On Wednesday, the eighth season of the Big Bash League (BBL) commenced with the tournament opener been played between Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat. The defending champions began their campaign with a breathtaking win as they chased down 147 runs in the last over. Alex Carey was the hero for them with the bat as he slammed an aggressive half-century. But Afghanistan’s young prodigy Mujeeb Ur Rahman was in the news despite losing his debut BBL match.

The off-spinner made his debut in the T20 league and was batting at number 11, he straightaway made a mark for his team. His team was struggling and in tatters at 101/9 in the 15th over itself. The Strikers were expecting to dismiss the last pair and chase the meager total easily. But Mujeeb had different plans in his mind as he showed some intent with his bat and played a reverse-sweep against his Afghanistan team-mate Rashid Khan.

ALSO READ: Controversial Third-Umpire Decision Finishes On Top In BBL Opener

Mujeeb literally didn’t play like a number 11 batsmen and proved his worth with the bat to get promoted in the later matches. The last wicket added 45 runs for the Heat in just 29 balls and Mujeeb Ur Rahman went on to score 27 runs off 22 balls with three fours to his name. 

The youngster’s 27-run knock is the highest individual score for the number 11 player in the history of BBL. No other player had managed to score more than 15 in previous seven seasons and the Afghan cricketer didn’t it without much fuss. Also, his score was also the best for the number 11 in the history of the shortest format. Mujeeb’s partnership of 45 runs with Jimmy Pierson is also the highest ever for the 10th wicket in the tournament’s history.

Mujeeb though couldn’t do much with the ball. He went only for 26 runs in his quota of 4 overs but couldn’t pick any wicket. However, one could say that he was unlucky as Jake Weatherald was dropped in the very first over and that, in a way, hurt the Heat in the context of the game.