Sometimes a young player shows enough glimpses of ability to ignite dreams of what might be possible. Sediqullah Atal is one such name. He has the style, the shots, and the mentality that make you think he is a breakout season away from becoming Afghanistan’s next T20 superstar. Talent does not equal stardom. Stars take time and maturity to become stars. While Atal may be on a path toward stardom, it is safe to say that the cricketing public must provide the space for Atal to mature into stardom.
Compact Technique, Big Future
If you’ve seen Atal bat, the first thing you observe is how compact he looks at the crease. He is no slogger who just hammers from the hips; he is a proper player with good shape and timing. Against pace, he never looks under pressure, and against spin, he has enough shots to rotate the strike without looking panicked. In his innings against the West Indies under-19s a few weeks ago, he played some lovely shots and some that screamed class. But here’s the rub: he was also dropped on several occasions.
It is interesting to remember that T20 cricket does not “forgive” a player for second chances. Unlike ODIs and Tests, players are unable to “settle in” before they have to commence their offence. Atal now has the challenge of taking those 30s and 40s and converting them to match-winning 70s and 80s without hoping for the opposition fielders to provide him with a few mistakes (which leads to Asif Ali being out for 21 runs against Namibia). Ultimately, this requires patience, experience, and a better awareness of control of the game. All these things take time.
The Role of Anchors in a T20 World
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room. Modern T20 batting has been all about going hard from ball one. We’ve seen players like Suryakumar Yadav, Jos Buttler, and Travis Head redefine the template with fearless, high-strike-rate batting. But not every team needs—or even has—an army of power hitters. Atal, along with Ibrahim Zadran, fits into Afghanistan’s “anchor” role at the top of the order.
The anchor in modern T20 cricket is often underappreciated. Many will vilify them as “too slow” or “not explosive enough,” but as we have seen time and again, without someone anchoring the innings, even the most dangerous batsmen can collapse under scoreboard pressure. Atal can act as that stabilising influence that allows big hitters like Rahmanullah Gurbaz or Najibullah Zadran to bat freely.
From Flashes to Consistency
Talent gets you recognized, but consistency helps you become memorable. Atal is in the “flashes of brilliance” part of his career right now. This is where maturity will help. The more Atal plays, he will develop the understanding of pacing an innings—when to rotate the strike, when to take the risk, and when to just survive. It is not about batting like a Suryakumar Yadav overnight; it is about establishing a style that suits him and fits within the team dynamics of Afghanistan.
The encouraging part? Atal is only 24. Fourteen T20Is into his career, he already has a highest score that hints at what he’s capable of. Give him another year or two, and the conversation could shift from “flashes of talent” to “genuine match-winner.”
FAQs
1. Who is Sediqullah Atal?
Sediqullah Atal is a young Afghan cricketer who plays as a top-order batter in T20Is.
2. Why is Atal being compared to a potential T20 rockstar?
Because he has shown flashes of talent, fluent stroke play, and the ability to anchor innings.
3. What is Atal’s biggest strength as a batter?
His compact technique and ability to play classy, fluent shots.
