Ones who’ll take Afghanistan cricket forward…
In the last two years, Afghanistan have taken the cricketing world by storm. The Afghan Atalans, as the team is called, reached the semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup. A year back at the 2023 ODI World Cup, they beat the defending champs England, and former World Cup winners Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan would’ve reached the semifinals had it not been for Glenn Maxwell’s once-in-a-lifetime double ton against them at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Over the years, Afghan victories have primarily been on the back of performances from spinners like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman and Noor Ahmad. Batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran have also done their bit. In recent times, two fast bowlers – Fazalhaq Farooqui and Naveen-ul-Haq – have also turned the tide in Afghanistan’s favour. Not to forget, the veteran and Afghan cricket’s legend Mohammad Nabi, who has seen it all – from the days of morale-shattering defeats to the current times of favourable results.
Their successes have inspired a new generation of Afghan cricketers, who are ready to take up the mantle and get further glory for Afghanistan.
Here are some of the promising ones who’re going to take Afghan cricket forward…
Baheer Shah (Top-order batsman)
A technically correct top-order batsman, Shah has a first-class average of 59.16 and a triple hundred to his name. Afghanistan’s ODI and Test match skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi has been effusive in Shah’s praise and has high hopes from him. The 24-year-old, at the age of 18 years and 251 days, became the second-youngest player, behind Javed Miandad, to score a triple century in first-class cricket. Shah scored his 1,000th run in first-class cricket in his eleventh innings, the second-fastest behind Australia’s Bill Ponsford.
Riaz Hassan (Opening batsman)
An opening batsman, Riaz Hassan has been touted for great things for Afghanistan. The 22-year-old has played five ODIs, and, just like Baheer Shah, averages more than 50 (56.31) in first-class cricket. Recently, India’s champion off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared his excitement about Shah and Hassan, who he believes would be crucial for Afghanistan’s future in Test cricket. Ashwin, in fact, compared the two young Afghan batters’ role to what former Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif played towards India’s cricketing success in the early 2000s.
Qais Ahmed (Leg-spinner)
Building on Afghanistan’s wrist-spinning nursery, leg-spinner Qais Ahmed has already built a reputation in franchise-based T20 leagues world over. The 24-year-old has already featured for Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL). In the Caribbean Premier League, he has been a regular and has turned up for St Lucia Stars, Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs. In addition to his exploits in the shortest format, Qais has a really good record in first-class cricket. He has 70 wickets to his credit in just 13 first-class matches at an average of 21.44 and a strike-rate of 37.1.
Zahir Khan (Left-arm wrist spin)
A Chinaman, Zahir is a rare breed as there is always a mystery element attached to such bowlers. The 25-year-old has played the BBL for Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades and Brisbane Heat in various seasons. In fact, in 2018, he was signed for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League; however, he was ruled out of the season due to injury. Zahir was impressive during his U-19 days with the Afghanistan team. He has played five Tests and has 11 wickets to his name, but his first-class career has been really striking. Zahir has scalped 106 wickets in 22 matches at an average of 22.66 and a strike-rate of 32.4.
Naveed Zadran (Fast bowler)
All but 19, Naveed Zadran was initially part of Afghanistan’s Test squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand, but a side strain ruled him out later. Afghanistan team management rested him hoping that he gets better before the South Africa ODI series in the UAE. Naveed is a pacy right-arm fast bowler, who can swing the ball both ways. He has already played two Tests, picking nine wickets at an average of 22.5 and a strike-rate of 35.5. At the first-class level, he has 46 wickets in 10 matches to his credit (avg: 24.50, strike-rate: 36.8). Standing at a little over 6 feet, Naveed was the highest wicket-taker on spin-friendly Afghanistan wickets in the 2023 first-class season.