NEWTON le Willows Cricket Club have confirmed they have signed a young Afghan player who became the star of a recent BBC TV series.
Adnan Miakhel, 19, captured millions of hearts when he was featured in Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams documentary, which saw the former England captain transforming a cricket club and the lives of teenagers in his hometown of Preston.
While Freddie tried to turn an unlikely group of teenagers into a cricket team, his attention was drawn to Adnan, who is a refugee from Afghanistan. He was so awed by his skill that he appealed for asylum from the government for the talented teen, which was granted.
The second round of filming Freddie Flintoff's Field Of Dreams On Tour was delayed by a year after the presenter was injured in a horrifying near-death crash filming Top Gear.
On the new series, which screened on the BBC earlier this year, Freddie took the same young cricketers on tour to Kolkata in India to give them new experiences.
Adnan originally took part in the filming of the programme just months after arriving in the UK.
During the second series he revealed harrowing details of his journey to the UK from Afghanistan.
"Listening to Adnan describing his life to this point has had a huge impact on me," said Flintoff. "I knew a little bit about Adnan but I’d been afraid to ask more. It just makes me love that lad even more."
After being granted asylum after Flintoff wrote to the Home Office on his behalf, Adnan won a scholarship to one of Lancashire’s most prestigious boarding schools Rossall School in Fleetwood.
Adnan said: "Every single minute, I think about cricket because I love it. The passion I have about the game has made me who I am today because two years ago, I was nothing in terms of a cricketer and now I'm playing for Lancashire.
"Basically people say when you are talented you need a bit of luck as well. So, in my life it wasn’t luck, it was one person – Freddie. He’s changed my life forever. He gave me every single opportunity. He said: 'Adnan, I’ll give you the opportunity but it's all up to you how you're going to take it. If you take it properly you will reach somewhere and you will go somewhere.'"
Adnan also had a successful season playing for Wigan in Premier League of the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition in 2024 prompting fellow Premier League side Newton le Willows to sign him for the forthcoming campaign.
In a statement on X, the club said: "We are delighted to announce the signing of Adnan Miakhel.
"Adnan will be known to many as part of the TV show Field of Dreams. He scored 542 runs in the Liverpool Competition Premier League in 2024 and represented Lancashire at U18 level. Welcome to the club Adnan."
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