Waqar Salamkheil
Waqar Salamkheil – young player from Afganistan
Waqar Salamkheil is a young player of Band-e-Amir Dragons and the Afghanistan national team. Last year he shared the title of the best bowler of Shpageeza Cricket League with Nangeyalia Kharote, who plays for Kabul Eagles. By the way, both clubs entered the top three of the tournament. The Salamkheil team took third place, and the Kharote team won.
Waqar Salamkheil: general information
The cricketer was born in 2001 in Kabul. It is the capital of Afghanistan, where more than 4.4 million people live. One of the main centers of cricket development in Afghanistan is located here. Since 2015, the region has been represented by the Kabul Eagles in the Shpageeza Cricket League. During this time, the club managed to win two trophies.
Waqar Salamkheil was born into a sports family. He has someone to take an example from, mainly Uncle Karim Janat, who is only three years older. By the way, in 2020, Janat became one of the two best players in the Shpageeza Cricket League. Along this line, Waqar Salamkheil has another uncle, Asghar Janat. He was born in 1987 and is now an experienced player. Both uncles of Waqar Salamkheil are permanently involved in the Afghanistan national team.
Waqar Salamkheil is considered an all-rounder but more often performs as a bowler. Waqar uses his right hand in the attack. In defense, he plays with his left hand.
Waqar Salamkheil: junior years
In the 2017/18 season, he made his debut in games for Band-e-Amir Region in the Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament. The cricketer played his first game against Mis Ainak Region in November 2017. He took five wickets in the second innings. In general, the game did not work out for both Waqar Salamkheil and his partners. The club suffered a crushing defeat. In the second match, the club lost to Amo Region in a hard struggle. Then Band-e-Amir Region managed to draw with Mis Ainak Region and Boost Region. In the eighth round, the club won a long-awaited victory, beating Spin Ghar Region. In the ninth round, the team beat Spin Ghar Region again. A little later, Boost Region was beaten for the first time. As a result, Spin Ghar Region and Band-e-Amir Region reached the finals. The latter won.
In 2018, Waqar Salamkheil joined the Kandahar Knights team that played in the first round of the Afghanistan Premier League. In October 2018, he played his first match against Nangarhar Leopards. This meeting was unsuccessful for the Salamkheil club; Kandahar Knights also lost the next four matches. In general, the team managed to win only two out of eight matches during the tournament.
Waqar Salamkheil: adult career
In January 2019, Waqar Salamkheil tried his hand at a foreign championship for the first time, thanks to winning the draft. He played for Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League. The Afghan did not always get into the team, but he gained invaluable experience. In the group stage, Comilla Victorians won eight matches and lost four. These results allowed it to take second place in the standings. At the start of the playoffs, the team won against Rangpur Riders in a hard struggle. In the final, the club’s opponent was Dhaka Dynamites. Comilla Victorians were more convincing in every inning, getting a victory.
In February 2019, Waqar Salamkheil was called up to the Afghanistan national team for the first time to participate in a Test match against Ireland. The match took place in March in India, and the Afghans won by seven wickets. Salamkheil brought 14 points to the piggy bank of his national team.
In the summer of 2019, Salamkheil was invited to the Euro T20 Slam, where he joined the Edinburgh Rocks. However, later there was information about the cancellation of the tournament. So at the European level, the Afghan cricketer has not yet had time to declare himself. In 2020, in the Shpageeza Cricket League, he became a key player of Band-e-amir Dragons. Waqar took part in all the matches, invariably benefiting the club.
