While he was not initially part of the Test team, his recent heroics caused the Afghanistan board to include him as a late addition.
New recruit to Mumbai Indians (MI) in last month’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction, Afghanistan sensation Allah Ghazanfar is now in the process of making his Test debut against Zimbabwe. While he was not initially part of the two-match Test squad, Ghazanfar’s recent heroics saw him added by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) just a day before the start of the red-ball series. The news was confirmed through an official publication on the ACB account on X (formerly Twitter).
Also, with top spinner Rashid Khan unavailable for red-ball cricket at the moment, Ghazanfar’s inclusion becomes even more important.
Bought by MI for INR 4.8 crore, Allah Ghazanfar recently entered the record books for becoming the third bowler in history to score more than a fifty in ODIs before turning 19, along with Waqar Younis and his compatriot Rashid Khan. While his second fifty came against Zimbabwe in the ODI match, he had scored his first against Bangladesh just last month.
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Allah Ghazanfar can prove to be an advantage for Mumbai Indians
Although the 18-year-old spinner is a relatively unknown commodity, MI’s willingness to spend big money definitely shows the franchise’s faith in the youngster.
Ghazanfar began his ODI career for Afghanistan in March this year against Ireland and has managed to impress regularly since then. Ghazanfar boasts strong credentials, taking 21 scalps in 11 ODI games at a stellar average of 13.57. Its economic rate is also only 4.05.
In the recent series with Zimbabwe, Ghazanfar took a total of nine wickets in three matches at an impressive average of 5.22 and an economy rate of 2.96.
Furthermore, he owns 25 scalps in List A cricket in 15 matches.
Previously, Allah Ghazanfar also played a pivotal role in Afghanistan’s success in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup, taking six wickets in four matches.
Coupled with his ability to easily hit some beyond the limit rope, Allah Ghazanfar has every chance of becoming an asset for MI in the future.
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