Cricketing star, Freddie Flintoff, is wowed by a young asylum seeker from Afghanistan in the concluding episode of Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams. The third episode in the three-part BBC series sees Adnan Miekhal, 16, catch Freddie's eye, as he sets out to create a cricket team from scratch with reluctant teenagers from his hometown of Preston. The series previously looked at the story of Ben, 18, who spent some of his childhood sleeping rough. You can read more about that here.
Adnan's passion for cricket impresses Freddie when he sees him both bowl at speed and prove useful with a bat. A visibly shocked Freddie says: "I think we've found a player here, he's bowled one ball and I jumped out the way!" He adds: "He's gone through so much to get here. He's nice, he's polite, he's very talented at cricket and he deserves every bit of help he can possibly get."
According to the young talent, he never had formal coaching. Freddie says: "When you ask him, though, he says nobody has ever taught him how to play, he just played in the yard, and that was how he learned to bowl properly."
Read more: BBC Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams: What's it about and when can I watch it?
Adnan, who came to the UK in March 2021, "couldn't speak a word of English" when he arrived, according to foster mother Elaine. She said: "He came in the back of a lorry, made his way across from Afghanistan, down through Greece, across in a boat to Italy, and then he walked, went in lorries and cars, right up into France, with a group of other people, to Calais.
"He had no money, couldn't get on a boat to come across, so he went on his own in an empty lorry. He found himself in Preston, cut his way out, and handed himself in to the police station."
Upon joining Freddie's cricket team, Adnan says: “The first time I heard of Freddie Flintoff was when I watched a video on YouTube. He’s a good all-rounder and I said that if I meet him, I have to learn something.” After showing Adnan Wigan Cricket Club (CC), Freddie describes how "Adnan’s got a chance. He’s had limited exposure to cricket so for him to be so good is a miracle.”
Since the show filmed, Adnan has gone on to become a full-time member of Wigan CC. Earlier this year, the team tweeted: "We’re extremely proud to have Adnan as a member of Wigan CC. He is a vital member of the squad and is definitely a star in the making!"
Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams airs on BBC One at 9pm on Tuesday, July 19. You can catch the full series on BBC iPlayer.
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