A teenager who picked up a cricket bat for the first time just three years ago has won a prestigious scholarship after being identified as one of the rising stars in the game.
Nafis Shaikh, who attends The Bemrose School, in Uttoxeter New Road, is being fast-tracked for success by Derbyshire County Cricket Club which has arranged a rare full scholarship to Repton School to help the 16-year-old further his career.
He was signed up by the club in 2018 and just a year later made his second team debut in matches against Middlesex, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire and was 12th man for the first team alongside stars including Wayne Madsen and Ravi Rampaul, in a one-day match.
Yet the 16-year-old had never picked up a cricket bat until the end of 2017 when he asked a team practicing in Normanton Park if he could “have a go”.
Nafis with former England cricketer Sir Alistair Cook.
The team belonged to Derby Congregational Club and the coach immediately recognised Nafis’s talent, inviting him to join them for training.
“I asked one of the players in the park if I could have a go at bowling at him and he gave me his number – that was the first time I’d tried cricket,” Nafis said.
“Through that I was given a trial for Derbyshire and since then cricket has taken over my life. I was playing for the under 14s and I am now training with the under 18s and the academy.
READ MORE: Pupils exceed teachers’ expectations at The Bemrose School
“But the highlight has been playing for the second team, which has some first-class players, and training with the first team which just seems surreal. They have all been very encouraging and all of them have given me advice.
“They have talked to me about fear and how nervousness can help but fearing the challenge won’t. They all say that it’s ok to make mistakes, because it tells you what to do next time.”
Nafis, who has three younger sisters, says no one in his family plays cricket and until he was taken on by Derbyshire CCC he had never seen a live match.
The highlight of his cricketing career so far was representing The Midlands at The ECB David English Bunbury Festival. For many young players, the Bunbury Festival is their first chance to benchmark themselves against their peers from different parts of the country.
And the process clearly pays dividends, with over 90 former Bunbury players going on to represent England, including 10 from the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup squad.
Nafis, who will be studying A-level biology and a level three diploma in sport at Repton, added: “The Bunbury Festival was a fantastic experience and I also played a 20-20 match where the academy lads played alongside the first team. Players like Wayne Madsen, Billy Godleman and Matt Critchley were on my team and I tried to be like a sponge and soak up all their talent.
“I want to match their standards and live up to everyone’s expectations of me so I’m looking forward to starting at Repton, I’m very lucky.”
Neil Wilkinson, executive head teacher of The Bemrose School, said: “Nafis has been playing cricket at a very high standard and studying for his GCSEs at the same time. He has been a role model for students at our school, showing maturity beyond his years and a terrific commitment to both his sport and his studies.
“I have no doubt that he will thrive at Repton School and we look forward to following his progress at the county ground.”
Daryn Smit Head of Talent Pathway at Derbyshire County Cricket Club said: “Nafis is an exciting young talent and major role player within our DCCC Academy. His development in the past 2 years is testament to a combination of his natural talent and prolific work ethic.
“This has been rewarded with a well-deserved scholarship to Repton and if Nafis applies himself to this opportunity in the same manner he has to his cricketing endeavours, then I have no doubt that it will be a successful tenure at one of Derbyshire’s finest educational establishments.”
ENDS
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