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Khan, who will make his debut for the Proteas in the third Test against Australia starting in Cape-Town on March 19, shared his elation with SuperCricket.
“I was very excited when I got the news from my coach at the Dolphins, Yashin Ebrahim. I always dreamt of playing for my country but not so early in my career, especially when the national team has been playing some excellent cricket over the past 18 months or so and all the players performing as well.”
The 24-year-old left-handed batsman scored a hundred against Australia for the President’s XI in Potchefstroom last month and is the leading run-scorer in the SuperSport Series this season with 601 runs that includes three centuries and two fifties. He attributes his success to the hard work he had done in the pre-season.
“I worked very hard in the pre-season. I spent a lot of time on leaving the ball and playing straighter, which helped me with more control,” he said.
Khan started his career as an off-spinner but a lack of opportunities was the reason for his transformation to an opening batsman.
“At one stage, the Dolphins only had one recognised opening bat in Doug Watson, therefore when the opportunity to open came along, I gladly accepted,” he said.
A product of Durban High School, Khan also played representative cricket at U19 level when he played in the 2002 World Cup in New Zealand. He then captained the U19 team that toured England and India in 2003 before making his SuperSport Series debut for the Dolphins a year later and he was the leading batsman for South Africa in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia last year.
He has scored 3577 runs, with six centuries and 23 half-centuries, in 62 first-class matches at an average of 38.05, with a highest score of 150. As an off-spinner, he has taken 46 first-class wickets with a best of six for 43.
