Cricket: Meet Aberdeenshire’s hat-trick hero, 17, who has lofty ambitions

Manu Saraswat has made impressive progress through the Aberdeenshire ranks after making his debut at just 14 years old.

By Callum Law

July 19 2024, 11:45 am

Aberdeenshire all-rounder Manu Saraswat. Pictures by Kenny Elrick/DCT Media.

Promising Aberdeenshire cricket prospect Manu Saraswat has set his sights on becoming a senior Scotland international.

The 17-year-old took his first hat-trick for the Mannofield side against St Modans in the North-East Championship earlier this month.

Having made his debut in the Aberdeenshire first-team three years ago, Saraswat hopes to continue his impressive progression.

The batting all-rounder, who bowls off-spin, is a Scotland under-15 and U17 international and was also called into the U19 squad for the T20 World Cup in South Africa in January.

Reflecting on his cricketing journey so far and his aspirations for the future, Saraswat said: “I made my senior debut for the first-team in 2021.

“Since then it’s been mostly the same guys I’m playing with. I get on well with all of them and they’ve helped me quite a lot.

“It’s great to be given the opportunity. I’m fortunate as a young player that I’ve been given opportunities to bat up the order and have had the chance to bowl plenty of overs.

“If possible I would like to become a full-time professional cricketer in the future.

“I want to play for the senior Scotland team and also maybe try out for an English county – I’d love to play for Scotland in the future, that’s my big goal.

“Being called up to the U19 World Cup was a really good experience to learn from some of the older boys and see what the level is globally watching the best U19 players in the world.”

First treble

Saraswat achieved the special feat of taking a hat-trick on July 6 when Aberdeenshire defeated St Modans.

The teenager has been pleased to make his mark this summer, particularly after missing the first month of the season while he was sitting his highers.

Saraswat, who is going into sixth year at Robert Gordon’s College, added: “The first wicket was LBW and I wasn’t even considering a hat-trick, but then with the second ball I hit the stumps.

“That was the last ball of the over and then with the first ball of my next over I just told myself to try and hit the stumps.

Manu Saraswat is a Scotland youth international.

“Thankfully the ball turned and the batter missed and that was it.

“I was a bit nervous, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to get a hat-trick – that’s my first and it was great to take it.

“It’s never something you think will happen.

“I wasn’t really playing at the start of the season because I had my exams.

“My first match was in June, but since then I’ve been doing all right.

“I was so happy when the exams were finished so I could get back to cricket.

“Unfortunately my last exam was the last exam in the SQA timetable, so some of my friends were finished for two weeks while I still had an exam to do.”