Saqib Khan is the 31-year-old Pakistan fast bowler who produced one of the great Test debuts in his country’s history on 12 November 2026, taking seven for 130 against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi. On a rain-hit fourth morning, with Sri Lanka resuming on 404 for 4, he ripped through the order in an eight-over spell of five for 25, finishing as only the fourth Pakistan bowler to take seven wickets in an innings on Test debut.
It earned him the Player of the Match award in a match that ended drawn on 13 November 2026, and capped a remarkable late rise: three years ago, he had never played a first-class match. This biography covers his age, career, the dream debut, his personal life and net worth.
| Full Name | Saqib Khan |
| Date of Birth | 9 September 1995 |
| Age | 31 years old (as of November 2026) |
| Birthplace | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Occupation | Cricketer (right-arm medium-fast bowler) |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Current Teams | Pakistan; Karachi Blues; Quetta Gladiators (PSL) |
| Known For | 7/130 on Test debut vs Sri Lanka, Rawalpindi, November 2026 |
| Net Worth 2026 | Not publicly disclosed |
Early Life
Saqib Khan was born on 9 September 1995 in Karachi, Pakistan, per the Pakistan Cricket Board’s official profile, and his family comes from Mingora in Swat. He has lived in Karachi since his cricket journey began, first in Sher Shah and now in Metroville, as he told the Regional Cricket Association Karachi in July 2026. Like so many Pakistani cricketers, he started with tape-ball cricket before moving to hard-ball cricket at the Future Stars Cricket Academy under Sir Liaquat.
It is a story of a late start and long patience. Saqib says he started late and spent seven or eight years putting in the effort before the opportunity came, and as recently as three years ago, aged 28, he had never played a first-class match and was still playing almost exclusively tape-ball cricket, as ESPNcricinfo reported. While other Pakistan fast bowlers burst onto the scene as teenagers, Saqib built his game the slow way in Karachi’s club and domestic cricket.
Career
Saqib’s first-class debut finally came at the age of 29, in the 2024–25 season, and he made up for lost time. According to the Regional Cricket Association Karachi, he took 71 wickets in his first 16 multi-day matches, and he can bat, hitting 17 sixes in 26 first-class innings from number nine or ten, including a fifty of 54. He first represented Karachi Blues in the National T20 Cup in 2023, and the PCB lists his major teams as Karachi Region Blues and Whites, Engro Dolphins, Omar Associates, Khan Research Laboratories and the State Bank of Pakistan.
The season that changed everything was the 2025–26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he finished as the tournament’s leading fast bowler, 47 wickets in nine matches at 20.60, best figures seven for 34, in Karachi Blues’ title-winning run. He also took 10 wickets including a five-for in six innings in the President’s Trophy 2026, earning his maiden Pakistan call-up, and he has played in the HBL Pakistan Super League with Quetta Gladiators. Before the series he played in the Patron’s XI three-day practice match against the tourists, and, as ESPNcricinfo reported, he was not named in Pakistan’s Test squad until less than two days before the first Test.
It is the classic domestic-cricket route into the Pakistan side, taken by plenty of his contemporaries, including opener Sahibzada Farhan, another product of Pakistan’s domestic circuit now playing international cricket, while the youth system is producing players such as Farhan Yousaf, a wicketkeeper-batter in the Pakistan Under-19 set-up. What sets Saqib apart is the age at which he arrived: 31, when most fast bowlers are winding down.
Saqib Khan’s Test Debut: Seven Wickets Against Sri Lanka
The first Test against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium began on 12 November 2026, and for three days it looked like a match slipping away from Pakistan. The hosts had declared on 434 for 9, built on Saud Shakeel’s 93, Tayyab Arif’s 57 and 52 from Arafat Minhas, but Sri Lanka replied strongly, resuming on the fourth morning at 404 for 4, with Dhananjaya de Silva on 167 and Kusal Mendis on 119.
Then the overcast conditions arrived, and so did Saqib Khan. He dismissed de Silva with his first ball of the day, the overnight centurion adding nothing to his score, and then ripped through the order in an eight-over spell of five for 25. Mendis went for 119, Sonal Dinusha for 20, and Lahiru Kumara and Asitha Fernando fell cheaply, Fernando caught behind on review to give wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori his sixth catch. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 446 inside 90 minutes, their last six wickets falling for 42 runs, and Saqib finished with seven for 130 in 34 overs.
The figures put him in rare company. He became only the fourth Pakistan bowler to take seven wickets in an innings on Test debut, after Mohammad Nazir (7/99 vs New Zealand, 1969), Mohammad Zahid (7/66 vs New Zealand, 1996) and Abrar Ahmed (7/114 vs England, 2022) — the second Pakistani fast bowler after Zahid, and the only one this century. Pakistan reached 57 for 1 before bad light and rain ended the fourth day early, and on the final day declared on 284 for 8, Saud Shakeel falling for 97, to set Sri Lanka 273. Rain and lost time meant the match ended drawn on 13 November 2026, but Saqib was named Player of the Match, the seventh Pakistani to win the award on Test debut.
The second and final Test, also in Rawalpindi, begins on 17 November 2026.
Personal Life
Saqib Khan keeps his personal life out of the public eye, and no reliable coverage has published details about his marital status or his family beyond his Swat roots. His public story is the cricket itself: the tape-ball streets of Karachi, the Future Stars Academy, the long wait and the debut that made it worthwhile. He has spoken about starting late and working for seven or eight years before the breakthrough, and that patience is now the defining theme of his career.
He is not, as one match report wrongly stated, 25 years old. He is 31, born in September 1995, and the debut he made at that age is part of what makes it remarkable: a bowler who arrived in Test cricket fully formed, after years of domestic toil.
Saqib Khan Net Worth 2026
Saqib Khan’s net worth has not been publicly disclosed, and no credible estimate exists. As a domestic cricketer who has only just broken into Test cricket, his income would come from domestic contracts, franchise cricket and Test match fees, but no reliable figure has been reported. Any net worth number found online would be speculation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Saqib Khan?
Saqib Khan is 31, born on 9 September 1995 in Karachi, Pakistan, per the Pakistan Cricket Board’s official profile.
How tall is Saqib Khan?
His height has not been publicly reported by any reliable source.
How many wickets did Saqib Khan take on his Test debut?
He took seven for 130 in 34 overs against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi on 12 November 2026, including five for 25 in an eight-over spell on the fourth morning, and was named Player of the Match.
Where is Saqib Khan from?
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, his family comes from Mingora in Swat. He grew up playing tape-ball cricket before joining the Future Stars Cricket Academy.
What is Saqib Khan’s net worth in 2026?
His net worth has not been publicly disclosed, and no credible estimate has been published.
When is Saqib Khan’s next Test match?
The second Test against Sri Lanka, also at Rawalpindi, begins on 17 November 2026.
