and bring a name to my country,” he says. He credits former Balochistan secretary sports Imran Gichki as a major support in his cricket journey so far.

For Balochistan cricket, it is just the start. That is what their head coach Raj Hans wants to believe. Hans, who is from the province itself, took up the first team’s reins after former head coach Faisal Iqbal had to withdraw from the role. It was a team meeting in Islamabad before the Pakistan Cup started, which eventually proved to be a game-changer for Balochistan.

“It was our goal to win the trophy,” says Hans simply. “When me and my coaching staff took over the team, in a meeting in Islamabad, we planned out our path to winning the tournament. The players executed that plan perfectly well,” he adds.

Hans relied on the experience of Yasir and Asad to ensure his vision materialised. But it wasn’t all about winning. What was more important was the seniors’ interest in taking the young Haseebullah and Bangalzai along and squeezing good performances out of them.

“Yasir Shah, the captain, ensured that all players kept sticking to their roles,” says Hans. “Along with seniors Imran Butt and Asad Shafiq, Yasir led the whole team and especially the players from Balochistan, which is why we won.”

While Yasir, Asad and Imran’s role was key in Balochistan’s success, for Hans, it would be even better if more players from the province, such as Haseebullah and Bangalzai, make it to the team, and he predicts that it will happen in the near future.

“We have seven to 10 players who have performed this year at the regional level, and they are waiting for their opportunity to shine at the first class level,” says the Balochistan coach.

“Balochistan cricket is set to go upwards and you’ll see many more good players come up in the future from there.”

Hans credits the rise of Balochistan cricket to the revamping of the domestic structure by the PCB.

The 56-year-old believes that, had it not been for the regional academies — which train players identified as top talents during trials through week-long camps focusing on all departments of the sport, including nutrition and fitness — Balochistan players wouldn’t have been able to step up to the top.

“The new [domestic cricket] system put in place by the PCB has been highly beneficial for the Balochistan players,” he says.

“When they got the opportunity, they proved they belong to this level and that they have it in them to go on to represent Pakistan. Bangalzai and Haseebullah are products of regional academies, they’ve attended these academies for three years.”

For Hans, the province now needs a number of high-performance centres, like those in Karachi and Lahore. While he has put his faith into PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja to take up the mission, he has a strong belief that “in the next five years, you’ll see Balochistan cricket dominating.”

With Haseebullah and Bangalzai proving their mettle as two of the best players in the Pakistan youth ranks, Hans’s dream doesn’t look like a distant one.

The writer is a member of staff.

He tweets @shabbar_mir

Published in Dawn, EOS, April 17th, 2022