- The fast bowler bagged 39 wickets in eight matches for Peshawar Region; Niaz’s interview is available here
Lahore, 7 January 2025: Peshawar Region finished as the runners-up of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2024-25, going down to Sialkot by one wicket on Sunday at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi. Their march to the final included three wins and two draws in the group stage while they won one and lost one game in triangular stage.
The campaign which catapulted Peshawar to the final of the tournament was spearheaded by the bowling trio of Niaz Khan (39 wickets), Mohammad Amir Khan (32 wickets) and Sajid Khan (29 wickets). Among these bowlers, Niaz finished as the leading wicket-taker and also won the player of the tournament award.
He bowled the most overs in the tournament – 253.5 across the eight games. His 39 wickets – one more than the best bowler of the tournament Musa Khan (38) – came at an average of 20.13 and included two five-fors and a match haul of 9-112 in the final.
Reflecting on his heroics for Peshawar, Niaz told PCB Digital, “I am grateful to the Almighty for helping me achieve this goal of becoming the top wicket-taker of Pakistan’s prestigious first-class tournament. It is a matter of pride for me and my family.”
The 23-year-old from Swat made his first-class debut for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against Sindh at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad in October 2021 and began his red-ball career with figures of 5-58 in 19.1 overs. After 24 first-class matches, his record stands at 79 wickets at 26.75 including four five-wicket hauls.
Recounting his journey, Niaz said, “I represented Pakistan U19 in 2019 and then returned to competitive games in 2021. It was the same season when I made my way up from district cricket to second XI and then a first-class debut. Last Quaid-e-Azam Trophy season, I played five games and picked up 17 wickets.”
Talking about his love for fast bowling and how the support staff in Peshawar teams has helped him do well, he said, “I follow West Indies’ Kemar Roach as my role model and I often learn a lot from watching him bowl. This year our head coach at Peshawar, Zohaib Khan (former first-class player), has really helped in many ways especially getting us ready for the red-ball challenge as he gels well with the players.”
The next assignment for Niaz is yet another first-class tournament – President’s Trophy Grade-I 2024-25, where he will represent State Bank of Pakistan.
