UAE’s rising star Aaron William Benjamin, has made more than a splash in the associate cricket world and now has the huge opportunity to take up professional cricket in the Sri Lankan domestic (winter) season.
With trials pending in several A-list clubs, the young pacer is keen on potentially representing yet another International team. Formerly representing the Botswana U-15 and United Arab Emirates U-19 teams respectively in international competition, he looks to one day play for Sri Lanka. At only the age of 19, he has set his sights sky high, not too high though as the media constantly compares him to the likes of “Chaminda Vaas and Zaheer Khan”. Be it as it may, he still has a lot to learn and there is no better way for him to progress in his growing career than by playing against some of the best batsmen the subcontinent has to offer. Batsmen of this caliber aren’t going to be new to him though, as his debut international wickets were that of the former India U19 captain and Vice captain during the 2018 U19 Asia Cup, held in Bangladesh.
Being asked about his experience in Sri Lanka, he goes on to say “The first match I played was at the P. Saravanamuthu stadium, it was a great honor as it is my great grandfather’s home ground. Also, being able to take 2 early wickets against the Tamil Union U23’s while playing for the UAE U19’s is one of my most memorable moments on the field and I hope to emulate such performances, going forward in Sri Lanka.”
Though he has gained a lot of experience in his still young career, he has had it tough too. Having to migrate twice and set up a new cricket career in a short space of time is no easy feat but Aaron on both occasions used this as an opportunity to be resilient. His perseverance to reach their (Botswana and UAE’s) respective national teams, shows that Aaron has the grit and determination to make a name for himself in Sri Lanka. Such a fiery spirit in a young fast bowler is any first class teams dream, therefore, it will be interesting to see which A-list club will contract him first.
(Syndicated press content)
