Cyrus Shafi has the most unique name in the Haisman Shield – and the story to match.
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From experiencing cricket for the first time at just six days old to sharing the breakfast table with Babar Azam, Daren Sammy and Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mooroopna’s English import has enough anecdotes to shake a stick at.
He does that pretty well, too.
Four rounds into Cricket Shepparton’s premier competition, Shafi leads the champion player count with 129 runs to go along with his 12 wickets.
For a player who grew up in the structured world of Gloucestershire cricket, the wide expanses of country Victoria could have felt alien.
But Shafi, 23, has taken it in stride.
“Playing against new opposition, it's always a challenge coming to a different country and experiencing how they play the game,” he said.
“But no, it's been really good getting around the boys.
“All the boys are really passionate about their cricket and they really want to win.
“We really want to make a strong statement in this competition in all formats – we’ve struggled in the T20s, but focusing now more on the white ball and then we’ve got the red ball stuff starting, which I think we’ll be really suited for.”
Shafi was recruited by fellow Englishman, Mooroopna skipper Jack Gaskill, and, while the setting is new, three things have helped him adapt to life in the Haisman Shield.
One: his aggressive, front foot batting style.
Two: his clever left arm orthodox spin.
Three: this isn’t his first Australian summer.
He credits a stint with Morwell in the Latrobe Valley with teaching him about the intricacies that make regional Victorian cricket different to his home county of Gloucestershire.
“It was very different coming from playing cricket in the city back home in Bristol and then coming to play out in country Victoria against new opposition and guys that are feisty cricketers,” Shafi said.
“One thing that I found really different here is the fields that they set.
“When I’m batting, I’ve got fields here that I’ve never had in England — you might have different fielders in different positions.
“It’s always a bit of an adjustment and a challenge, having to adjust regardless of the cricket you’ve played before – but I’ve enjoyed every bit of it.”
Speaking of his cricket resume, Shafi has quite the stacked CV.
From eight years old, he was involved in the setup and academy of the prestigious Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, which has welcomed world-class talents such as Muttiah Muralitharan and Courtney Walsh over the years.
Shafi names that chapter as a “fantastic part of my cricketing story that I’ll never forget”.
But it’s far from the only sparking example.
“I was selected into a 16-man squad for Peshawar Zalmi, one of the franchise teams in the PSL (Pakistan Super League),” he said.
“Being around the likes of Babar Azam, Daren Sammy and Inzamam-ul-Haq was a fantastic experience.
“You’re eating breakfast with these guys, rubbing shoulders with them, and trying to pick their brains as to how they go about the game and what their views and experiences are, just so you can take that forward in your own cricketing career.”
Tapping into cricketing brains like that can only work wonders for a young player looking to make a future in the game.
Which is just as well – because Shafi never really had a choice.
His first outing came six days after he was born to watch his father captain a club side in Bristol, and with Shafi’s family rooted in the gentlemen’s game, he rightly admitted it is a massive part of who he is.
For 23 years, Shafi has never been far from a bat and ball.
But what about the next six months?
Refining his bowling to cater for white and red ball cricket as well as building big innings with the bat rank high, but when it comes down to brass tacks, Shafi wants to be Mooroopna’s game breaker.
“A big part of my cricket is wanting to build around being a match-winner,” he said.
“If I can win games for my team with the bat or with the ball, that’s a huge stepping stone towards where I want to be with my cricket.”