Gladiators star Khawaja Nafay reveals favorite batters

Khawaja Nafay made an instant impact for Quetta Gladiators with his raw talent as he guides Rilee Rossouw’s side to victory against Lahore Qalandars on Monday.

This was the first time that Gladiators defeated Qalandars in Lahore in the history of HBL Pakistan Super League, with the help from the 22-year-old.

That Karachi-born batter smashed an unbeaten 60 of just 31 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and four boundaries.

This was only his second PSL game. What sets Nafay’s achievement apart is that he became the first player in the history of the PSL to face just one dot ball in the innings.

The question is how Quetta Gladiators managed to find this talent.

To answer this, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed revealed Khawaja Nafay was picked from Facebook.

“He uploaded the video of his batting and then caught the attention,” said Sarafraz after the game.

It may come as a surprise for many that he is just a club cricketer and hasn’t even played for any region so far. He plays for Pakistan Cricket Club.

Moreover, the batter idolize Pakistan superstar Babar Azam and India captain Rohit Sharma.

When asked what have he learned with the presence of big names of cricket like Sir Vivian Richards, Coach Shane Watson, T20 specialist and Quetta captain Rilee Rossouw and Jason Roy.

He replied it was an honour to share the dressing room with these superstars. “They give me confidence…it doesn’t matter, whether it is coach, captain or mentor Sir Viv, they all give confidence and keep us gelled.”

Moreover, he also received a gift from Pakistan T20 captain Shaheen Shah Afridi after the game.