Rahman Hekmat the 1st Afghan Player | Descent to play for NZ
The eighteen-year-old leg spinner, who wants to play for the Black Caps and learn Hindi so he can watch movies with his parents, comes from a family that is obsessed with Bollywood and cricket.
When Rahman Hekmat was a little child, his parents left Afghanistan for New Zealand in an attempt to start a better life for him. Rahman, the oldest of three brothers, fell in love with cricket naturally because his parents were avid cricket and Bollywood fans when he was growing up in Auckland. However, he still has trouble with Hindi movies.
My father is a huge fan of Bollywood films. I would try to jump in and see if I could catch the movies he would post. He would try to explain the story to me if I didn’t understand it since I grew so bored. Hindi is difficult for me to understand. I always tell him to label everything, but he thinks the meaning is lost in translation,Rahman, a resident of Dobsonville, South Africa, tells The Indian Express.
My parents recently watched Dunki, starring Shah Rukh Khan. I spent two hours on the phone with my father, who thoroughly enjoyed the movie. He was attempting to explain everything about the actor and his work because he is a fan of him. I make an effort to learn,” he chuckles.
While Rahman still has a ways to go in Hindi film, the 18-year-old has made quick progress in cricket. At eleven years old, he began to play. His father saw something in him in the hallway of their home, and he knew he wanted to be a fast bowler.
As a fast bowler, I began. While playing with my dad one day, I started to bowl a couple leggies. My father felt that I was very Shane Warne-like in my motion. He was merely a player’s father who used to assist all the youngsters; he wasn’t my personal coach. When we returned to training the following day, my coach noticed something about my bowling and said we might work on it. It was all leg-spin from that point on,” he says.
Engineer by trade Hekmatullah introduced his son to Shane Warne, and then Rahman’s father, Rashid Khan, an Afghan leggie, arrived and left a lasting impression.
Rashid Khan and Shane Warne are two of my heroes. The greatest of all time is Warne. Afghan-born Rashid Khan received a swift leg break and a wrong-un. The issue is that, like Rashid, I also enjoy bowling a lot of googlies,” he remarks. “As my knowledge of cricket increased over time, I began to observe other wrist-spinners as well. Ish Sodhi, Adam Zampa, and Adil Rashid are people I admire. I admire every leggie because they’re all unique. I make an effort to observe their strategy, pace, field placements, and variances. They’re all artists in their own right, he claims.
I still have a lot of work to do on my hitting, even though I like to occasionally hit like Rashid. However, I attempt to knock the ball for a six whenever it is in my zone,” he continues.
Rahman was born in Peshawar, but he is originally from Kabul, Afghanistan. An avid cricket fan, his father was overjoyed when Afghanistan performed well in the ODI World Cup.
They proceeded to defeat successive past world champions. It was quite the journey. My father was ecstatic. He is in favor of Afghanistan and New Zealand. He actually cheers on every team. Regardless of the side that is competing, he simply adores cricket in general. All he wants to do is watch the game and enjoy himself. Afghanistan has made amazing development since they competed in the World Cup for the first time in 2015, which has made my dad very proud, he says.
The first cricket player of Afghan descent to represent New Zealand is Rahman Hekmat. (Special arrangement) New Zealand cricket has scheduled a session with senior players such as Rachin Ravindra and Ish Sodhi prior to their trip to South Africa. Rahman feels that the guidance he and his teammates received from the seniors has calmed them down ahead of the U-19 World Cup.
Rachin has spoken with us and addressed our questions during a few of our sessions. We had a meeting with the Blackcaps as well. I bowled with a net. Ish Sodhi and Tarun Nethula, a former leg spinner, coached and mentored me during my high school cricket career. I speak with him frequently,” Rahman says.
Rahman adds that all of the players will have a great time competing in the U-19 World Cup and that they have been urged to have fun.
“Every member of the squad, including the Blackcaps, is capable of playing at a high level of cricket, according to the seniors. We have been instructed to savor the journey and live in the present. We make an effort to appreciate each day. Play around and attempt to pick up tips from your opponents. Playing in the U-19 World Cup requires travel to South Africa on a daily basis. The other day we had a game against the West Indies, who bowled quite aggressively and with a lot of hit balls. I had never seen them play with such intent before. I haven’t faced a player with such skill before,” Rahman claims.
Rahman gives his mother, Khatei, who works at the same school as him, and father, Hekamtullah, credit for his voyage.
In my community, my father is a well-known umpire as well. My mother is the same way; she enjoys discussing the game. We enjoy discussing cricket a lot. My 12-year-old sister adores the game, but my younger brother is the only one who doesn’t. She could tell that the team I was rooting for had achieved something positive by watching me celebrate.
To bring me where I am, my father has sacrificed a great deal of sleep. When I was a child, he relocated to New Zealand. A few years ago, he traveled to New Zealand for academic purposes. Saying anything about my mother? A mother is a mother. She is kind and compassionate. It is difficult to put their sacrifices into words. I simply want to become a good role model for my brother and sister and make them proud.
