When the franchises announced their player retentions for the next season of the DP World International League T20 last month, the main stars were all present and correct.
Phil Salt and Sunil Narine will be back with Abdu Dhabi Knight Riders. Rovman Powell and Shai Hope will lead Dubai Capitals’ title defence.
Fazalhaq Farooqi will return to extend his wicket-taking record with MI Emirates, and Tim Southee to try again to turn around the fortunes of Sharjah Warriorz.
The teams were clearly getting their priorities straight ahead of the volatility of an auction, which will take place for the first time in the UAE’s T20 league, at the end of next month.
While stardust abounded among the initial intake of players, there was one player in among there who is still some way off from playing international cricket. And he did not even feature in the first half the season for his franchise last term.
Such was the impression he made after his belated debut in ILT20’s season three, the Desert Vipers were unlikely to want to let Khuzaima Tanveer out of their grasp.
The 25-year-old fast bowler watched his team race to the top of the table, and the three other UAE-based players – all younger than him – get their chance.
He was perfectly happy just to be there, watching from the sidelines on matchday, while learning from the stars at training.
Then he was handed his bow for a match in Sharjah, and suddenly everyone realised what a gem they had found.
He took 4-22 on debut, clean bowling Tim Seifert, Rohan Mustafa and Southee in the process.
Khuzaima remains some way off from being eligible to play for the UAE. He qualifies as per the ICC residency rules next year.
But he has already been brought into the camp ahead of the side’s T20 tri-series against Afghanistan and Pakistan, which starts later this month.
It has become a custom of the national team. They have had a raft of new players who have made their names in ILT20 even before becoming available for the national team.
Haider Ali and Mohammed Rohid have debuted for the UAE this summer, having trained with the team first. Khuzaima hopes he will be able to do similar when his turn comes.
“They have been giving us a feel of the environment so that within one year they can consider us for selection for the team,” he said.
His retention by the Vipers means he does not have to go through the stress of auditioning via the ILT20 Development Tournament. He is grateful for the faith that has been shown in him.
“I was not expecting it,” he said. “Having played just one season, they wanted to retain me and that pleased me a lot. I can’t even explain how it felt. It was totally out of this world.”
It means he might get the chance to make more memories, like the day of his debut, which culminated in him giving three TV interviews, one of which to Waqar Younis, the Pakistan great.
“If you are a young fast bowler getting four wickets in your very first game, and the TV shows it, then it feels like a dream,” he said.
“I hadn’t played the first six games, but the environment the franchises create and their way of talking to the players, I really enjoyed their company. I really enjoyed practicing with the coaching staff.
“[After his success on debut] I got too many messages. My Instagram was full, my WhatsApp was full.
“My brother sent a message saying, ‘What you did on your debut, we were not expecting this from you. Everyone is messaging and calling me to say, 'Your brother is doing brilliantly'.
“When you cross the rope, you need to give 100 percent. If you are nervous, you can’t do that. I was just trying to help my team out, and the plan was executed.”
He is thrilled his family are so pleased with his success. It was the fact they had fallen on hard times which prompted him to leave home in Karachi and take up an offer to play for Karwan Strikers in UAE domestic cricket.
It meant leaving behind a promising career in the game in Pakistan.
“It was my first year going for trials and I was sent for first-class,” he said of his start in formal cricket, after starting out playing tape-ball.
“That is very unusual so I was thinking, How is this possible? I joined the camp, and took 20 wickets in six games, which was the best from the whole state of Sindh.
“They were considering me for Karachi Kings in the PSL, but unfortunately I got injured playing first-class cricket.
“I had pain my lower back, so was out of the contest. Then, because of some family issues I decided to move from Pakistan to some other country, which is how I ended up in UAE.
“I had to find somewhere to earn some money and make my family financially stable.”
While Pakistan’s tape-ball cricket scene has often been a breeding ground for fast bowlers, not all have had such a classical bowling action as Khuzaima.
“I am the biggest fan of Jimmy Anderson,” he said. “I always used to try to copy him in my action and copy his deliveries. I am a diehard fan of Jimmy Anderson.”
And being at the Vipers has meant having some of the best of the modern game to call friends, too, such as Mohammed Amir and Lockie Ferguson
“I really enjoyed their company, their way of talking, and the way they give confidence to others,” he said.
