Afghanistan young sensational Mujeeb Ur Rahman has signed for Brisbane Heat to feature in the 2018/19 Australian Big Bash League (BBL).

After the former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum, the 17-year-old Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb becomes the second overseas player to join Brisbane Heat for the 2018/19 season. Earlier, Mujeeb played in the Bangladesh Premier League (Comilla Victorians in 2017), Indian Premier League (Kings XI Punjab in 2018) and England’s T20 Blast (Hampshire in 2018). Mujeeb will represent Brisbane Heat for the entire 2018/19 BBL season.

After signing the new contract, Mujeeb said, “Once I played for my country I dreamed of playing in the IPL, county cricket and the Big Bash. I have been able to achieve the first two so this is very exciting for me. I am looking forward to meeting up with everyone at the Heat and playing in Australia.”

Mujeeb has represented Afghanistan in all three international cricket formats, since his debut in December 2017. He has played only Test, 23 ODIs and seven T20Is for his nation where he has picked up a total of 54 wickets (one in Test, 44 in ODIs and nine in T20Is).

Former New Zealand skipper and the present head coach of Brisbane Heat, Daniel Vettori feels Mujeeb is a rare talent.

Vettori said, “Mujeeb is a rare talent and we’re delighted he is going to play in the BBL for the first time. From what we have seen so far at International level and in competitions like the IPL and the Vitality T20 Blast in England, he has the skills and maturity to adapt and excel in a variety of conditions.

“He has been successful in the powerplay and closing out an innings, so we will have options to explore depending on the state of the game. At this stage we anticipate having him for the entire BBL which is a bonus.”