Afghanistan’s mystery 18-year-old spinner Allah Ghazanfar has been rewarded by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) for his impressive performance in the recent ODI series against Zimbabwe.
The Afghan side is currently in Zimbabwe for a full multi-format series. After whitewashing Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I and three-match ODI series, the Afghanistan cricket team is all set to take on the hosts in a two-match Test series.
The first test will be played from December 26 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo; The venue will also host the second and final test between the two teams starting on January 2, 2025.
Allah Ghazanfar earns first Test call-up after stellar ODI series against Zimbabwe
Meanwhile, Allah Ghazanfar, who is yet to make his T20I debut, was the standout player in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against the Zimbabwe cricket team. The mystery spinner flashed the ball and helped Afghanistan sweep the ODI series 2-0 with the first ODI eliminated at the Harare Sports Club in Harare.
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Ghazanfar finished the ODI series as the leading wicket-taker with 9 scalps at an astonishing average of 5.22 against Zimbabwe. His remarkable ODI display earned him his first call-up to the Test team just a day before the first match of the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
Now, the young spinner is all set to make his Test debut after taking the cricket world by storm with his brilliant bowling performances in domestic cricket, where he has 29 wickets in 16 T20s and 25 wickets in 15 List A games. .
On December 25, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) added Allah Ghazanfar to the Test squad for the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe. The ACB stated in an official statement: “Staff update! “AM Ghazanfar has been brought into the Afghanistan squad for the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe, with the first match scheduled to begin tomorrow in Bulawayo.”
TEAM UPDATE!
AM Ghazanfar has been brought into the Afghanistan squad for the two-match series against Zimbabwe, with the first match scheduled to begin tomorrow in Bulawayo.
#AfghanAtalan | #ZIMvAFG | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/fR5KRHqeSS
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) December 25, 2024
Afghanistan Test Team for Zimbabwe Series:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Ikram Alikhail (WK), Afsar Zazai (WK), Riaz Hassan, Sediqullah Atal, Zahir Khan, Zia Ur Rehman Akbar, Zahir Shehzad, Rashid Khan, Abdul Malik, Baheer Shah Mahboob , Ismat Alam, Azmatullah Omarzai, Yamin Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad Afghan, Naveed Zadran, Fareed Ahmad Malik and Allah Ghazanfar.
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Allah Ghazanfar’s journey is as impressive as his bowling.
Notably, Allah Ghazanfar has so far represented the Afghan team in 11 ODI matches and has taken 21 wickets at an average of 13.57 and an economy rate of 4.05. In November 2024, the Afghan spinner made headlines after winning the top prize at the IPL 2025 auction, where he was bought by five-time champions Mumbai Indians for INR 4.8 crore.
Allah started his cricket journey in 2020 even though his father was against this idea. His father believed that academics were more important than sports and was a waste of time as cricket was not well understood in his community.
Initially, Allah played as a pacer, but his coach, Roze Khan, saw his potential as a spinner and encouraged him to concentrate on spin bowling, and he quickly became an expert spinner, impressing even the stars of Afghan cricket in his early days. .
