Muhammad Zuhaib: UAE's young gun who is taking 'Giant' strides

At 19, Muhammad Zuhaib finished with 11 wickets, including a four-wicket haul against Sharjah Warriorz, in the International League T20 (ILT20) 2024 - the highest wicket-taker for his side Gulf Giants - ahead of seasoned pros like Chris Jordan and Jamie Overton, among others. 

However, a year on, he did not feature in the first four games, before being roped in against Dubai Capitals. He picked up his first wicket of the season in his second over, getting rid of the dangerous Najibullah Zadran.  At 20, he has already played 15 matches for the UAE since making his debut in February last year.

"I felt proud walking out to represent the UAE. I performed well in ILT20, because of which I could make my debut. I just told myself that I should give my 100% while playing for the UAE as well," Zuhaib said in a chat with Cricket.com.

The Giants, who won the inaugural edition of the ILT20, have lost four of their five games so far. While they still have a chance to make it to the next round, their morale can very well be down in the pits, with them at the bottom of the table.

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Zuhaib, however, does not see it that way. "In cricket, all these things happen. We are just four matches through, there are six matches to go," the leg-spinner said ahead of the clash against the Capitals. 

"So, hopefully, we'll win the remaining six games. There's no special discussions in the dressing room about the losses, it's just been the usual."

Zuhaib, who learnt the art of leg-spin by watching videos of Shane Warne on YouTube, further perfected his art at the Sharjah Cricket Academy by learning the trade of the art from Devendra Bishoo, the former West Indies leg-spinner.

Other than him, he also fed off other top-class bowlers like Rashid Khan as well. However, Zubair had to make a call after his 10th grade: to continue studying or take a leap of faith and put all his energy into cricket. He chose the latter and credits his father for giving him the freedom to make his choice.

"When I finished 10th, I was finding it tough to play cricket as the matches would be going on, and I would find it difficult to study as well," he recalled. 

"Then I spoke to my father. I told him that I am unable to find time for both. In the morning, there were matches, and at the same time, there was school as well. Then he advised me to focus only on cricket. My father has supported me a lot in this."

Not just leg-spin, Zuhaib can also bat, as he showed in the Hong Kong Sixes in November last year, where he smashed seven sixes on his way to a 14-ball 53 against Pakistan.

For Zubair, it's not just about honing his leg-spin skills, but also wants to work on his batting, which will make him a complete all-rounder.

"I bat at the nets, work on my hitting. There were a lot of tours - Hong Kong, ILT20 and then played for UAE. I want to be a pure all-rounder so that I don't fall short. I practised a lot before the Hong Kong Sixes. I play a lot against side-on and work on my hitting," Zubair, who has a strike rate of 136 in T20s, said.

For Zuhaib, the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the best players in the world, including Giants head coach Andy Flower, is something he should grab with both hands. He has certainly made the right noises in his brief career so far, and given what we have seen, it would be safe to assume that we're going to see a lot of him in the future.