Mujeeb exits eyeing Aussie WC upset

Brisbane Heat's Afghan sensation Mujeeb Ur Rahman made light work of the Perth Scorchers in Friday night's KFC Big Bash clash but the teenage spinner already has his sights set firmly on a bigger opponent: Australia at the World Cup.

Mujeeb signed off from his maiden BBL season in style at the Gabba, taking 3-16 from four overs to rout the Scorchers and lay the foundation for a strong Heat win that ended the finals hopes of the three-time champions.

The Heat are only a slim mathematical chance of featuring in the finals and if they do pull off a miracle, they will be without the mystery spinner, who exits with the Heat's blessing owing to an illness in the family, before he heads to a World Cup training camp with the Afghanistan squad in Bangalore.

Sharing new-ball duties with part-time offie Matt Renshaw, Mujeeb claimed the huge wicket of Shaun Marsh with the final ball of his first over, the Aussie ODI rep tamely looping a ball to cover point as he appeared to misread one of the spinner's many variations.

He went on to dismiss fellow Australia hopefuls Ashton Turner and Cameron Bancroft, finishing with his best figures of a tournament in which he tallied 12 wickets while conceding a miserly 6.04 runs per over.

If former Scorchers coach Justin Langer was watching on from Canberra after overseeing the Australians on day one of their Test against Sri Lanka, he might well have been scribbling down some notes.

Australia are set to face Afghanistan on June 1 in Bristol, where Mujeeb will be joined by fellow Big Bash stars Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi.

The 17-year-old believes his preparation is on track as he and his compatriots begin to plot what would be one of the great World Cup upsets.

"It's good (playing Big Bash) for me for the World Cup, because England and Australia pitches same," Mujeeb said.

"Inshallah, I am ready for the World Cup. We play already in England. Afghanistan team is good team, now we are top 10 team.

"Shaun Marsh is good batsman. All Australian batsmen are good. This is good for me for World Cup, playing here, and any Australian batsman I get out, is good for me."

The prospect of facing Mujeeb, Rashid and Nabi on a slow pitch in Bristol could well prove a daunting one for the Australians, and Mujeeb's Heat teammate Josh Lalor believes an upset could well be just the start for the Afghans, who have made stunning progress in the sport in the past decade, crowned by a maiden Test bow against India last year.

They were humbled by an innings inside two days in that match, but Lalor says the World Cup could well prove a different proposition.

"I think they've got the talent to not just beat Australia but to challenge anyone," said Lalor, who has played an off-field mentoring role with Mujeeb throughout the Heat's BBL|08 campaign.

"Speaking to Mujeeb, he's really confident about the depth of their side as well, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they go on the big stage and I'm sure they'll really want to impress."