For 19-year-old Raakin Rahman, Monday the 17th of November marks more than just a debut it\u2019s the culmination of years of quiet perseverance, mental growth, and an unwavering belief in his own game. As one of the youngest members of the Comets 2nd XI squad, Rahman\u2019s selection is a testament to his electric form and the maturity he\u2019s developed both on and off the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, like it feels amazing. It’s an amazing opportunity to get. I’ve been thinking about it for like the last, what, two years since it first started\u201d Rahman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That call came from coach Jono earlier this week, and Rahman reaction was pure joy. \u201cAs soon as Jono called me, I had the biggest smile on my face. It kind of felt like I was expecting it a little bit but also had a little bit of nervousness, like saying \u2018oh what if I didn\u2019t get it?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His form this season has been nothing short of dominant. In just five rounds, Rahman has piled on 467 runs, showcasing a blend of technical precision and mental resilience. But for him, the step up isn\u2019t about changing his game it\u2019s about trusting it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just about going back to my processes,\u201d he explained. \u201cI\u2019ve had a lot to think about in the off-season and in the seasons before, just about taking a step back and thinking about, OK, if I fail, it\u2019s about the next game and it\u2019s about the next opportunity that I get.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That mindset shift from pressure to presence has been pivotal. \u201cPhysically it hasn\u2019t really changed that much,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just about maybe facing a bit faster balls. But it\u2019s been a big mental push for me. I think the last couple of years, I\u2019ve put a lot of pressure on myself to try to break into this squad, try to score a lot of runs. And now it\u2019s just been about, okay, just back my skills.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His teammates have noticed the transformation too. Nic, a close teammate and fellow Comet, shared his pride: \u201cSuper proud of him. Obviously, I\u2019ve played a lot of cricket together over the last few years. I think he\u2019s got an unreal skill set. He\u2019s going to absolutely love being out there and being a part of it. His game definitely holds up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nic also spoke to the team\u2019s broader philosophy one that Rahman has embraced. \u201cWe see any team we come up against, they\u2019re just really good at doing the little things for a long period. And I think that\u2019s what we\u2019ve got to do. With bat, it\u2019s just being ruthless and not letting your guard down at all. And with the ball, it\u2019s just being very consistent, volume, partnerships, and working together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Rahman, the debut isn\u2019t about milestones it\u2019s about moments. \u201cThere isn\u2019t really a target in my mind,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s sort of just like playing my best cricket. If it pulls off, I really do want to get a win next week. Trying to get Comets 2nd XI their first win against South Australia that would be an amazing feeling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Preparation has been key. \u201cWe\u2019ve had some really good prep, specifically for this ground and for the wicket. Everyone in the squad\u2019s played many games at this location. So yeah, I think we know the ground well. It\u2019s just about putting those lessons we\u2019ve had in training into practice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rahman credits his older brother Esam as a major influence. \u201cHe\u2019s always shown the way for me from a young age. I\u2019m always looking up to him. But also a lot of my teammates especially when I was opening seeing how they take on their game really inspired me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he steps onto the field for the first time in Comets colours, Rahman isn\u2019t chasing perfection he\u2019s chasing joy. \u201cI just want to have some fun playing cricket with people I love playing with. It\u2019s definitely a step forward for me. Still got a long way to go, got to perform at the next level. But yeah, step in the right direction. Just got to keep persevering, keep taking my chances and opportunities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For 19-year-old Raakin Rahman, Monday the 17th of November marks more than just a debut it\u2019s the culmination…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85,83],"class_list":["post-285057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports","tag-text"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}