How Nabi and his son Eisakhil prepared to play a BPL match together

"I have been waiting for a long time to play together with him," says former Afghanistan captain

Mohammad Isam

12-Jan-2026 • 3 hrs ago

Is he strict? "No, no," Hassan Eisakhil said with his dad Mohammad Nabi sitting next to him. They've just played a T20 match together. "We are normal father and son. We are friends." A hint of smirk appears on Nabi's lips as he leaned back. "I am only strict in training. No excuses," he said

The press conference room reacted with laughter. The BPL tends to throw up a lot of stories but none like this.

When Noakhali Express finally selected the 19-year-old Eisakhil, anticipation grew around the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. By the end of the evening, Noakhali had won convincingly, Eisakhil made 92 off 60, having shared a 53-run fourth-wicket stand with Nabi.

It was franchise T20 history in the BPL, with Nabi and Eisakhil becoming the first father-son duo to play together in the same team. What exactly took the Noakhali team management so long to put the impressive Eisakhil in their playing XI is another story, but when he played, it was clear that the stylish Afghan opener was well prepared.

Nabi spoke to Eisakhil constantly through their partnership, which helped Noakhali put on their highest total of the tournament - 184 for 7 and win by 41 runs. Eisakhil hit seven fours and five sixes and returned a strike rate of 153.33

"I am really happy to play with my son," Nabi, 41, said. "I have been waiting for a long time to play together with him. I have prepared him as a professional cricketer. He performed very well on debut. We were in the same pitch together. I was telling him what was about to happen; what will the bowler do. Will he bowl fast or bowl a slower one. He was waiting for those balls, and he played really well.

"We spent 90 minutes yesterday to prepare him about the match today. I explained to him what type of bowlers he will face. I gave him a hard time with the [side-arm] stick. We worked on the pace. The way he batted out there, he shifted that knowledge into the match. There's debut pressure for any youngster in this kind of platform. He managed it very well. He has prepared for the last 20 days for this moment, and he did really well."

Eisakhil said that he had no regret of getting out in the nineties. "I was trying to hit sixes at that stage. I wanted to give my team a bigger total, so I am not disappointed to not be able to reach the hundred."

Eisakhil added that he doesn't consciously copy his father's style of batting. "It is our dream that I play in the national team. That's why I am working hard and focusing on domestic cricket. I don't copy him. Everyone tells me this. But I bat like this naturally."

Nabi, leaning forward this time, said: "It is his style. He is a natural."

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84

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