Sangha quietly thunders onto Big Bash stage

Tanveer Sangha was just 16 when he first caught the eye of leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed, a man more than twice his age and light years ahead in terms of life and cricket experience.

It was April 2018 and Sangha was part of Australia's Under-16 team playing Pakistan at Melbourne's Junction Oval, the home base of Fawad's Victorian side, and the youngster stood out so much that the veteran was compelled to seek him out.

Between games, the two had a net session together and Ahmed was so impressed with what he saw up close that he helped convince his Sydney Thunder side to sign Sangha as a development rookie later that year.

"I was so stoked and over the moon to be training with him and have him telling me a couple of things about leg spin," Sangha, no relation to Thunder teammate Jason, remembered recently.

"He said to always trust your gut, back your ability … and never doubt yourself when you're bowling. I've always been quite confident as a bowler and I reckon him giving me some advice and training with me gave me more confidence.

"And he's always told me that if I ever needed anything, to give him a message or give him a call. He was always there."

On Tuesday night at Manuka Oval, master and apprentice will meet again, this time as opponents.

Sangha, just weeks after his 19th birthday, has been one of the standout bowlers early in the KFC BBL season for the Thunder while Fawad, now 38, is a key cog of the Perth Scorchers' bowling attack.

Since that first meeting more than two-and-a-half years ago, Sangha has started to fulfil the potential Fawad saw in him during that Junction Oval training session.

The wrist-spinner was arguably Australia's best player at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, taking 15 wickets at 11 and with an economy rate of 3.58, a campaign highlighted by a match-winning double of 4-41 and 46 not out against Afghanistan.

Image Id: 92ADE77C289C4D5BB8107226529ABB5C Image Caption: Sangha was arguably Australia's best player at the U19 World Cup earlier this year // Getty

Having since earned a rookie contract with NSW in the winter, he's impressed in his first two games for the Thunder, taking a wicket in his first over of professional cricket and holding his own against some of the best batters in the competition.

Asked about Sangha during the season, Thunder veterans Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson and Ben Cutting have all lauded their young teammate with a knowing smile that seemingly hints at both excitement for what he could become, and relief that he's on their team.

And while Sangha has seemingly come from nowhere to be one of the leading spinners in the early stages of the BBL – his economy rate of 6.62 is bettered only by Adam Zampa and Ben Manenti among slow bowlers to have bowled more than two overs – it's come as no surprise to those who know him.

"There's just some people you look at and (know) he's got what he needs between the ears," former Test opener Chris Rogers, Sangha's Under-19 coach at the World Cup, told cricket.com.au.

"Bowling leg spin isn't easy, and the way he bowls leg spin is actually technically very impressive. But what's between his ears and how he's able to problem solve and manage stressful situations I, and everyone who's dealt with him, would say he's outstanding.

"So it's doesn't surprise me, but it's still very pleasing to see him be able to go and do it.

"He's brilliant (to work with). He's cheeky and he's funny, but he's highly engaging and happy and positive. I just found him really enjoyable to work with because he would listen but have a bit of fun as well."

Just as impressive as Sangha's bowling has been his openness with the rare mistakes he's made early in the season, including an over against the Brisbane Heat that went for 16 runs when the rookie leg-spinner was called upon to bowl to Chris Lynn in the Power Surge with only two men outside the inner fielding circle.

Not only has Sangha come to terms with what he's done wrong early in the season, he's just as quickly learned from it and moved on.

"(In the first game against the Stars) I was so worried about bowling a bad ball that I forgot to change the field around and that cost me a couple of runs," he said.

"And in the second game, it was about trying to get the good batsman off strike as much as you can. Like in the Power Surge, trying to get Lynn off strike rather than trying to bowl a dot ball.

"Each game I play, the more I learn, the better I'll get with my bowling, particularly at a T20 level against some high-class batsmen. The more I play and bowl, the more I can assess and evaluate and learn."

Of the Lynn over, Rogers said: "He got his tactics wrong there, but that's OK.

"He's going to make mistakes with how he goes about it, but it is so impressive with how he's been able to stay level. He wasn't too fazed when he did get whacked by Lynn, that's for sure."

Beyond Big Bash cricket, Sangha is like any other young player, yearning for a chance at first-class cricket and the ultimate goal of national representation and a Baggy Green cap.

Rogers is cautiously optimistic that Sangha can take cricket's most difficult art all the way to senior international cricket.

"It's always hard to say that, but he has the attributes," Rogers says.

"He probably has what he needs to get there, now it's up to him and the decisions he makes and how hard he works for it.

"I think the sky's the limit, but I'd hesitate to say he's a future Australian player simply because there's a lot of water that needs to go under the bridge for that to happen."